Swing Left Grassroots Leaders Toolkit

Elect Democrats to strengthen democracy!

This toolkit has helpful links and guides for all the things you do as a grassroots leader. You can also find more information and crowdsource answers with other leaders on our grassroots leader Facebook group or Slack channel. If you aren't a member of #team-group-leader on our Slack yet, ask [email protected] for an invitation.

If at any point you get stuck, schedule a one on one conversation with your Regional Organizing Coordinator or Youth Organizing Board member or email [email protected]


  • Host an end-of-year celebration! As the year comes to a close, your group has so much to celebrate. Check out this host guide for ideas, and post your event on Mobilize (or post here if you're part of Swing Left College programs).
  • Update your Group Builder page: To prepare for next year, remove outdated 2022 language from your group's page. And while it's fresh in your mind, try to clean up your data by entering new group members' information, updating contact info that may have changed, etc.
  • Report final numbers from your recent events: For shifts and attendance you did not capture in Mobilize or Group Builder, use this soft reporting guide and form, to tell us about your events and actions this cycle, if you haven't already! We'll use this to update your Group Builder page and make sure we're showcasing your group's impact accurately.

Our next Volunteer Leaders’ Call is Thursday, December 15th, 8pm ET/ 5pm PT. Please take a moment to RSVP at this link, and we’ll see you then.

Here are all the scheduled Grassroots Leaders' Calls. You can register for all of them using this link.
  • Thu, December 15, 8pm ET / 5pm PT
  • Thu, January 19, 8pm ET / 5pm PT
  • Thu, February 16, 8pm ET / 5pm PT
  • Thu, March 16, 8pm ET / 5pm PT
  • Thu, April 20, 8pm ET / 5pm PT
  • Thu, May 18, 8pm ET / 5pm PT
  • Thu, June 15, 8pm ET / 5pm PT
  • Thu, July 20, 8pm ET / 5pm PT
  • Thu, August 17, 8pm ET / 5pm PT
  • Thu, September 21, 8pm ET / 5pm PT
  • Thu, October 19, 8pm ET / 5pm PT
  • Thu, November 16, 8pm ET / 5pm PT
  • Thu, December 14, 8pm ET / 5pm PT

Reminder: Grassroots Leaders Calls are for internal use in your group only, not for press or public release.

Recordings and slides from past calls:

November 2022 Call recording and slide deck.

October 2022 Call recording and slide deck.

September 2022 Call recording and slide deck.

August 2022 Call recording and slide deck.

July 2022 Call recording and slide deck.

June 2022 Call recording and slide deck.

May 2022 Call recording and slide deck.

April 2022 Call recording and slide deck.

March 2022 Call recording and slide deck.

February 2022 Call recording and slide deck.

January 2022 Call recording and slide deck.

December 2021 Call recording and slide deck.

November 2021 Call recording and slide deck.

October 2021 Call recording and slide deck.

September 2021 Call recording and slide deck.

August 2021 Call recording and slide deck.

July 2021 Call recording and slide deck.

June 2021 Call recording and slide deck.

May 2021 Call recording and slide deck.

April 2021 Call recording and slide deck.

March 2021 Call recording and slide deck.

February 2021 Call recording and slide deck.

January 2021 Call recording and slide deck.

December 2020 Call recording.

November 2020 Call recording

To create an event on the Swing Left website, hosts should create all events by starting at the “host” buttons at swingleft.org/events

When filling out your new event, if you choose a “virtual” event under Location, please also list a city, state, and zip code (full address not required), because that helps our website continue to show events to volunteers in your area. If you include a full address for an event you've indicated is "virtual," Mobilize will automatically hide your street address and only show the city, state and zip. Here are more tips on how to set up Virtual Events.

  • Letter Writing Party – bring people together to write letters to voters (use this link if you're part of Swing Left College Programs)
  • High Traffic canvass – talk to voters face to face in an area with high foot traffic to register voters or recruit volunteers (use this link if you're part of Swing Left College Programs)
  • Canvass – host a meetup or carpool to go knock doors in a critical race (use this link if you're part of Swing Left College Programs)
  • Phone Bank – make calls together, to voters or volunteers (use this link if you're part of Swing Left College Programs)
  • Friend Bank – (relational organizing) reach out to friends together to encourage them to vote or volunteer (use this link if you're part of Swing Left College Programs)
  • Fundraiser – raise money for candidates at an event (use this link if you're part of Swing Left College Programs)
  • Organizing Event – organize any other type of event, including a training, planning meeting, or vol recruitment or appreciation event, etc (use this link if you're part of Swing Left College Programs)
More resources:

Here are our guides for organizing each kind of event - with tips, resources, and helpful links: Additional resources:
  • If your event involves a carpool, you can use our carpool organizing tool. Review our carpool organizing tool guide.
  • We can provide a list of Swing Left subscribers who are not yet members of your group that you can call or text to invite them to your upcoming canvasses, letter writing events, or phone banks. Follow these instructions to request and use a volunteer recruitment phone bank.

You can post your group on Swing Left's website - to recruit more members and use other tools.
  • Register your group here.
  • If you've already posted your group, you can find it here.
  • You can view and training and access a full guide on Group Builder here.

We're here to support you and help you become a more effective grassroots leader. Check out these helpful guides covering basic organizing skills - which can help you recruit more members, build relationships, and grow your group's leadership team.

Swing Left is here to support your organizing in many ways. Here are two forms to request support:

As a group leader, you play a big roll in helping us tell the story of Swing Left and helping us build our brand. Here are some resources:

Our Community Agreements guide all the work we do as a national organization, in our local groups, and one-on-one with each other as volunteers and activists. Thank you for reviewing these agreements and incorporating them into your work!

Swing Left Community Agreements

Our goal is to create and foster a safe, inclusive, and equitable environment for our volunteers and greater Swing Left community. These guidelines help us hold ourselves and each other accountable to ensure that together, we build the best community that supports our work and our mission.

  • Organize to elect Democrats. We focus on flipping seats from red to blue and winning Democratic majorities to help bring about progressive change. We organize and fundraise year-round to give eventual Democratic nominees critical support in their general election campaigns.
  • Focus on inclusivity and respect. We work to show respect and inclusivity in our actions and organizing. Both in-person and online, we use welcoming and inclusive language, model empathy, and empower each other to do our best work. We speak up, hold ourselves accountable, and work to address racism, sexism, homophobia, misogyny, transphobia, ableism, ageism, and all forms of discrimination.
  • Build a sustainable and strong progressive movement. We work within the progressive movement to create change and fight injustice. We support partners and allied groups whenever possible.
  • Approach our work with humility. We are all learning, and we follow the lead set by local leaders and communities. We openly accept feedback, and proactively work to unlearn our own biases and assumptions.
  • Respect each other’s time and resources. As an organization, Swing Left helps volunteers find the most impactful actions to take to help Democrats win the most important elections.

Please report examples of abusive behavior, harassment, or other unacceptable conduct to [email protected] , and a member of our staff will review and respond promptly.

Electing Democrats alone is an important but clearly insufficient step towards achieving the progressive change needed to create a more inclusive and equitable government and society. We encourage all of our volunteers to consider how you can elevate anti-racism work and show up for communities of color side by side with your electoral work.



You can start by reviewing our Anti-Racism Action Hub for ideas.


As a grassroots leader, your first resource is your Regional Organizing Coordinator or Youth Organizing Board member. Schedule a one on one conversation with them here.
Here are the names and contact info for Swing Left organizing staff: