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. Over the last month, SC members should follow up with working groups, committees and interested individuals to remind them to submit :)

Suggested Questions for Internal Priority Submission

• What is your internal priority proposal? What are the intermediate goals and the long-term vision for this external priority? How do you plan to achieve the intermediate goals?
• How does this internal priority make Boston DSA a more effective socialist organization?
• What resources would this internal priority require? For example, volunteers, supplies, funding, meeting space, time (5 hours per month for 100 people? 20 hrs/month for 10 people?), etc.
• How will this internal priority mobilize or engage a large number of DSA members? How will this help our members to develop as socialist organizers?
• What’s your 30 second “elevator speech” summary of the priority and why this internal priority should be one of Boston DSA’s two internal priorities? 100 words or less!

Suggested Questions for External Priority Submission

• What is your external priority proposal? What are the intermediate goals and the long-term vision for this external priority? How do you plan to achieve the intermediate goals?
• How does this external priority build working class power and chart the pathway toward democratic socialism?
• What resources would this external priority require? For example, volunteers, supplies, funding, meeting space, time (5 hours per month for 100 people? 20 hrs/month for 10 people?), etc.
• How will this external priority mobilize and engage members of Boston DSA? How will this build our relationships with communities oppressed by capitalism and other forces?
• What’s your 30 second “elevator speech” summary of this priority and why this external priority should be one of Boston DSA’s two external priorities? 100 words or less!

October GM-Week before December GM: Feedback

• Encourage and help members get feedback on their priority.
• The priorities science fair in particular is a good time to get feedback from members.

November GM: Priorities Science Fair

Image of the priorities science fair: Trifolds at tables with descriptions and images representing the priority! Representatives of each priory standing around the table to answer questions and ask questions to members.

Supplies and set up advice:

• Trifolds: SC memembers should volunteer to bring trifolds and supplies for priority submittors who do not have enough time to put on together. Keep track of which priorities need a trifold. Those priority submittors should attend the GM an hour early to help set up.

Make sure to have square tables (not round tables) Two sections -- one clearly for internal and one for external All members could have note taking sheet to take notes in. Priority proposal “passport” with stickers??? Feedback? People didn’t get to many at the GM? Google form open for each priority, open at table AND also available in the summary meeting If you had a sign up sheet, what should you do with it? You could email them to ask for feedback, in a list or just send forum Sign up for zoom presentation of all priorities REALLY DIDN’T WORK. We could ask people to pre-record and have a video editor combine them. We could also have a camera man go around. You can make a trifold OR the steering committee can bring one, but you have to arrive more than hour before hand

December GM Vote

• Rank choice vote on priorities.

Former name of the Coordinating Committee

Former name of the Coordinating Committee