This tutorial will present the basics on using the Action Network. The interface is not friendly and their language is somewhat obtuse, but the application itself is pretty solid.
The Action Network has all or most the basic tools that any group would need (have a discussion, set up a petition, send mass e-mail, etc.). The Action Network is a non-profit hive of thousands of users and has been spedifically created as a political organizing tool for progressive causes.
It takes a bit of orientation to start using it, but we believe this is most complete tool out there, and we encourage you to use it.
The Vocabulary
The first thing is a confounding vocabulary. Let’s review.
Action Network calls anyone who registers an Activist. An Activist is a user, registering as an individual, with few privileges. All it really means is that you are now in the club.
Once you join a group, you become an Organizer. The Organizer has a variety of privileges that the leader of the group can bestow upon you. Generally, every member of a group is an Organizer, which sets up expectations that we aren’t here to drink coffee, but to perform some function (set up a meeting, write a petition, research an issue, etc.). Each Organizer can have a set of roles or privileges.
And, then, the highest level is the group Administrator. The Administrator is the group leader, the one who possessing all privileges and has the most ability to use the tools of the app. Groups can have several Administrators.
The Videos
There is a series of very good tutorials, covering a variety of issues. It is located at https://help.actionnetwork.org/hc/en-us/articles/203808529-List-of-video-tutorials
We recommend watching the video tutorials, but if you don’t have the time, these web pages and a few key tutorials should be enough. The first video you should watch is at the link below:
https://help.actionnetwork.org/hc/en-us/articles/203113219-What-are-groups-and-why-are-they-useful-
Encourage leaders to become an activitist by signing up for Action Network.
Groups are invitation only. You must be invited.
Finding members of your group
https://help.actionnetwork.org/hc/en-us/articles/203113229-Finding-and-viewing-a-group-and-its-actions
Federated Structure??