The 8-fold Path of New Organizing

DNA-Level operating principles for building a progressive peoples movement

in the 21st century
Note: The order here is not very important each of these principles is central and they all work in
relationship to each other. Think focal points in a web or legs of a table rather than a prioritized list.
I) Progressive
We aim to push the world in a particular direction -- we are not outcome-neutral process people. So
what are our values? Its a gut check. We are committed to human flourishing as a collective enterprise.
We care strongly about fairness, were passionate about individual rights and liberties, were committed
to the short and long term health of the planet, and were big fans of deep democracy. We oppose
bigotry, greed that hurts people, and unnecessary violence. But theres lots of different ways to say it.
Theres no single litmus test. No manifesto. No rigid ideology. People get it. And if we try to make
everyone agree on bullet points, well only divide.
Importantly, were also pragmatic. We believe in winnable change and pushing the boundaries for
whats winnable one victory at a time.
What we stand for emerges from our members and our members emerge from our actions. Heres one
handy way to think of it: Flamingos are pink because they eat pink shrimp. In that sense, our
organizations are Flamingos and the members are our shrimp -- when we run campaigns we draw in
like-minded members who give us our colour and show that colour to the world. Its therefore very
important to start campaigning in the right general direction, so we attract the progressive community
that we know shares our values and our appetite for pragmatic action. But once that happens, over time
the question of progressive orientation mostly solves itself.

II) Grassroots
Fundamentally, we are of the people, by the people and for the people. We are constituted by our
members. We draw our power, legitimacy, and raison d'etre from the collective action of regular
people.
We have an outside-power theory of change because our members are outside the power structure.
We can and should -- use special access to push the members agenda or gather intelligence. But we
must never put maintaining that access above maintaining integrity in our relationship with the base.
Power players on the inside will frequently want us to spin our own members, or keep them in the dark
when the insiders let us down. In exchange, they will offer to keep their doors open to us personally. Or
they will threaten to slam the door shut if we do something they dont like. For issue advocates who
depend on an inside-access theory of change, this devils bargain is often a necessity -- because
without voluntary access they are kaput. But not for us. We turn the bargain down.

We know our strength as leaders is the affinity and trust we earn from our members -- and the strength
of our enterprise is the strength of our members actions. So our theory of change does not require
keeping the doors to power propped open from the inside -- it requires building enough grassroots
power to knock the door down from the outside. If we sacrifice integrity in any aspect of how we
relate to the base, the members smell it and they leave. And then were kaput. Its that simple.
Shaping an organization to depend on an outside-power theory of change is a principled choice
because it puts power where it should be: the hands of regular people.
But just as importantly its a strategic choice for the long term. Insider access can be granted and
revoked at the whim of any official at any time. You can cultivate it for years and then lose it with one
personnel shake-up or one election. Influence based on access isnt actually power its closer to luck.
But once youve built a base, no one can take that away. And it works regardless of the mood or identity
of the power brokers at any given time.

III) Member Driven

Members set the course for our work in many different ways. Sometimes, its through big, explicit, and
public means like online votes, or house parties to shape consensus. Sometimes its a direct process but
less publicly visible -- like sending out polling questions or testing full campaign options to small samples
of the base and then running whichever campaign performs the best.
But the most common and probably most important ways are the twin concepts of Member Service
and Steward Leadership.
Member service means we think about each campaign, each communication, and our whole
operation through the lens of serving our members. And the essential service we offer is helping them
work together to change the world. So we are constantly asking whether we are working on the right
issues, in the right ways at the right times to give our members a strong experience of being served.
A key way we strive for member service is by building a membership house with a Low Floor, High
Ceiling. The low floor means you just take one action no matter how small and youre in, part of the
big we. The high ceiling means those with more to give, can. This ranges from intensive single actions,
like making a video or hosting a house party, to providing ongoing leadership opportunities through
local or national volunteer structures.
By the nature of online campaigning, most of our members will at least start out looking for the service
of brief, efficient ways to help change the world. Theyre too busy for most of traditional activism. We
offer a precious opportunity to put their small amount of time to use by pooling it with the
contributions of others. Thats the low floor it brings new people into our movement, includes them in
a story of collective action, and builds our organization. Its the right place to start.

Some members will look for the service of more time-intensive opportunities to get involved. Its part of
our job to increase their numbers over time. And, once the organization has sufficiently matured, its our
mandate to provide these opportunities as well.
Steward leadership means that we cant confuse member driven with no leadership at the top.
Quite the contrary! We have an extraordinary responsibility to provide excellent strategic guidance,
skilful execution and high quality information to our members who have given us their sacred trust to
channel their energy effectively. As leaders, we have to make many tough calls about what to work on,
and what to do at any given time.
But steward leadership also means were obliged as leaders to internalize the perspective of our
members, so that when we act on their behalf we do so with the utmost integrity. This is both a data
driven and intuitive effort. Its informed by years of study, experience, and trial and error. And it never
ends.
The Member Driven principle also means that we strive to be Member Funded. Ultimately, we should
only be beholden to our own community, and the community should feel ownership and responsibility.
Being Member Funded is also a source of political strength, because the public financial story should
match the people powered narrative.
Of course its impossible to start this way, and large donors are almost invariably a critical part of the
start up phase -- but its an important goal to keep on the horizon.

IV) Nimble
We are led to operate nimbly for several reasons.
Because we are member driven, we Chase the Energy. Energy flows with news cycles, and the
opportunity to make a difference.
Sometimes the news compels us to act because all our members are aware and inflamed -- high
information moments. Sometimes we see a chance to change something our members care about that
they dont yet see, because the opportunity is low profile a high actionability moment.
The sweet spot is when high information and high actionability characteristics combine in a highly
visible moment to make a real difference on something our members care about. Those moments often
come unexpectedly and when they do, the energy flow demands we pounce.
We are also nimble because it is our comparative advantage in the field of social change organizations.
Traditional groups are kind like the Infantry. They have relatively small numbers of highly committed
activists and relatively large numbers of expert staff who fight for years in the trenches on important
issues and move them towards a tipping point. We are like the Cavalry we can turn on a dime and
mobilize in vast numbers to push something over the top.

These two approaches work symbiotically, and distinctly. By cultivating nimbleness, we better serve our
part.
Our cavalry approach comes from our analysis of how to get the best results out of our org structure.
But it also reflects a big picture theory of change. Weve seen major social and political shifts happen in
big, rapid moments: Sweeping Change elections, the rise and fall of major ideas, political leaders, etc.
The substance of these changes often does not fit within the scope of what strictly partisan or issuesiloed groups are able to address. Staying nimble allows us to be able to precipitate, and then take full
advantage of these Major Change Moments.
Achieving this nimbleness requires a bedrock commitment to a Low Bureaucracy Environment. We
emphasis small staffs of highly capable people with minimum if any separation from the practitioners
and the decision makers. It also requires very clear chains of command and decision making protocol.
Combined, these factors mean changes can move very quickly from conception, to authorization, to
execution.
Our nimbleness (combined with our use of technology) also leads to a strong Innovation Culture. We
are always looking for new tactics, new approaches. We quickly develop entirely new ways of doing
things because the new situations we leap into demand it.
The culture of nimbleness and innovation is supported by a bedrock willingness to take risks. Many,
many, many of the things we do dont work. We lose campaigns all the time, because we pick tough
fights that are worth it. And many of our tactics or appeals dont generate relatively high participation
from our members. Thats ok. Its more than ok, its vital. Because without experimenting we would
never find the big wins, and our path to victory demands that we do.

V) Multi-Issue
As important as our basic values is our refusal to accept arbitrary issue silos. Organizations think in
issue-sectors. People -- and therefore our members -- think in crises, opportunities and values. So we
act where there is passion and the potential for change. This doesnt mean we dont focus and
prioritize we certainly do! But we strive to match our focus and prioritization with the passion in our
base and the opportunities for progressive change in our world.
We consciously Cross-Pollinate our members bringing in new folks from one issue and exposing
them to high priority moments in another. We emphasize what we agree on -- not what we dont.
This makes us naturally Movement Generous. We dont seek to own or crowd out any particular field.
We depend on partners and we are prone to collaborate, honor and support those we find -- and even
help start new ones where theres a critical lack.
At the same time, we dont get enmeshed in coalitions that arent working. We prefer to pile on efforts
with other organizations when they are complimentary; different tactics or strategies supporting the

same goal. We are very wary of any coalition that requires consensus to act, because it reduces
everyone to the lowest common denominator.

VI) Full Spectrum Campaigning

Our core service to our members is to offer them good strategy and coordinated action to turn each of
their many fungible resources into social change. Those resources include their voice, social networks,
money, creativity, reputation, physical presence, vote, and so on.
To us, fundraising is not dirty, yelling in the wind is not pure. Whatever moves the issue forward is what
we should do. A lot of this comes down to Strategic Integration. We integrate fundraising into the
campaign in a way that serves our specific campaign objectives and serves our organizational fundraising
goals at the same time. We run petitions that will influence targets and grow our list, etc. Each ask to
each member is directly couched as another opportunity for us to work together to change the world.
Crucially, this also means we bring issue advocacy into elections -- where it is naturally much more
powerful. We tell the real story and hold parties and politicians accountable at the ballot box for their
performance on our agenda. Most importantly, we enable our members and the public to cast their vote
based on the issues we care about.
This kind of smooth transition into hard-hitting electoral work requires specific legal and funding
structures, and these should be in place as early as possible.

VII) Independent
We are not a mouth piece for any political party or government. Our allegiance is to our issues, our
values, and most of all our members.
Our analysis tells us that not all political parties are equal and we never foolishly pretend otherwise.
Therefore, it is very much in our interest to support the parties and politicians who support our agenda,
to the extent that having them in power is often amongst the single greatest boons to our cause.
However, our integrity tells us that parties are first and foremost about staying in power, and we are
only aligned with that goal as long as it supports our true mission. Bad votes are bad and good votes are
good regardless of who casts them. Same of manifesto points, speeches, and the whole gamut of what a
Party or Government can produce. We have an obligation to push friends when the need it, reward
traditional opponents when they earn it, and always tell our members the full story.
This fierce independence is also a practical necessity in an era of ossified political parties and cynical
citizens, it is often what makes us attractive to our members.

VIII) Technology is the Tool

Two major ideas here: -- Technology is a critical tool. We must invest accordingly in our technical
capacity from the beginning. We do whatever it takes to make sure technology plays a primarily
enabling, rather than hindering role. This means high level, dedicated development and support that
operates in real time, round the clock if necessary. We never, ever rely on outside agencies that arent
responsive to our schedule for core operations. And ideally, never at all, beyond initial design and
development and for occasional supplementary work.
On the other hand, Technology is only a tool -- we must never get lost in it. We do not deploy new tools
or fads for their own sake. We subject all new technologies to the same strategic scrutiny we would
apply to any tactic.
We do not assume members are technologically sophisticated. We want to be accessible to the most
elementary users. Ideally, our tech focus is almost invisible. What shines through are the people their
ideas, voice, resources and energy.
And we must never be limited internally or externally to being an online organization. We are Online
and Beyond -- a campaigning community that uses technology. We often use it to move people
towards common offline action. And the results of our activities are always aimed at offline targets to
achieve offline results. Tech is a tool, not an identity.

Appendix: The 8-Fold Path Cheat Sheet

I) Progressive
Gut check progressive values no litmus test.
Flamingo Growth: Campaign choice -> growth -> members -> future campaign choice
II) Grassroots
Of, by and for the people
Outside-Power Theory of Change grassroots strength trumps access
Members require the full story we require members we tell full story
III) Member Driven
Members directly chose through both public-facing and staff facing means
Member service is core concept. Our service is changing the world.
We offer Low floor, high ceiling to serve different levels of investment
Steward Leadership is key we learn to channel member reactions
Member funded is long term goal
IV)

Nimble
We Chase the Energy where high-info meets high actionability
We act like a nimble Cavalry & join the infantry at key moments
We believe in Major Change Moments and seek to support them
Nimbleness requires a Low Bureaucracy Environment
We cultivate a Innovation culture and a willingness to take risks

V) Multi-Issue
We reject issue silos and embrace confluence of passion and opportunity
We Cross-Pollinate members across progressive spectrum
We are Movement Generous with partners but avoid deadweight coalitions
VI) Full spectrum Campaigning
We engage voice, money, votes, presence, social networks and all member resources
We use Strategic integration to maximize all resources in our campaigns
VII) Independent
We are separate from Parties and offer support based on merit
VII) Technology is the Tool
Tech is a crucial tool -- We heavily invest early, and maximize in-house capacity
Tech is only a tool We judge tech use on impact, and dont assume member savvy
We are not an online organization -- we are a campaigning community that uses the net