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The New Strategy in 2025

Whereas,

NCTDSA has twice-approved a Priority Campaign, A New Strategy and the Fight for Bodily Autonomy, and now has substantial experience of its implementation, from which it must now draw useful conclusions and iterate on.

Whereas,

At present, members engage in chapter work primarily by engaging in issue-specific subgroups called Working Groups. The following Working Groups are currently recognized1 by the chapter: EcoSocialism, Electoral, Internacional, Queer Trans Solidarity, and Socialist Feminism. Working Group activities, including campaigns, socials, and reading groups, are the primary “on-ramp” for individuals to participate in and ultimately join DSA.

Whereas,

The chapter is currently struggling to fill both Working Group leadership roles and other necessary chapter roles and committees. The most recent Steering Committee elections were almost entirely non-competitive with the exception of one candidate; and the Administrative Committee does not currently have enough participation to implement needed updates to the website or run a Mobilizer program. In addition to the Working Groups and aforementioned committees, other chapter-recognized bodies which have convened in the last month include the Afrosocialists and Socialists of Color Caucus, the Editorial Committee, the Harassment and Grievance Officers (HGOs), the Health and Safety Committee, and the Political Education Committee.

Whereas,

Maintaining five active Working Groups requires a significant amount of leadership capacity and member engagement. According to chapter bylaws, active Working Groups must maintain at least a Working Group Secretary and Chair. And in order to conduct business, Working Groups must reach a quorum of four members.2 While some members participate in more than one Working Group, it is more typical to commit to one group to attend biweekly meetings, along with associated socials, reading groups, or campaign events.

Whereas,

Working Groups limit the organizing potential of our chapter by siloing members around particular issues. For example, some campaigns that the chapter has recently undertaken may fall beyond the scope of a single Working Group (i.e. the Duke Respect Durham campaign); would be strengthened by more intentional collaboration across Working Group issue areas (i.e. the Stop RDU Quarry campaign); or propose action on issues that are not represented by the five current working groups (i.e. immigrant defense).

Whereas,

We should also consider how the structure of our chapter may better facilitate enthusiasm and engagement not just from non-members but also “paper members,” who donate to Triangle DSA but do not participate in the chapter’s work or democratic process. Our Discord server has 770 members, but on average 40 individuals attend our monthly general chapter meetings.

Whereas,

The chapter’s previous solution to these challenges was to implement a Priority Campaign Committee. The Priority Campaign Committee proved to be an unwieldy structure, and should be formally dissolved. Though it saw some successes, in getting Member-Leaders speaking regularly, and in coordinating the successful 2024 Trans Day of Action event, the burden of administering it fell on Member-Leaders who were already stretched by implementing other work related to New Strategy, resulting in a general inefficacy. An attempt to course-correct by making the Chapter Co-Chairs the chairs of the committee failed, as both Chapter Co-Chairs were low on capacity and ended up moving away from the Chapter, leading to the committee becoming defunct. While the Steering Committee is not a direct substitute, it is the role of the Steering Committee to facilitate coordination of the chapter’s work and the Member-Leaders that implement it.

Whereas,

While Working Groups have succeeded at bringing in and retaining chapter members and offer smaller spaces of community in a chapter with over 700 members, a shift to an organizational structure that centers the chapter’s active campaigns may generate more enthusiasm and buy-in from membership and potential members in the Triangle.

Whereas,

Attributable to the effects of major party endorsements on a presidential election year drowning out DSA ground-game efforts, Triangle DSA lost two endorsed city council races in Raleigh. While these are not entirely responsible for the loss, difficulties faced by the chapter during the 2024 election cycle in maintaining consistent communication and strategic alignment with candidates highlight the need for the chapter to adopt a more intentional approach to electoral politics that ensures candidates are aligned with DSA as an organization, and clearly communicate requirements with candidates.

Restructuring

Resolved,

The Chapter declares its intent to organize core chapter work around Campaign Committees instead of the current Working Group-based model. Campaign Committees are understood to be Standing Committees under the Chapter Bylaws tasked with administering a particular campaign that has been endorsed by a majority vote at a general meeting of the Chapter membership, following an approved proposal to the Steering Committee. The chapter website and mobilizer form will be updated to reflect the chapter’s active campaigns as opposed to Working Groups.

Resolved,

Instead of Working Groups which are required to achieve quorum and maintain leadership, members will be encouraged to engage in more flexible Sections and Associations in order to formulate campaign proposals or associate by social or political interest where relevant. The following is understood about the purpose of the following types of committees henceforth:

  1. Sections group chapter members by identity or a particular site of struggle.
  2. Associations are understood to group chapter members by interest on a voluntary basis, whether by social interest or political interest, including reading groups outside of other official chapter bodies, and groups of members interested in drafting and/or proposing a campaign to the chapter.

Resolved,

Moving away from Working Groups is a move toward intentionality about how we direct our members’ energy and present our work to the Triangle.

Resolved,

Active committees of the chapter are reconstituted as follows:

  • The Health and Safety Committee is merged into the Administrative Committee.
  • The Electoral Working Group is the Socialists-in-Office Committee.
  • The Ecosocialism Working Group is the Campaign for a Solar Bond Committee.
  • The Internacional Working Group is the No Appetite for Apartheid Campaign Committee.
  • The Queer and Trans Solidarity Working Group is the Queer and Trans Solidarity Section.
  • The Socialist Feminist Working Group is the Abort Fake Clinics Committee.

Resolved,

The Priority Campaign Committee is dissolved.

Resolved,

All Committees, Sections, and Associations of the Chapter are henceforward considered time-bound, with a sunset date to concur with the annual chapter convention. In order to retain their status, they must resubmit their existing charters or submit new charters to be considered at that time.

Campaigns

Resolved,

Triangle DSA recognizes three campaigns:

  1. Abort Fake Clinics!
  2. No Appetite for Apartheid
  3. People’s Power Campaign

Resolved,

Triangle DSA’s involvement in the Duke Respect Durham campaign is recognized as lapsed.

Member-Leaders

Resolved,

The Member-Leaders are responsible for steering the chapter’s transition to a Campaign based organization. The Co-Chairs of Triangle DSA will serve as the Co-Chairs of the Committee of Member-Leaders. They will alternate setting agendas for Committee of Member-Leader meetings whenever feasible, and actively seek feedback and suggestions from Member-Leaders on agenda items. All Member-Leaders will meet monthly between general meetings of the Chapter, discuss ongoing work and issues of consequence to the Chapter in a group setting, and provide appropriate guidance to each other and the Steering Committee. Meetings are to be hybrid whenever feasible, with the in-person component additionally rotating between Chapel Hill/Carrboro, Durham, and Raleigh/Cary whenever feasible. Unless and until the Bylaws are amended to provide further powers, the powers of this Committee of Member-Leaders are those enumerated in this resolution, as compliant with the Bylaws of the Chapter, and to issue recommendations to the Steering Committee. Committee of Member-Leader meetings have a quorum of a majority of the Steering Committee and a quarter of Member-Leaders.

Resolved,

Interested Member-Leaders, will, taking into account current and previous chapter work and the last few years of the New Strategy, be assigned to an Ad Hoc committee to draft a proposed Political Program for the chapter. To ensure that the chapter is being deliberate about using its Political Program not just as an agitational tool, but to also strengthen its organizing by testing its work against a theory of change, campaigns of the chapter must be compatible with this Political Program and further its aims or include an amendment if such a Political Program is approved by the Chapter at a General Meeting. If a proposed campaign is not compatible with the Political Program, it should include an amendment to the Political Program.

  1. The Labor Working Group was dissolved by a Steering Committee vote in [enter date and some context here]. The Political Education Committee is a standing committee not subject to Working Group bylaws. ↩

  2. Most Working Groups hold meetings every two weeks, although the bylaws only stipulate meeting quorum once every three months. ↩