Since November 2016, DSA has transformed into a national force that can win elections, engage in powerful direct action, sponsor ongoing mutual aid programs, and embark on a national campaign to bring Medicare for All to the United States. Through the labor and passion of our membership we have become a recognizable name across the country, laying the groundwork to become a formidable force in U.S. politics.
We need to keep that momentum going. As many of us joined DSA shortly after Trump’s election, our annual memberships are gradually expiring. To show that our movement has vitality, DSA-LA is joining chapters around the country in a membership drive. Not only will we ensure comrades are up to date on their dues, but we’ll also re-engage with members in our campaign to build the left in Los Angeles and across the nation.
What can I expect?
If your membership has expired, a comrade will be reaching out to you to talk about DSA, your experiences over the past year, your political interests, and potentially, how we can get you involved in more of our projects. Paying national dues and renewing your membership will not only help us demonstrate the resilience of our movement, but will also entitle you to a limited edition 2018 DSA-LA dues pin that will be available for pick-up at future general membership meetings.
Where can I renew my membership?
You can renew your national DSA membership here.
If you’d like to pay local membership dues you may do that here.
How do I know if my membership has expired?
Email [email protected] with the subject line "MEMBERSHIP STATUS" and we can find out whether you need to renew or not.
What is the difference between National Dues and Local Dues?
National dues are what you pay to be a registered member of DSA. It comes with a subscription of Democratic Left magazine as well as your official “socialist organizer” card, and allows you to access national teleconferences and webinars put on by the national organization. These dues help to pay for our wonderful staff members and traveling organizers, as well as fund our organization's national campaign efforts chosen democratically at the biennial national convention.
Local dues are what you can voluntarily pay to our local chapter, DSA-LA. Local dues sustain the capacity of our local chapter and pay for communal services such as general meeting space, website maintenance, and committee resources such as our chapter’s Zoom conference account. The more local dues we attain, the more we can provide sustainable support to the work our organizers are doing throughout Los Angeles. For local dues, we recommend either one $25 payment, or a monthly donation of $5.
Is one more important to pay for than another?
It’s important to note that your national dues are what makes you an official member of the organization and allow you to vote on matters local to our chapter.
Beyond giving you the ability to democratically participate in voting, however, national dues are also what the organization looks to for official membership size of a chapter, which determines the amount of delegates that a chapter gets for national convention.
I can’t afford paying membership dues at this time. Does that mean I’m barred from organizing in DSA-LA?
Absolutely not! As a socialist organization we recognize that many in our membership experience the brutality of capitalism on a regular basis, particularly in the wallet. We ask our members to support their organization by contributing as much as they can, but we will never turn away one of our own for lack of funds. We need your comradeship just as much as socialist cash to fight capitalist trash. You may email [email protected] to request dues-exemption for your membership.
What if I want to sponsor a comrade’s dues?
We want to make this an option for our more generous comrades and would be happy to facilitate. Please reach out to [email protected] and we can broker that arrangement.