Basic Onboarding

1.  Slack 

After becoming a member (saltlakedsa.org/join), you will be added to Slack, which is our primary communications platform. This has to be done manually, so it may take some time. If you have not gotten an email titled “…has invited you to work with them in Slack” after 7 days, please email saltlakedsa@gmail.com. 

For an overview of how to use Slack, see “Basic Resources.”

2.  DSA 101

Salt Lake DSA hosts a monthly orientation meeting called DSA 101 to provide anyone interested with a basic understanding of what SLDSA is, how it works, and what we fight for. You do not need to be a member to attend a DSA 101. Sign up for the next DSA 101 event on the events calendar.

3.  1 on 1 with a mentor

After attending a DSA 101, we strongly recommend signing up for a 1 on 1 call with a veteran SLDSA member. They can help direct your passions and skills to work currently going on in the chapter and answer any questions you have. 

You can sign up for a 1 on 1 at the DSA 101 or by filling out this form.

4.  You’re in! Now what?

After being added to Slack, attending a DSA 101, and having a 1 on 1 call with a mentor, you should be well equipped to begin exploring what it means for you to be an activist in DSA! There is a lot to do and it can be overwhelming but here are some things new members can get started with right away:

• Join a working group meeting
• Volunteer with a chapter wide or national campaign
• Attend a Political Development event to learn more about socialism
• Attend the monthly General Meeting to vote on resolutions
• Start or join a discussion on Slack

How does Salt Lake DSA work?

Democratic, member led, socialist organizing…

The Democratic Socialists of America is not a volunteering program, charity, NGO, super PAC, or a typical non-profit. It is a mass movement composed of tens of thousands of activists that expresses the democratic will of its members. There is no board making unilateral decisions, using paid staff to assign jobs to volunteers, or dictating the political direction of the movement. This means that SLDSA’s power and ability is dependent on the mass participation of its members. This is important not only because it allows the organization to be truly democratic (unlike the “Democratic” Party), but also because socialism is only attainable when the great majority of workers are actively fighting for it. It plays to one great strength of the working class: that we are the vast majority of society. 

If you believe DSA should be doing something, our democracy is a vehicle for you to realize that will. Be involved, be convincing, and organize diligently. 

How do I do something?

There is a learning curve to this kind of organizing. Every facet of capitalist society attempts to prevent workers from learning about socialist politics and the methods we use to organize and fight. We aren’t even used to being part of a real democracy. Before organizing, most of us just watch spectacle of capitalist two-party politics and occasionally vote. 

To do something in SLDSA, it must be done democratically. An idea (called a resolution) is presented to membership at a General Meeting, we debate the issue, we vote on whether to adopt the idea, and then we implement the idea through volunteer effort. 

To submit a resolution to be considered by the members of SLDSA, write down what you think the organization should do/change in a document and submit it to the #comm-steering channel on Slack at least 7 days (to the hour) before the next General Meeting. Other members are allowed to submit amendments (changes to the original resolution, which also must be debated and voted on) for 5 days after you submit your resolution. 

This sounds simple enough, but it’s important to remember that implementing a campaign is incredibly difficult. People must be inspired to devote their limited time and energy to see it through. Just because it passes a vote doesn’t mean the fight is won. The next step is organizing the whole chapter around your idea. This means many conversations, arguments, meetings, and work before you’ll have a team to see your campaign through. 

That is the essence of socialist organizing – building a dedicated organization with clear political direction to engage the broader masses.

What is the structure of Salt Lake DSA?

Basic Resources

Slack 

Slack is our main communications platform, so it’s important to understand how to use it effectively. You are added to some channels by default, and others (like #topic) are voluntarily joined. We encourage members to leave notifications on for the #announcements channel to stay updated on new events and check the #disc channels on a regular basis to stay involved in discussion. Once you’re involved in a specific working group (#wg-), we recommend leaving notifications on for that channel as well.

To manage notifications on Desktop, right click the channel and select “edit notifications.” 

To manage notifications on Mobile, open the channel, tap the name of the channel at the top of the screen, and open the “Settings & details” menu. Under settings you will see the “Notifications” menu. 

In addition to “Messages,” channels in Slack also have tabs like “Bookmarks” and “Pins” where files, links, and important messages are hung for easy access. One such tab that is especially useful is the Info Compendium tab in the #info channel which contains a directory of elected officers, existing Slack channels, policies of conduct, and links to resources such as the chapter Google drive.

For more info on how to use Slack generally, check out the Quick Start Guide or the Tutorials & Videos page.

General Meetings 

All major decisions are made at the monthly General Meeting (GM). If the decision must be made urgently, the democratically selected Steering Committee (SC) is empowered to make a decision, but can be overturned by membership at the next GM. 

Debate, voting, and procedural issues are handled using Roberts Rules of Order.

Working Groups

Any member can be involved in any and all working groups (WGs). WGs are just ways to organize different kinds of work into different meetings. These bodies can execute ideas that have been voted on by the whole chapter and are internally democratic for the purpose of interpreting resolutions. Check the events calendar or the appropriate Slack channel (starting with #wg-) to see when WGs usually meet.

Committees

Committees are elected by members or appointed by elected leaders to fulfill administrative functions which require access to sensitive information like membership data, bank accounts, social media, or other resources that can’t be shared with every member. If you want to join a committee, you can ask the committee to vote on adding you. The administrative committees are Communications, Membership Engagement, Tech, and Socialist Sprouts. 

You can also run for the Steering Committee at our annual local convention, which at this time has 7 seats. You cannot be appointed to this committee, only elected by membership. The SC’s primary function is to ensure that all administrative tasks are being fulfilled so work can move forward. They also make urgent decisions between GMs and speak for the organization publicly. Any decision made by the SC can be overturned by a vote of the general membership.  

Events Calendar

The events calendar on this website is the easiest way to track events and meetings. If desired, you can sync it with your own Google calendar. 

Political Development 

Socialism is a science, and science is hard. Many new activists want to spend some time learning and reading before they jump into more concrete organizing work. The best way to learn is with others with a mix of experienced and newer activists engaging in good faith mutual development. Salt Lake DSA and the national DSA have a variety of political development events you can attend as well as more informal opportunities to ask questions and discuss ideas with more veteran socialist organizers. 

For our local political development, we have our regular Socialist Night School series. This is our flagship public facing educational program which involves reading a few short readings ahead of the event and then discussing the texts with others in a guided discussion.

We also attend the 4thR book club, which is more member oriented and focused on whole book discussions on revolutionary theory. This is a more in depth experience but still approachable for new activists. Post in the #wg-poli-dev Slack channel for details.

Bylaws

The rules of our organization, subject to change by ⅔ majority vote, can be found on this website under “resources.” 

It is not necessary to have memorized all the bylaws, but it’s useful to have read through them once so you can reference them when the need arises.

Chapter Office

Our chapter has an office located at 331 S Rio Grande St, Suite 308, Salt Lake City 84101. Meetings and other events are regularly hosted there. Members can also reserve the office outside of these times to have a place to work on projects, have additional discussions, or host social events. Links to the Policies and Procedures document and the reservation form can be found in the Info Compendium tab of the #info Slack channel. 

Harassment and Grievance Officers

Nationally, DSA adopted this policy to handle interpersonal disputes and prevent harassment in the organization. If you feel as though you have been subjected to inappropriate behavior or harassment, please reach out to the Harassment & Grievance Officers (HGOs) by emailing saltlakedsa.hgo@gmail.com. Any information shared will be secure and only disclosed with your written consent.

If the HGOs themselves are involved in the grievance or you’re otherwise concerned they cannot be impartial or your case has not been attended to, you may contact the National Grievance Panel (NGP) by emailing nationalgrievanceofficer@dsausa.org.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why am I not on Slack?

If you have joined but did not receive an invite to Slack, email saltlakedsa@gmail.com and we’ll get it resolved ASAP.

I’m a member of DSA who just moved to Utah, how do I transfer my membership?

Fill out this form and we’ll get it resolved ASAP.

I’m in Utah but outside of the Salt Lake area, am I in this chapter?

Salt Lake DSA’s area includes the entirety of Utah, but the majority of our members are in the Salt Lake area. When there is sufficient interest and member density in other sections of Utah, those DSA members may form a separate DSA chapter. For the time being, all DSA members in Utah are members of the Salt Lake DSA chapter. If you are too far to participate in our events, consider working on a national committee.

How should I vote this election cycle?

Historically, our membership has not been interested in creating voting guides for the public or our members. This could change, but typically members do not spend time analyzing every local race to identify the “most left” candidate. Rather, we focus on building power so we can run socialist candidates.

Can SLDSA help me unionize my workplace?

Organizing your workplace is one of the most important things you can do as a socialist activist. We have a number of members who’ve won union elections and can give you some advice on how to get started. However, no one can do the work for you and your coworkers. Check out the EWOC program for more specific support and advice on how to organize. 

Will SLDSA endorse my campaign for public office? 

Maybe! Check out our Candidate Endorsement Policies page to learn more.