In July 2020, we held our annual chapter convention, and we passed these standard guidelines that can be used to evaluate potential chapter work. If you are in the process of developing a new proposal for a project or campaign, use these questions to guide you! Or, if you are voting on a proposed new project or campaign, use these questions as benchmarks to determine whether or not it’s something that the chapter should take on.
- How is this work socialist?
- Does this work present opportunities to struggle alongside the BIPOC working class?
- Which workers are most directly affected by this campaign, and how do we organize with them?
- How does this work build power for the working class?
- What other community support will be necessary to win? (Churches, politicians, activist groups, labor unions, parents, etc.)
- What is the history of this work in New Orleans, and do we have the capacity to power map our organizing conditions?
- What does victory look like?
- What are some benchmarks and escalation opportunities?
- What are our red lines, or non-negotiable positions?
- Does this campaign grow the chapter?
- Is it something that will be identified with New Orleans DSA, to raise our visibility among the city’s working class and create an incentive for people to join?
- Does this work actively recruit new members through a structured campaign, or rely on activist interest and passive recruitment?
- Is this campaign scalable?
- Are there opportunities for members of all levels of chapter involvement to participate in this work?
- Is it something dozens of members can participate in at one point or another?
- Who will lead this campaign? How many leaders will need to be elected from the general membership? What will the terms be?
- What are the capacity needs from the membership and from established Committees and/or working groups?
- What chapter resources will this work require?
- Membership mobilization, design, social media, budget, GSuite
- Will this work involve working in coalition with other New Orleans organizations?
- Are we in a position to lead and/or pull the strategy left?
- Which organization/s? How do our principles align/where do our principles deviate?
- Do we have an established relationship with these organizations?
- What training, political education, and membership development will be a part of this campaign?
- Six-step organizing conversations?
- Power mapping?
- Historical context?
- What is our plan to debrief? How will we evaluate and integrate these lessons into our institutional knowledge?