More than 200 tea party activists started their Tax Day activism by learning how to be community organizers.

"Embrace that label," Brendan Steinhauser said as the audience groaned at the reference to President Obama's past profession.

Steinhauser, who works with the D.C.-based advocacy group FreedomWorks , led the panel on grassroots organizing aimed at shaping tea party protesters into effective campaign organizers.

They offered these nine tips:

* Focus on recruitment. Leaders should focus on growing their numbers at all times, Steinhauser said. One way to do that is to hold regular meetings so people know where to find your group.

“If you have 25 people there at your monthly meeting, you should shoot for 50,” he said. “Have everyone bring a friend.”

* Learn from past activists – left and right. Activists should read books like "Dedication and Leadership" by Douglas Hyde and "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell, Steinhauser said.

In addition, he suggested that tea partyers get up to speed on Saul Alinsky , a liberal organizer who wrote "Rules for Radicals." Conservatives may disagree with his ideas, but they can still use his tactics.

“Let’s read Saul Alinsky and use it against [liberals],” Steinhauser said.

* Make time for social events. Political organizing can’t sustain itself if it’s all work. Tea party leaders were encouraged to hold bowling nights and book clubs as a way to build camaraderie among their groups.

* Welcome anyone and everyone. That includes people from the inner city or your neighborhood barrio, the speakers said.

They also said not to write off people who have voted for Democrats, saying the movement needs new faces in order to sustain itself.

* Work in coalitions. Andrew Moylan of the National Taxpayers Union emphasized the need to work with groups that share the same goal, even if there isn’t complete agreement.

That’s a timely message for tea party groups, who have been dividing into factions over how to move forward.

Moylan said coalition work should include liberal groups, where common cause can be found.

“As much as we don’t agree with liberals, on the occasions that we do agree with them the effects can be extremely, extremely powerful,” he said.

* Focus on specific issues. Tea partyers may exist to defend the Constitution, but that by itself is too vague of a goal to accomplish, Moylan said.

He suggested that local groups identify needs in their community or local initiatives that they can support or fight. Then find allies in the local business community, political parties, or neighborhood groups that can help with that.

* Avoid turf wars. Tea party groups are only holding themselves back if they start to worry about getting credit for everything they take part in. Moylan acknowledged this as one setback to working together in groups on issues.

Paraphrasing Ronald Reagan, the speaker told the crowd, “There is no limit to what you can accomplish if you don’t care who gets the credit.”

* Don't stop at protests. This seemed to be the mantra of the day, whether it be at the anti-tax rallies or in the lobbying trainings.

“If we can take these protests and turn it into action, on a state level, on a local level, on a federal level, that’s where the rubber’s going to meet the road,” Moylan said.

* Manage the media. Bryan Bernys of the Leadership Institute discussed the importance of keeping local and national media aware of events that tea party groups are organizing.

Bernys said each group should identify a spokesperson who is responsible for handling media for events.

“Sometimes the most energetic   member in the crowd makes their way to the media," he said, pausing as the audience laughed. "And they aren't the best communicators of your cause."

-- Ambreen Ali, Congress.org