Getting People Plugged In

Here’s the problem we solve: Someone shows up to a DSSIN event, signs up for our email list, and then ...

Nothing. They want to help but don’t know how. Or they show up once and never hear from us again. Good people fall through the cracks all the time — not because they don’t care, or we don’t care, but because no one followed up. Or next steps weren’t clear. Or they didn’t know which committee to join.

We’re the bridge between “I want to Do Something” and helping members find their place. Because every willing volunteer matters

Skills We Need

● Organized and good at follow-through? That’s 80% of this job.

● Comfortable reaching out to people you don’t know yet? You’ll do great.

● Good at matching people with opportunities? We need that matchmaking skill.

● Can keep track of spreadsheets without losing your mind? Bless you, we need you.

You don’t need to be a "people person” in the life-of-the-party sense. You need to be someone who follows up, stays organized, and genuinely wants people to find their place in the work.

Keeping Public Schools Public

Public schools belong to everyone — not just one religious group.

However, right now, programs like LifeWise Academy are blurring that line, pulling kids out of class for religious instruction with questionable safety oversight and zero transparency.

We’re not anti-religion. Most of us ARE religious. But we believe your kid’s faith education should happen at church, at home, or after school — not during math class at the expense of everyone’s learning time.

We’re the committee that shows up to school board meetings, educates parents about what they are actually signing up for, and pushes for policies that protect ALL kids.

Our public schools are under enough pressure already. They do not need outside organizations using school time to recruit for one specific religious viewpoint while taxpayers foot the bill for the logistics.

Skills We Need

● Willing to attend school board meetings? This is huge, we need people in those seats.

● Good at research and reading policies? We need people who can dig into the details.

● Can explain complex stuff in plain language? Perfect for creating parent materials.

● Comfortable talking to parents & caregivers with different viewpoints? Essential for building a coalition.

● Good at staying calm when people get heated? This work requires that.

● Can write public comments or emails to school officials? We need those voices.

You don’t need to be a lawyer or education expert. You need to care about public schools staying public, willing to show up consistently, and able to have respectful conversations with people who might disagree with you.

Making Democracy Make Sense

Democracy doesn’t protect itself — informed citizens do. But let’s be real: most of us probably never really learned how our government actually works. Civics education disappeared from schools, and now we’ve got people who don’t know the difference between a state representative and a federal senator, or why their school board matters a lot more than they think.

We’re the committee that works on that. We help people understand how power works, how to use their voice effectively, and why showing up to a city council meeting can matter more than posting on social media.

Because here’s the truth: You can’t defend democracy if you don’t understand how it is supposed to work. And you can’t fight threats to constitutional principles if you aren’t sure what those principles are.

We partner with others doing civics education, support voter registration efforts, and create spaces where people with different views can have actual conversations instead of shouting matches.

Skills We Need

● Know your way around government processes? Share that knowledge.

● Good at explaining complex things simply? That’s the whole job.

● Patient with people learning from scratch? Essential.

● Can plan workshops or presentations? We need that.

● Good at coalition building? Perfect for this work.

Standing With Our Neighbors

Our immigrant neighbors face increasing pressure through coordinated enforcement actions that depend on isolation and fear. ICE raids. Workplace intimidation. Uncertainty about what rights they have.

We are the committee that makes sure people know their constitutional protections, understand their legal rights, and have community support when they need it. Not because we’re immigration lawyers (most of us aren’t), but because we are neighbors who believe everyone in our community deserves to live with dignity and safety.

We are not only sharing legal information — we are building a community support system to help ensure our immigrant neighbors are not facing these challenges alone.

Skills We Need

● Bilingual (especially Spanish)? This is huge.

● Know immigration law or willing to learn? We need that expertise.

● Good at building trust with communities different from your own? Essential.

● Comfortable with rapid response/emergency situations? Sometimes this work moves fast.

● Connected to legal aid resources or social services? Help us connect people.

● Can stay calm and clear-headed when things are scary? That’s what people need.

Building Community, One Gathering at a Time

Look, the truth is simple: democracy work is hard, and we do it better when we actually like the people we’re doing it with. That’s where we come in. DSSIN isn’t just a list of committees and causes — we are neighbors who care about the same things. The Social Committee makes sure we actually know each other.

Strong communities aren’t built in meetings alone. They’re built around coffee. At potlucks. Through the conversations that happen after the meeting ends. We intentionally create those moments.

Because let’s be honest: You’ll show up to more protests, stay engaged longer, and work more effectively when you’ve got friends in the fight with you.

Skills We Need

● Good at making people feel welcome? That’s literally the job.

● Enjoy planning gatherings? We need you for logistics, venue finding, food coordination.

● You don’t need to be an extrovert or party planner. You just need to care about people feeling like they belong.

Getting Our Message Out There

Great work doesn’t matter if nobody knows about it. We’re the folks that make sure DSSIN’s voice reaches beyond our membership. We turn organizational work, initiatives, and news into content our community can share, talk about, and engage with. We explain complex issues in ways your neighbor can understand and make sure when something important is happening, our community actually knows about it.

Because here’s the reality: The other side has coordinated, sophisticated messaging. Our response needs to be equally strategic.

We manage our message across platforms:

● Social media (Facebook, Instagram, etc.)

● Email newsletters and updates

● Website content

● Press releases & media outreach

● Graphics, flyers & visual content

Skills We Need

● Good writer who can explain things clearly? That’s gold.

● Design skills for graphics and visuals? Yes, please, we need you.

● Understand social media strategy? Not only posting, but actual strategy.

● Can manage multiple platforms without losing your mind? Bless you.

● Good at staying on message even when you want to rant? Essential.

● Can turn committee work into compelling content? That’s the whole job.

You don’t need to be a marketing professional. We need engaged neighbors to write compelling content clearly, think strategically about how messages land with different audiences, and be committed to showing up consistently.