So, I’ve taken part in a ton of activist groups in Iowa City over the last 15 years. A couple of months ago, I wrote some reflections on the good and bad of Iowa City activism. I kept most of that rather local to Iowa City. In this post, I’d like to extend this to broader lessons.
With that in mind, here are 4 lessons from local activism!
1. Build a bench of new leaders
As I pointed out in the article on Iowa City, activist groups rely far too much on their leaders. Especially ‘Pied Pipers.’ It’s important to engage rank-and-file members. But, beyond that, it’s also important to train new leaders.
Leaders get tired. They burn out. And they want to rotate seats so they can move back to a rank-and-file role for awhile. Developing new leaders will help them do that. It will help sustain orgs.
2. Place in-person discussion and action front and center
The pandemic took a huge toll on activist orgs. At the same time, it had certain benefits for accessibility. Lots of groups moved meetings online, which allowed some new people to join. That’s a big plus.
However, most people don’t really like online forms of engagement. At least, not exclusively. Online meetings haven’t replaced the sense of community found in in-person meetings and activity. Not even close.
As a result, lots of groups lost members and lost engagement during the pandemic. In response, orgs should make sure to center their events as much as possible on in-person events. They can – and should – make meetings as accessible as possible by offering an online option. But in-person meetings and events remain the key format for orgs.
3. Expand beyond the activist base
Activist groups tend to put activists front and center. Big surprise. But for member-based orgs – or any org looking to build class power (e.g., tenants unions, DSA) – they need to go beyond the usual activist base. They need to engage broader segments of people.
This means talking to people outside the activist scene. It means talking to people who might not agree with the org. But it also means getting new input and new ideas that could greatly improve the org! And it would almost certainly help them get more done.
Expanding beyond the base also helps correct some of the problems and issues with the activist base. The base often stands at odds with the local community. It’s often too moralistic in its politics and too plugged in to social media (see #4). Getting out beyond the base can correct for this.
4. Take it easy on social media
Some activist groups have the idea that they will grow if they just get out there on social media, post good memes and hot takes, raise awareness, and engage with online leftists.
No. Just no. That’s not how to grow an org. At best, the org grows full of slacktivists. At worst, it just wastes time and builds no members at all. And, more than anything, social media becomes a site of conflict and bickering among members. Not to mention conflicts with non-member, very online leftists who just stir conflict on social media without joining an active movement or doing anything at all productive. Stepping into this mess wastes everyone’s time.
I’m not saying orgs should delete their social media accounts. But social media should never be the main way to grow members or engage with the org.
