Building Strategic Momentum: a basic principle for actions and campaigns

by Théa Bashore
Concordia Urban Studies Undergraduate Student
Member of the CREW Bargaining Committee

The actions and campaigns that we take part in will rarely, themselves, result in ultimate victory. Entire books have been written on what constitutes “good” or “effective” organizing, and I do not intend to refute those conclusions, but instead to highlight a basic component of effective organizing that I find is often overlooked: Strategic Momentum. This contract negotiation will not end capitalism, that demonstration will not destroy the patriarchy, and an occupation on campus will not end the occupation of Palestine by the Israeli Defence Forces. So then, what’s the point? The point is that the next campaign, action, or group of people will be closer to victory than we are.

How, then, do we build momentum? Fundamentally, we want our actions to build external support and resources, grow our membership while increasing their skills and level of involvement, and decrease the same factors in our opposition. It’s rare that a single action, or even a long-term campaign, can meet all of these criteria, so we must aim to achieve at least some of them, more sustainably, while not sacrificing others.

The most common examples I’ve seen of building against momentum are when an action or campaign burns out or alienates skilled, active participants while failing to replace them with new ones. This dissipation of momentum can be broken down into three parts: Burnout, Alienation, and Reproduction, each with their own solutions.

Burnout is all too common in activist circles. They make up the side that has to work against overwhelming odds, with fewer material resources. Our most active members can burn out; however, there are ways the frequency and intensity of the burnout can be reduced.

• Share the load: Having everything on one set of shoulders is difficult and exhausting. Balance the relief from a large number of people carrying responsibilities with a manageably sized leadership.
• Check in: If you see that your fellow activists seem overwhelmed, talk to them and find a solution together to reduce their workload.
• Welcome breaks: If someone does burn out and takes a break, set a time to check up on them. Burnout isn’t permanent, and isolation isn’t the answer! Welcome them back when they’re ready, at their own pace.
• Let people’s roles change: If someone is burned out in the work they’re currently doing, but has experiences and skills that need to be passed on, structure your organization so that they can stay on in a supporting or educational role. Don’t let their knowledge disappear: let them participate in the reproduction of the movement.

Alienation is a barrier to mobilizing existing membership, recruiting new members, and building external support. To build a larger and more powerful movement, you must avoid alienating your potential — as well as your current — supporters. This is most apparent in union organizing, where there is a limited membership among whom an effective union campaign must have majority support.

• Alienation of Membership: Treat the membership outside of your organizing core as an audience for everything that you do, and ask yourself the question: Will this action motivate them to participate in future actions? If the answer is no, you are not growing your active membership. Similarly, if members who participated in the action aren’t motivated to participate in future ones because of their experience, you are inadvertently decreasing your active membership.
• Alienation of Supporters: Many campaigns also rely on external support in order to build power or secure resources, or are related to issues which are, at least in part, affected by public opinion. Supporters can take the form of resource-providing organizations, allied groups, the public at large, or potential members. They must also be considered when evaluating motivation towards future actions.

A Note on Alienation: When considering the effect of your actions on any audience, it is important not to go so far in avoiding alienation that your actions become ineffective. Disagreement is normal and unavoidable, and sometimes members will leave or supporters will stop associating with you in response to your decisions and actions. That’s ok, just make sure that you’re not so alienating that you become weak and isolated. will leave or supporters will stop associating with you in response to your decisions and actions. That’s ok, just make sure that you’re not so alienating that you become weak and isolated.

Reproduction is how you replace or grow your number of skilled activists.

• Recruitment is about getting people to join your movement as active members. This can mean adding someone to a social media group or mailing list, or in a union context, can mean creating an entire campaign to affiliate a new bargaining unit.
• Activation is about turning your inactive members into active members. Don’t try to get someone to go from zero experience, having never even been to a meeting, to an executive role the next day. Start with small tasks, and then slowly increase the frequency and intensity of their contributions as they gain important skills and knowledge.
• Education is a method to both recruit and activate members. Has someone with no activism experience attended your public workshop? Great! They’ve joined your membership and are gaining skills. Likewise, if active members want to learn skills by participating in advanced workshops or shadowing more experienced members, that’s a great way to learn whilst sharing the load of leadership responsibilities. I believe that constantly integrating intentional education is the most important part of any radical organization — without it, you will lose skill and active membership over time and eventually collapse.

This is only a short introduction to the single principle of strategic momentum, and from a single perspective. If you want to commit to organizing work, keep learning from experienced organizers, go to workshops, or read some books! The ideas in this piece are based on my experience in The Industrial Workers of the World, Canadian Union of Postal Workers, Concordia Research and Education Workers, and a number of student groups, as well as from reading Jane McAlevey’s No Shortcuts and Raising Expectations, William Z Foster’s American Trade Unionism, and Antonio Gramsci’s Prison Notebooks. Carry the torch, and if we do our work well, every generation will be stronger and closer to victory.