Rules for Revolutionaries

"Big organizing is what leaders do in movements that mobilize millions of people." Scale matters.

"Big organizing is what leaders do in movements that mobilize millions of people." Scale matters. Big organizing is about creating campaigns that allow people to work together to realize their dreams for a more just world. It involves mobilizing millions of people to take action towards a shared goal, often using technology to scale participation in politics. Key elements of big organizing: Clear, radical demands that match the scale of the problems A credible theory of change that explains why organizing matters Meaningful roles for volunteers at all levels of engagement Use of technology to enable large-scale participation A centralized plan with distributed execution Big organizing recognizes that communities are filled with talented and intelligent people who understand what is broken and can make lasting change when given the right resources and strategy. It rejects the paternalistic notion that an enlightened core of outside organizers is necessary to show the way.

"There will never be enough money to pay all the organizers the revolution needs." Volunteers as leaders. The revolution relies on empowering volunteer leaders to take on significant responsibilities and management roles. This approach recognizes that there are more than enough amazing volunteer leaders among the people, and that three or four talented and committed volunteers working part-time can often do the work of a full-time paid staffer. Key strategies for empowering volunteers: Treat volunteers as peers and colleagues, not subordinates Give volunteers meaningful work and real responsibility Provide clear structures and systems for volunteer teams Use technology to enable coordination across time and space Continuously recruit and develop new volunteer leaders By embracing the idea that "the revolution will not be staffed," campaigns can scale far beyond what would be possible with paid staff alone. This approach also helps build long-term movement leadership and capacity.

"If it is not led by people of color and immigrants, if it doesn't have fighting racism and xenophobia at its core, and if it is not mobilizing white people to lead other whites to choose multiracial solidarity over fear and hate—then it's not a revolution." Centering anti-racism. Building a truly inclusive movement requires putting the fight against racism and xenophobia at the core of the message to everyone, not just as an afterthought aimed at capturing certain constituencies. This means: Authentic leadership from working-class people of color and immigrants Addressing structural racism as central to economic inequality Mobilizing white people to choose multiracial solidarity Recognizing the interconnected nature of various forms of oppression A political revolution must unite people across racial lines to defend black lives and build a movement with authentic leadership from working-class people of…