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What is to be done (at my DSA chapter?) (hexbear.net)

submitted 5 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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I'm writing this as a response to the linked thread and realized it should be it's own post.

I'll be brief: My DSA chapter is in the planning stages of what we will focus on next year. We are a smaller chapter so we are working to pick programs that we can realistically do with a handful of people.

I read a lot on here about how orgs such as this one are doing everything wrong... so is there a step-by-step guide to doing the "right" thing?

Potential programs we may pursue next year (these are being put up to a vote in a few weeks):

A internal membership development program. Lots of political education including a reading group for the new translation of Capital Vol. 1
An agitprop program. We will teach each other how to work Canva/GIMP, design flyers, posters and other media and start being more outgoing around the area with our advertising.
A "mass line" project where we plan to hold community "listening sessions" in the more impoverished parts of town.
A Crisis Pregnancy Center awareness campaign. We would point out these centers around town, agitate against them through awareness campaigns and maybe lobby to get them banned in our area?

What would you pick and why?

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 5 days ago (1 children)

When I was in the organization I found that their internal organization was genuinely horrific and it was no surprise that they could barely do anything except glomming onto Democrat campaigns. You should focus on identifying who your members are, where they work, what they want to do, and what skills they have and how you can get them to be active. Train them to be semi-cadre who actually have a degree of discipline, education, and investment in the organization. Then you should work with them to identify and solve the issues they face, especially if they're genuine proletarians.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago (2 children)

We're trying. One of the big pushes we have is a member survey that asks these kinds of questions. Like most DSA chapters we're looking at 90% of our dues-paying members being "inactive" as in they never show up to meetings or events. I want to get more of these people active or figure out why we never see them at meetings, socials, etc.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 hours ago

The solution to that is to have a committee of people call these people and schedule 1-on-1s. Follow the standard organizing conversation steps:

figure out why they joined and get them to rant/vent with you. This is 80% them talking and 80% of the conversation.
pivot the conversation to actually making a plan to fix the problem. Who is the enemy? How can we beat them.
get them to commit to taking the first step to solving the problem: go to an actual meeting.
make sure they understand this will take their time and effort.
ALWAYS follow up with them later to ensure they don't forget.

The Socialist Platonic Dating Committee. I've done it, it works. For paper members its still all online stuff. Meeting them IRL breaks that reality for them.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago

That sounds like a good start. When I ran the membership committee in my area we ran some surveys and it was sort of helpful to identify the structural barriers to participation.

Making an effort to just reach out and talk to less involved members on a regular basis can be surprisingly effective too. I wanted to do more of it but nobody really wanted to pursue it with me so it died.