• DSA Growth and Development Committee Member Application

  • Growing our organization and movement requires real connections with people. We must ask people to join DSA. We must ask them to stay involved. Simple but disciplined internal organizing practices can help your chapter retain, engage, and grow your membership.

    If this is important to you, apply to join the Growth & Development Committee! The DSA Growth and Development Committee oversees areas of membership growth, retention, chapter support, training and more. Read the NPC resolution on establishing the Growth and Development Committee, passed October 2019, to learn more about the GDC structure and goals. Also, read this resolution drafted by GDC members and passed at the 2021 Convention that outlines work ahead.

    Please allow approximately 30 minutes to complete this application.


  • GDC Scope of Work

    Recruitment: A recruitment strategy has been developed with the intention of diversifying the organization and tactics that can be used across the organization, including recruitment drives and recruiting through campaigns.

    Member Retention and Development: We organize regular New Member Orientations that welcome members to participate in DSA as soon as they join. We developed a Recommitment Drive in order to encourage membership renewal and reverting from yearly to monthly dues for current members. We also develop programming to engage At-Large members. We send Spoke text message reminders each month to all DSA members whose memberships recently or are about to expire, and we plan to roll out a quarterly phonebank of members as well.

    Training: Provides our members the resources they need to continue to strengthen their active work and campaigns. We update and add to the DSA Training Resource Library so that our groups (DSA/YDSA chapters, national committees, etc) have access to standardized educational and skill-building resources.

    Chapter Surveys: We  survey chapters to assess needs and work to provide trainings that meet the political moment.

    Mentorship: Mentors work with field organizers to help with training and supporting chapter leadership, especially related to developing membership committees within chapters.

    Matching Funds: DSA is about to disburse the first chunk of money raised to match chapter funds to open offices across the country! This represents a huge step forward in terms of material support for chapters that are ready to massively increase their organizing.

  • The GDC is tasked with creating, “a comprehensive recruitment, retention, and leadership development strategy prioritizing growth among black and brown workers, queer and women workers, and working class populations in general.” To accomplish this goal, the makeup of the GDC must be representative of the diverse working class. 

    To that end, the GDC will prioritize applications from members of underrepresented groups to ensure subcommittees are balanced. 


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