Activist Resources

#5NN

UNFTR’s 5 Non-Negotiables represent a bold, unified framework for progressive transformation—policies that are not merely idealistic, but essential. These are policy pillars that every progressive can get behind. Each one addresses a systemic failure that has left millions behind, and taken together, they form a roadmap for equity, security, and sustainability.

Action Network

Action Network provides critical tools for teams at people-powered organizations that want to build broad support and foster deeper relationships with supporters. From email and mobile messaging to fundraising and advocacy automation—they are designed to amplify movements, rally supporters, and sustain relationships with activists to build a stronger organizations with lasting impacts. Since launching in 2012, Action Network tools have helped the Women’s March mobilize huge rallies across the globe, helped the DNC raise millions for candidates and organizations, and much more. The Action Builder tool set, launched in 2019, helps dozens of unions and progressive organizations empower leaders and build strong organizing campaigns.

Activist Handbook

Activist Handbook is the Wikipedia for green, social, and progressive change-makers. Every month, it trains about 12.000 new activists. It provides more than 450 guides and more than 4.7K external resources covering everything from organizing and strategies to tactics and communications. It teaches how to become an activist, plan a political campaign strategy, and start a grassroots movement, and much more.

Black Voters Matter

Black Voters Matter’s mission is to expand Black voter engagement and increase progressive power. The nonprofit does so through voter registration drives, policy advocacy, staff training and candidate development, and funding associated independent initiatives. It hosts town halls, provides educational resources and digital tool kits, and produces the “Unnamed & Unbound” podcast to help get its message out.

Care2

Care2 is an online petition generation platform and network of millions of people around the globe dedicated to building a better world. It uses cutting-edge technology and team of experienced campaigners to fuel the progressive movement by uniting members with nonprofits and mission-based brands working on the causes they care about. Start and deploy a petition, learn how to share it through social channels, and attract media attention—the group’s free Activist University program provides live video training sessions and a vast library of expert advice to help anyone transform the world and inspire action for the most pressing causes.

Civiqs Public Opinion Insights

Civiqs is a team of pollsters, data scientists, and software engineers, building the future of online scientific survey research. They help activists, organizations, and campaigns create and deploy custom surveys, track and analyze responses, interact with subgroups, and provide historical charts of the public’s shifting views on major social and political issues.

Code Pink

This feminist grassroots organization works to end U.S. warfare and imperialism, support peace and human rights initiatives, and redirect resources into healthcare, education, green jobs, and other life-affirming programs.

Declaration for American Democracy (DFAD)

The Declaration for American Democracy is an anti-oppression coalition working together to make the promise of democracy real for all of us. It believes U.S. democratic systems, institutions, and leaders must reflect, represent, and respect the diverse, multicultural nation that we are and have always been. Among other goals, it is committed to passing national standards, including the Freedom to Vote Act, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, and DC Statehood, to transform our political system and move our country closer to realizing the true promise of democracy.

Democracy For America (DFA)

Democracy For America has a 20-year track record of strategic work to advance progressive values. It works to elect progressives throughout the scaffolding of the democracy, and members have called for structural democracy reform that ensures such victories are not choked off by systemic obstacles including voter suppression, gerrymandering, and other abuses.

Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)

The Democratic Socialists of America is the largest socialist organization in the United States, and a member-driven mass organization. It believes that working people should run both the economy and civil society, and demonstrates its commitment to this principle by being an organization of, by, and for the working class.

Headcount

Headcount’s mission is to use the power of music and popular culture to register voters and promote participation in democracy. It reaches young people where they already are to inform and empower.

Indivisible

Indivisible is a grassroots movement of thousands of local Indivisible groups with a mission to elect progressive leaders, rebuild our democracy, and defeat the Trump agenda. It provides financial support, training, technology, and resources about organizing basics and more, for a unified front in achieving these goals.

MoveOn

Our Revolution

Our Revolution was founded by Bernie Sanders to take on corporate power, elect progressives up and down the ballot, and fight for a government that works for all of us—not the billionaire class.

People Power

People Power is the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)’s platform for grassroots action, where volunteers mobilize communities across the country to defend and advance civil liberties and civil rights for all

Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC)

Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) is a million-member grassroots organization building progressive power at the federal, state, and local levels. It engages in electoral and issue advocacy work, focusing on saving democracy and the planet. It organizes on economic populist priorities including: a wealth tax, canceling student debt, expanding Social Security, corporate accountability, worker rights, and bold solutions to climate change.

Red Wine & Blue

Red Wine & Blue is a national community of more than half a million diverse suburban women working together to defeat extremism, one friend at a time. It trains and connects women from across the country of all political backgrounds—including many who have never been political before—to get sh*t done and have fun along the way. Red Wine & Blue provides everything women need to successfully organize in their communities and beyond.

This one is a referral from Unf*cker Cynthia G. who wrote: “If Unf*ckers want to join in on something, this is a good place to start. They have other sub-groups that focus on single issues like fighting book bans. These are more nationally focused. The Troublemakers Training is hyper focused on four states because frankly we can’t afford to lose these at this point. There is no cost for joining these groups but donations are asked for. I didn’t feel any undue pressure to join in, or make a donation. For the people in deep red states this might be an option. If you can’t make a change in your state, perhaps you can help out others in a purple state. Offer what skills you have to other groups. The goal is to get more progressives into the senate and state legislatures.”

RootsAction

RootsAction was founded in 2011 by two longtime progressive advocates and journalists, Norman Solomon and Jeff Cohen, and quickly grew. It remains dedicated to galvanizing people who are committed to economic fairness, equal rights for all, civil liberties, environmental protection—and defunding endless wars. It mobilizes on these issues no matter whether Democrats or Republicans control Washington D.C.

Rural Urban Bridge Initiative

The Rural Urban Bridge Initiative invites liberals and progressives to think differently, talk differently, and act differently in order to understand the causes of the rural-urban divide, and then do something to repair it. The group develops political, economic and communications strategies that build bridges and serve the common interests of working and middle-class Americans.

This one is a referral from Unf*cker Glenn S. who wrote: “I thought it might fit into some discussion of ‘How do we speak outside our regular circles and actually help people in their lives.’”

Sanders Institute

The Sanders Institute’s mission is to revitalize democracy by actively engaging individuals, organizations, and the media in the pursuit of progressive solutions to economic, environmental, racial, and social justice issues. It hosts gatherings of thought leaders and elected officials to establish a progressive plan of action for the future and implement that vision on a local, statewide, national, and international basis.

Sunrise Movement

The Sunrise Movement is an American youth-led political organization dedicated to stopping climate change and creating millions of new jobs through a Green New Deal. Founded in 2017, the movement uses grassroots organizing, nonviolent direct action, and electoral politics to build a political force for climate justice. It believes everyone should have access to clear air and water, full pantries of food, affordable housing, free public transportation, good and meaningful jobs, vibrant community centers, and lives filled with joy. Sunrise Movement strives to make that happen.

Swing Left

Swing Left helps win elections for Democrats by making it as easy as possible for anyone to have maximum impact on the elections that determine the balance of power in the United States.

Vote Forward

Vote Forward volunteers test and scale new, high-impact tactics encouraging fellow Americans to vote.

Working Families Party (WFP)

The Working Families Party represents regular people coming together across their differences to make a better future for us all. It is a multiracial party that fights for workers over bosses and people over the powerful. Its vision is an America which realizes the promise—unrealized in our history—of freedom and equality for all.