CIRCLES

What are SURJ Circles?

What are Circles?

SURJ Circles are small, in-person organizing groups—typically 3 to 15 people—that meet regularly, at least once a month, to take collective action together.
Circles are a way to build local communities while taking meaningful action that advances SURJ’s National Campaigns.
Together, Circle members participate in training, strengthen their organizing skills, and take coordinated local actions that move our campaigns forward and grow our movement.

Why are Circles Important?

At SURJ we organize in Circle because:

Circles give us a clear path for action: For anyone who thinks, I want to help but don’t know where to start, Circles offer tools, guides, and support to step in with confidence.
They’re built to grow: Circles bring in new people, give them a political home, and build a base that lasts beyond any single campaign.
We’re stronger together: Circles are directly affiliated with SURJ National, giving us a unified structure to act together. Coordinated, public action has always made movements more powerful. When we show up boldly and visibly across the country, we create momentum, inspire others to join, and put real pressure on those in power.
They make big work possible: SURJ designs campaigns—like elections, immigration defense, and noncooperation—to be done with a team. Campaigns are more effective and more motivating when done with a group, not alone at a computer.

How do Circles Work?

Circle Commitments

To be recognized as an active Circle, we ask that you:

Have at least 3 members in your Circle.
Commit to the Core Circle Responsibilities
- i.e. Each Circle exists to:
  - Take local action in alignment with SURJ’s National Campaigns
  - Build relationships and skills together
  - Support each other to grow as organizers
  - Stay connected with SURJ National
  - Grow the movement by inviting others into the work and helping new folks get involved
Designate a National Liaison—one person to serve as your main point of contact with SURJ National.
Add your Circle to Mobilize (public or private). The National Liaison should either create the listing or be listed as the main host, using their contact information.
- - If your group is public, respond to inquiries from prospective members within one week.
Submit a short monthly report-back via Google Form.

Ready to start your Circle and take your first steps toward these commitments? Scroll down to the How to Start a Circle section on this page to get started!

Circle Support & Resources

Access to a Circle Coach (if circle commitments are met - see left)
Option to host meetings via Mobilize (not required; meetings must be campaign-related)
Optional Peer Support Calls with other Circle organizers

Circle Roles & Responsibilities

Core Responsibilities

Each Circle exists to:

Take local action in alignment with SURJ’s National Campaigns
Build relationships and skills together
Support each other to grow as organizers
Stay connected with SURJ National
Grow the movement by inviting others into the work and helping new folks get involved

Suggested Roles:

Circles Host - Helps hold the group together by:

Creating a welcoming space where everyone feels invited to participate - hosts the meeting at their house
Keeping the group focused on your shared purpose and campaign goals
Delegating tasks and supporting follow-through
Reminding the group of the “big picture” and how your work fits into SURJ’s broader goals through 2028
Is listed as the official host or co-host on SURJ’s Mobilize platform

*Key to a circle succeeding is people having shared responsibility for it. This person should not do everything—consider co-hosting or rotating.

National Liaison - Serves as the Circle’s point of contact with SURJ National.

Receives campaign updates, tools, and invites from SURJ National
Shares national information back with the Circle
Completes a brief monthly check-in form from SURJ National
Is listed as the official host on SURJ’s Mobilize platform

*Can be the same person as the Circle Host or a separate role.

Meeting Facilitator - Guides Circle meetings. This role can rotate.

Keeps the meeting on track and ensures time for key topics
Makes space for all voices
Helps the group name decisions and action steps

Communications Point Person (optional but helpful, especially in larger Circles)

Sends meeting reminders and follow-up notes
Helps coordinate outreach to new or absent members
Shares relevant updates or materials between meetings

Action Lead (may rotate for different actions)

Helps plan and organize upcoming actions
Coordinates logistics like location, materials, and outreach
Ensures everyone knows their role for the action and feels ready to participate

Additional Roles You May Want to Rotate or Share

Note-Taker: Keeps a simple record of what was discussed and decided
Onboarding Buddy: Welcomes and orients new members
Skills Practice Lead: Guides short activities to build organizing skills (e.g. roleplays)

Tips for Delegating

Not every role needs a formal title—especially in smaller Circles, people can hold more than one area of responsibility.
Rotate when you can. Sharing leadership helps everyone grow.
Don’t wait for perfection—start small and adjust as you go.
Use a shared notes doc or spreadsheet to track who’s doing what.
Check in regularly: “What’s working? What do we want to try differently?”

How Circles Grow

Circles are meant to be small (no more than 15 people), flexible groups that can build deep relationships and take meaningful action together. But what happens when your Circle grows too big?

If your Circle starts to feel too large to connect meaningfully or to make decisions smoothly (decision-making is often challenging, but think of this relatively), it may be time to split into two or more Circles. That’s a good thing—it means your organizing is working!

How Circles Coordinate

When there are multiple Circles in the same geographic area, you might wonder: When does it make sense for Circles to coordinate on campaign actions?

The answer is: It depends! There’s no one-size-fits-all approach. What’s most important to remember is that Circles exist to grow our movement, build our skills, and to be part of impactful nationally coordinated actions. So if you find you’re spending all your time coordinating and not enough time taking action, it’s probably time to do less coordinating.

So, when deciding whether or how to coordinate, ask yourselves:

What will help you meet the most people and invite them into our movement to grow?
What will create the most opportunities for people to practice organizing skills?
Keeping the answers to the previous two questions in mind, what’s going to be the best use of your capacity? Think about your time and energy, what will give you the biggest impact for the effort?

Sometimes it makes sense for multiple Circles to work together. For example, several Circles in one city might decide to focus their efforts on supporting a single candidate running for office, rather than splitting energy across multiple candidates. This focused approach can often lead to a stronger impact.

But coordination doesn’t always look the same everywhere. Take the Greater Cleveland area as an example: three active Circles exist there, but their members live in different cities. Because of this, each Circle might choose to support different local candidates in their own communities, allowing them to engage neighbors on issues and races that they will be voting on. At the same time, since these Circles all live within the same county, it could also make sense for them to come together around a larger county-wide campaign, like supporting the election of a county executive.

How do I join an existing circle?

Check out our map of SURJ Circles to see if there is a group near you. Reach out to connect and see if it’s a fit!

Have a Circle that’s not on the map? Add it here so others can find you.

If there isn’t a Circle nearby, consider starting your own! You just need 2 other people to get started. Learn more about creating a new Circle below.

How do I start a new circle?

5 Steps to start a new circle

1. Recruit at least 3 people (you + 2 others)

If you attended a recent Mass Meeting, a great first step is reaching out to folks you met at the meeting.
- If you and others discussed starting a Circle or working on a campaign together but didn’t exchange contact info, your Mass Meeting host can help reconnect you.
- Even if you didn't make plans to start a new circle with folks who attended the meeting with you—you can still reach out to your host and ask if they can connect you with others from your meeting who are interested in the same campaign. If you attended a recent Mass Meeting, start by reaching out to folks from your breakout group.

2. Add your Circle to Mobilize

Once your Circle is listed, share the Mobilize link with members so they can officially join.
This helps us know who’s in your Circle and keeps everyone connected.
Tip: You can choose to keep your Circle private so it won’t appear on the public map.

3. Connect with your Circle Coach

Your coach will reach out to you!

4. Set your first Circle meeting date

Connect with your new Circle members to find a time that works for everyone. Lock it in on the calendar, send out the invites, and get ready to kick things off together!

5. Continue participating in National Campaign work while working through the New Circle Onboarding Curriculum during your regular Circle meetings

New Circle Onboarding Curriculum

Your Circle should meet regularly to move forward the national campaign you’re part of. In this early phase, we’ll provide a curriculum to help your Circle get to know SURJ, connect with one another, and grow your organizing skills.

This curriculum will cover:

SURJ’s values
Shared interests and connections
How to have effective organizing conversations
And more!

Access the onboarding curriculum here.

Circles & Chapters

What is a Chapter?

SURJ Chapters are established local groups around the country committed to SURJ’s values. The chapter structure is one of aligned autonomy with National’s strategy and may mean a chapter runs local campaigns, often in partnership with other organizations and/or participating in national campaigns and programs. Some are part of or run local long-term independent organizing efforts. Chapters may represent themselves as a SURJ entity in their area, e.g. “SURJ [Area Name].”

How do Circles and Chapters Differ?

Circles are small, flexible groups focused on advancing SURJ’s national campaigns through local action. They stay closely connected to SURJ National and closely follow national strategy and guidance. Circles do not represent themselves as Chapters or formal SURJ entities at the local level.

This means Circles:

Can use language like" we are SURJ members in [Area Name]", but should not call themselves SURJ [Area Name].
Can be in coalition with local groups, but only run campaigns with direction from SURJ National.
Can participate in local events wearing SURJ t-shirts or gear.
May table using materials provided by SURJ National, or materials created following guidance from SURJ National.
Should not endorse local events as SURJ or represent themselves as a formal SURJ group (e.g. no using the SURJ logo to co-sponsor or endorse local actions).
May sign on to letters or petitions as individuals, but not as “SURJ [Area Name] Circle.”

Chapters are long-term organizing bodies who function in aligned autonomy with SURJ National’s strategy, aim to build independent relationships with local partners and run campaigns in their communities.

This means Chapters:

- Represent themselves as a SURJ entity in their area, e.g. “SURJ [Area Name].”
- Have chapter specific logos (distinct from SURJ National branding) to promote their events or events they co-organize as partners.

How can Circles and Chapters Work Together?

Circles and Chapters can complement and strengthen each other in powerful ways. Chapters bring experience, local knowledge, and infrastructure. Circles help absorb new people into the work, create a sense of belonging, and provide a place to build skills and leadership. When they work together they help grow the movement, increase capacity, and deepen impact.

The key is balancing collaboration with autonomy. Circles are designed to empower people to take initiative, build organizing skills, and step into leadership. We want circles to feel ownership over their work and have the support they need to make decisions.

Circle Members can also be active in their local chapters! Circle meetings will focus on the National Campaigns, while chapter meetings and actions may center on local campaigns that are independent of SURJ National’s current campaigns.

SURJ National informs chapters when there are Circles in their area and vice versa, so they can connect and collaborate as they choose.

Here’s how collaboration can work:

Circles can ask for their local chapter’s support. For example: requesting that the chapter promote the circle’s Day of Action via their email list, social media, or at chapter meetings. Chapters can say yes or no.
Chapters can ask for circle support, such as inviting their members to join local campaigns, attend meetings, or share chapter updates in Circle spaces. Circles can say yes or no.
Chapters can be a great resource for local knowledge! Circles should feel free to reach out to them to ask questions about local context and their historical knowledge.
If chapters and Circles are both participating in National Campaigns they can decide to join efforts. You can use the same thinking to make this decision as you would for collaborating with other circles.

Page updated

Report abuse