Priorities Process

The priorities process has been designed to help our chapter's members democratically and intentional reflect on our work as socialist.

Please iterate on the design below and add observations and suggestions!

Priorities

Note about priorities vote winners:

• If a priority wins, then BDSA collectively agrees to lend more chapter resources towards that priority for the following year. For example, the Steering Committee will prioritizes the priories in General Meeting and membership mobilization.
• If the priority process was good, then members will be easily rallied to volunteer and organize toward the priorities they helped set.
• Setting priorities does not exclude other work or campaigns. Losing priorities and existing campaigns can still be worked on by members and given chapter resources.
• After winning the vote, the priority belongs to the whole chapter. Based on experimentation and practice, the execution of the priority might not follow the original written proposal.

Voted on Priorities

Year	External Priority/Campaign	Internal Organizing Priority
2019	#TakeBackTheGrid Medicaid for All	Membership Mobilization Inter-generational Organizing and Childwatch

Priorities Process

Timeline Overview

Please organize in advance of each deadline/period of time. Advice for organizing or running events can be found below!

Deadlines/Time Range	Things To Do
September General Meeting	Introduction/Motivation for "Chapter Priorities." Breakout group brainstorm and "dotocracy"
Weeks between September GM-Ocotober GM	Each working group and committee meeting should have the priorities process on agenda for discussion. Neighborhood group meetings for the discussion of priorities should be scheduled.
October General Meeting	Deadline for the "first draft" of priority
Weeks between October GM-one week after November GM	Encourage/help members get feedback on their priority
November General Meeting	Priorities Science Fair
One week after November General Meeting	Final draft of priorities is due
December General Meeting	Rank choice vote on priorities.

September GM: Introduction

Activities at this GM:

• Presentation motivation chapter priorities and outlining the process
• Breakout group brainstorm and dotocracy

Breakout group and dotocracy:

Preparation:

• Find breakout group facilitators
• Provide motivating questions for the group
  • Agitate: What isn't working in the Boston DSA? What isn't working under capitalism? What are people (your friends/family) most mad about right now, and the DSA has a socialist solution for? What are first steps towards that solution?
• Provide large papers and pens for each group, and 8 highlighter dot stickers for each member.

At General Meeting:

• Break into small group facilitated discussion
• Have each group record concrete ideas they had for chapter priorities on large paper
• Tape papers to the wall
• Have members walk around room and look at suggestions. They can put a dot by next to their favorite suggestions.

Results of Dotocracy

• SC members or volunteers will compile notes from dotocracy and find themes.
• With the results of dotocracy:
  • SC members or volunteers will email summary of dotocracy to general membership
  • SC members will try to encourage interested members (or SC members themselves) to develop popular priories from dotocracy.
    • Tracking this information in a spreadsheet will help SC members to follow up on and help with priorities proposals. Assign a SC member to each priority.

September-October GMs: Group discussions/brainstorms/outreach

Seek smaller scale brainstorming opportunities! Priorities submissions should not mimic individualistic applications to jobs or colleges. They are collaborative and creative group efforts. Brainstorming works better in groups, and people are socially motivated and frequently need support or encouragement to submit an idea.

Small group discussions:

• Each working group and committee meeting should have the priorities process on agenda for discussion.
  • Each working group and committee has a liaison to the Steering Committee. The liaisons should contact working groups with enough time for the working groups to add the topic to their meetings between the September and October GM.
• Schedule informal neighborhood group meetups for the discussion of priorities should be scheduled.
• Steering committee members should reach out to people to encourage them to write a priority.

October GM: Priority Draft Submission

• Deadline for the "first draft" of priority

October GM-Week before December GM: Feedback

• Encourage/help members get feedback on their priority

December GM Vote

• Rank choice vote on priorities.

Former name of the Coordinating Committee

Former name of the Coordinating Committee