Peaceful · Lawful · Persistent · Collective

Start a group

Five people. A schedule. A simple agenda.

Five people. A recurring meeting. A simple agenda. That is enough to create sustained, compounding pressure across multiple tactics, multiple targets, and multiple issues — without any single person carrying the full load. This page explains how to start, what to do, and how to keep going.

Why Small Groups Outperform Individuals

Individual action matters and is worth doing. But a small group of five to twelve people, meeting regularly with rotating roles, is more durable, more effective, and far less prone to burnout than any individual effort.

Here is why: in a group, no single person has to do everything. Research, calling, letter-writing, log-keeping, and public comment can all rotate. The group continues even when one person's week gets difficult. The cumulative record of what the group has done is visible to everyone — which is motivating in ways that solo action rarely is.

Autocratic movements depend on opposition exhaustion and isolation. A small, consistent, connected group is the direct counter to both.

The Democracy Night Model

A recurring meeting — monthly or biweekly — with a fixed, simple agenda is the foundation. Call it a democracy night, a civic night, or anything that works for the group. The name matters less than the schedule.

A proven agenda that works in 30–60 minutes:

15 minutes — What matters this week One person researches and presents: what is happening, what is at stake, what needs attention. Keep it focused on one or two issues.

20 minutes — Take an action together Everyone sends a letter, makes a call, files a request, or submits a public comment. Use the templates — they are already written. This is the most important part of every meeting.

10 minutes — Log and plan Record every action in the shared Actions Log. Assign the next rotation. Decide what the next meeting will focus on.

That is the whole structure. It works because it is predictable, low-pressure, and produces something concrete every single time.

Rotating Roles

Assign roles for each meeting cycle and rotate them so no one person becomes the bottleneck or the sole expert:

Researcher — identifies the issue, the target, and the relevant template for the next meeting
Caller — leads any phone campaign and coordinates calling days
Writer — drafts or lightly customizes letters, emails, and public comments
Log-keeper — maintains the shared Actions Log and tracks responses
Public commenter — attends or submits written comments at local government meetings

In a group of five, one person may cover two roles. In a group of twelve, roles can be even more specialized. The key is that no role is permanent and no person is indispensable.

How to Start✅

Identify four to eleven other people who are engaged, frustrated, and want to act — friends, family, neighbors, coworkers, faith community members, anyone
Set a recurring date — the same evening every month or every two weeks works best
Choose a meeting format — in person, video call, or hybrid
Share this library with everyone in the group before the first meeting
At the first meeting, pick a tactic lane and take one action together
Log it, assign the next rotation, and schedule the next meeting

The first meeting does not need to be perfect. It needs to happen.

Sharing the Library With Your Group

Every member of the group should have access to the full library — the templates, the tactical guides, the boycott guide, the online resources, and the Actions Log. Share the link to this site and the link to the Google Drive toolkit.