Jamaica Plain Progressives is a group of JP residents working together to organize our community around progressive values. We seek to activate and mobilize the greater JP community through issues-based forums, campaigns designed to elect candidates that share our values, and campaigns to advance the public good.
JPP is made up entirely of volunteers and is reliant on activists who seek to work with JPP and build the organization. People participate in many ways, from attending forums and reading our newsletters to joining campaigns and providing much of the organization’s work.
For 2024 and onward, the JPP Steering Committee is committed to creating a deeper membership base and a more predictable, reliable, and diverse organization. As we have navigated the pandemic and relied more on online organizing methods, we have lost some of the sense of community that we so value. We have also incurred rising costs, as Zoom, MailChimp, room rentals, and the like add up quickly! In order for everyone to understand what it means to be a part of JPP, we have established official membership criteria.
Membership Levels
Our membership criteria now make it plain who can officially call themselves a JP Progressives member. We have created three levels of support: Two levels are official JPP members and have minimum requirements. We are also instituting annual dues so we can continue our emails, forums (both online and in person), and endorsement flyers. Membership will be reaffirmed annually so that our list of members and volunteers remains current.
| Title | Actions | Rewards |
| Activist Member | Committee member or super volunteer (3x/year) Give minimum $25 | T-shirt Sticker (or similar swag) Vote Newsletter Endorsement info |
| Member | Give minimum $25 Volunteer 1/ year (affidavit) | Vote Newsletter Endorsement info |
| Supporter | Newsletter Endorsement Info |
We will never turn someone away from being a JP Progressives member for being unable to pay dues. We will ask members to affirm that dues would be a hardship for that year when we hold our membership sign-up period (no documentation required).
Committees
Steering Committee: The steering committee is responsible for oversight of committees and the general work of the organization. The current co-chairs are Annie Rousseau and Krista Magnuson. Standard requirements to maintain membership on the steering committee are:
- Regular attendance at steering committee meetings
- Participation in a standing committee
- Daily Slack check-ins
- Member cultivation assignments
- Participation in a minimum of 2 canvasses/season
- Payment of dues
- Oversee elections
- Review and update governance document as needed
Standing Committees: Committees will direct their work and report monthly to the steering committee and to larger membership public meetings. The committees are:
- Elections (co-chairs Ziba Cranmer and Annie Rousseau):
- Identify elections partners – forums and mobilization
- Voter Education sub-committee: candidate forums + endorsements + flyer
- Voter Mobilization sub-committee: campaign coordination + canvasses
- Liaise with elected officials for updates/ accountability post-election/ attendance at all-hands meetings
- Liaise with partner organizations for forums e.g. NAACP Boston, Mijente, RTCV, MassVote, etc.
- Publish complete elections ballot for members
- Organize poll workers
- Issues Committee (chair Enid Eckstein) – State/ City Action
- Every January – committee will set a minimum of 2 topics for the year based on SC or member interest to lead.
- Subcommittees would form around issue forums and lead organization of that forum
- Existing issues based on members/ SC interest: Medicare for all, Education Equity, Revenue, IRAG
- Give updates at monthly all-hands meetings
- Identify key city/JP partners and build relationships and integrate into events and forums and campaigns
- Represent JPP on PM Issues Committee
- Serve as leads for issue campaigns as relevant
- Contribute to framing ballot initiative positions
- Outreach/ Partnerships (partnership: place, publicity, people)
- Serve as liaisons for partnerships relevant to priority issues
- Attend meetings of key partners as relevant
- Organization Building (chair Krista Magnuson):
- Membership
- Monitoring inbound interest
- Setting system for JP orientation / create template for what meeting covers
- Handing off to committee chairs
- Data
- Choosing and maintaining data platforms
- Maintaining central list:
- Integrating volunteer data into central list
- Integrating paid membership list
- Keep voter list up to date
- Keeping volunteer mobilization phone list up to date
- Outreach
- Identify priority backyard partner organizations
- Serve as liaison to priority partner organizations (e.g. attend meetings of key partners as relevant, follow activities, etc.)
- Identify key city/JP partners and build relationships and integrate into events and forums and campaigns
- Communications
- Newsletter
- Social media
- Website
- Membership
To become a member of JP Progressives, please fill out the membership form at https://jpprogressives.fillout.com/Membership.
