by Nancy L.
Thank you for your input and feedback – we hear you!
On November 24, 125 IEB members gathered on Zoom to share what was on our hearts after the election – but mostly we came to lace up and begin planning for 2025 and beyond. This meeting was part 1 in a two-meeting series, with the second one coming up on December 7 (sign up here).
In breakout groups run by our fabulous volunteer facilitators, we discussed what we want to do next, and how IEB can encourage people to make this group their “activism home.” Our wonderful data ninja, Lindsay, aggregated data from the breakout room recording transcripts. Here’s a summary of what we heard back:
IEB members are ready to rock and roll. In almost every group, people spoke about wanting to know where they can plug in. Based on that feedback, we are structuring our December 7 meeting around launching three Action Teams focused on some of the top issues people are most passionate about: climate, immigration, and health/bodily autonomy.
IEB is a place where members can find and build community, and we should do even more. Many participants spoke of how important it is to connect with other members. Connection generates feelings of shared purpose, determination, inspiration, courage, energy, and a sense that “we’re all in this together.” If IEB cultivates a welcoming and supportive environment, members are more likely to get and stay active in the group. Many appreciated the ways in which IEB already builds community, but wants the group to do more. Some ideas were: more events designed to build social connections; community or mutual aid projects; and a greater focus on onboarding to IEB.
IEB should place a greater emphasis on working in partnership with other organizations. Members pointed out that by working with other local organizations, as well as with regional and state-wide organizations, IEB members can amplify their impact. We can find ways to show up for – and support – like-minded organizations that already have strategies in place to promote progressive policies. And by becoming active members in coalitions, we can offer new ways for IEB members to plug into action.
IEB should focus more on local and state advocacy. Because of the Republican trifecta at the federal level, it will be difficult to block harms and make progress at that level. But there is much to do at the local and state level – and it has always been an easier to have an impact on our municipal and state government. As an example of what is already underway, check out this letter from CA StateStrong, which IEB signed on to. It’s addressed to the Governor, as well as the State Senate and Assembly, and shares how we expect California to stand up to protect people and democratic institutions.
IEB members are hungry for a range of ways to get involved, and for taking effective action. During elections, there seems to be a limited number of actions to engage in – mostly coming down to direct voter contact and fundraising. Participants want to branch out into other activities. In addition, there is a worry that field methods are declining in effectiveness (or at least efficiency, given the number of calls and door-knocks it takes to generate a single net vote!). As for putting pressure on politicians, we can’t keep defaulting to rallies and marches. Members want to know the most effective ways to get involved, and are keen to explore more creative tactics.
IEB members want more training opportunities. People in several groups expressed interest in trainings for taking on new roles, such as leading a group or conducting outreach. They suggested that some members could convene to discuss specific training needs, and plan how to make trainings available to membership. This could look different ways: our own members might offer trainings; we could suggest training topics to Indivisible National; and we could look to other organizations that provide trainings on topics of interest.
IEB should set up “study groups.” Some participants advocated for teams that provide space to members to read books and articles on a particular topic, so that we can get smarter about strategy and specific issue areas. By putting our heads together, we can identify new and better ways to take action.
Again, we are so grateful for all of your smart and thoughtful input! We want to act on all of these recommendations as we fight for justice over the next four years. To do it all, we’ll need many more folks to step into leadership roles. We look forward to meeting all the courageous, determined, beautiful people ready to step up! FORWARD TOGETHER!!
