Build justice-guided movements
Goal: Support movement structure in line with justice.
We often think of movements as decentralized or distributed. They are powerful because they belong to everyone, made of many people, groups, and communities taking action without being gated by permission. In doing so, they reflect characteristics of justice that we aspire to.
But a movement doesn’t have to be “chaotic” or “flat at all costs” in order to serve justice. Without intention, groups can operate with:
Hidden hierarchy (which goes against justice and undermines solidarity)
Weak coordination (causing groups to drift apart or duplicate work)
Privilege taking over (where people with more time, money, or institutional power dominate. This also goes against justice and solidarity)
Burnout (because a few people carry everything).
Governance structure can solve for all of these things and leave us with shared power, shared purpose, clear communication, and ways for our people act boldly and safely. This guide reflects what we’ve learned so far, as a small group committed to justice. It uses simple language, practical examples, and justice-centered principles to help groups grow without losing their soul. But this work is ongoing and always evolving.
MJN would not describe itself as a movement organization at this time, because we’re not focused on reaching many hundreds of people yet. We’re currently focused on fostering small, intimate groups where just governance can be practiced, tested, and improved. But the same principles of justice will apply if and when we are able to support a movement to make justice normal.
Guiding Principles
We look at design through the lens of justice. Without carefully designed systems, power is not equal. Race, gender, disability, class, language, and immigration status affect who gets heard, supported, or included. We name these realities and design structures that treat people as of inherently equal value. Some signs that justice might be at work are…
Shared Leadership (Not Leaderless): Power is distributed, not denied. Leadership is collective, rotating, and accountable. Different people lead at different moments and in different ways. This prevents bottlenecks, reduces burnout, and avoids informal hierarchies.
Autonomy with Shared Purpose: Local groups can act in ways that fit their context. Alignment comes from shared values, principles, and coordination, not micro-management. Decentralization works when there’s a center of gravity.
Transparency Builds Trust: Clear information about roles, decisions, priorities, and resource flows prevents hidden power and rumor-based governance.
Flexibility, Discipline, and Care: Sustainable movements balance care with commitment. People need rest &role rotation alongside shared expectations, and follow-through. Care is not the absence of responsibility; it is what makes responsibility sustainable over time.
Core Structures
Main Types
Movements can look very different depending on how they make decisions and coordinate action. For us, an organization that embodies justice reflects democratic practice in decisions and circular leadership in how they organize action.
There are no commonly understood subcategories today for how organizations mix different democratic methods or leadership structures. But they do tend to be bundled in certain ways, which we describe below. Understanding the difference helps reveal why some movements last, some move fast, and some stay small but strong.
Federated: A federated movement is a formally connected network of local groups (chapters, collectives, or organizations) that coordinate through shared rules, councils, or charters while keeping local autonomy. They tend to be most durable, resilient, and scalable.
Local groups make most decisions independently, often through a mix of consensus and authority based decision making. Roles may have formal or delegated authority.
Groups are linked by formal agreements or councils. There is often a recognizable network or umbrella organization, and groups share a name or formal identity. Power is distributed but structured, with mechanisms for collective decision-making.
Larger movement-wide decisions are made through delegates, councils, or assemblies. Campaigns are coordinated across groups.
Decentralized: A decentralized movement has no formal hierarchy or central authority, but participants are linked by a shared purpose, goal, or problem. They tend to be fast-moving, flexible, and difficult to suppress. But they don't often last very long.
Groups or individuals act completely independently, often through a mix of consent and consensus based decision making. There is no formal network, council, or coordinating body. There is minimal formal identity. The movement exists through shared recognition.
Coordination and messaging emerge informally, such as through social norms or online platforms. Participants recognize a common goal or purpose, but tactics vary widely.
Each node decides what, when, and how to act without approval from others. Actions can be independent, sporadic, or asynchronous.
Horizontal: A horizontal movement intentionally flattens hierarchy. All members have equal authority. It relies on consensus or unanimous decision-making. It builds strong internal trust, alignment, and democratic practice. But it is hard to scale, process can be slow, and it requires high levels of trust and participation.
All members participate equally; no leader has authority.
All decisions are made collectively, usually by consensus.
All roles, such as facilitators, note-takers, or meeting organizers are temporary, voluntary, and rotated.
Coordination is process-driven, not enforced by formal agreements. Cohesion comes from shared values, trust, and process, not formal network structures.
Options
The type of structure that emerges might depend on the nature of your work. These elements below, more reflective of federation, offer a starting point to settle into the form that works.
Coordination Circle: A small, rotating group tends the movement’s “infrastructure,” (shared calendars, communication channels, meeting rhythms, and flow of information). They create conditions for others to lead, act, and collaborate without bottlenecks.
Working Groups: These teams organize around specific functions, like communications, outreach, legal support, data, fundraising, political education, wellness, etc. Working groups help distribute labor, prevent burnout, and let people grow into leadership in concrete ways.
Community Contributors: This wider circle stays connected in ways that work for them. There’s no pressure to take on a role, just clear paths to participate and stay in the loop.
Local or Thematic Hubs: These independent groups anchor in a neighborhood, campus, workplace, or shared issue. They take action that fits their context as long as they align with shared principles. This allows growth without centralization.
Spokes / Cross-Hub Coordination: This mechanism keeps hubs from becoming isolated. Each hub sends a rotating representative (“spoke”) to share updates, coordinate timelines, spot overlap, and raise needs. This keeps information flowing sideways, vs up or down.
Equitable Processes
Decision-making should be fair, clear, transparent, and light-weight. Equity and care systems prevent harm, redistribute resources, and embed justice into everyday practice.
Consensus or Consent: Use practices that prevent domination and encourage listening. Consensus means the group moves when everyone agrees. Consent means the group moves when no one has a meaningful objection. Consent is often more realistic for large movements and centers safety (“Is this decision harmful?”) VS preference (“Do I like this?”).
Local Decisions Stay Local: Power should sit closest to people in an area doing the work. Only issues that impact the whole movement get elevated.
Conflict & Accountability: Address tensions and harm proactively. Everyone should know what decisions they can make alone or with their group; how to escalate disagreements or stalled decisions; who facilitates escalated conversations, and how they’re chosen. Also document decisions transparently to prevent hidden hierarchies and treat accountability as repair, not punishment, centering both safety and learning.
Resource & Accessibility Support: Make participation equitable and inclusive by sharing money, supplies, and support with nodes or members who have fewer resources. Implement accessibility measures so that people with access needs can participate, and heck regularly that resources are flowing fairly and adapt as needs change.
Roles, Workload & Burnout Prevention: Prevent burnout and avoid consolidating power by rotating leadership and facilitation roles with set term limits. Track workloads and redistribute responsibilities to prevent overextension and normalize stepping back by embedding “no-meeting periods” or rest weeks. Cross-train to ensure continuity and reduce reliance on a few individuals.
Learning, Reflection & Care Practices: Embed ongoing support by rotating justice or equity roles to monitor power and inclusion across teams. You can also encourage community care practices, like peer support teams or check-ins, to sustain emotional health.
Onboarding
Newcomers need accessible ways to plug in. When learning is open and ongoing, movements grow without becoming dependent on a handful of “insiders.”
Welcome Sessions (Live or Recorded): 20–30 minute introductions offered regularly, cover values, current campaigns, and ways to get involved.
“Choose Your Level of Involvement” Menu: A simple list of low-, medium-, and high-commitment roles so people can match their capacity.
Mentors / Movement Buddies: Pair new folks with experienced members for 1–2 months.
Role Shadowing: Let newcomers sit in on meetings or shadow someone performing a task (facilitating, note-taking, outreach).
Toolkits and “How We Work” Guides: Plain-language documents with screenshots, step-by-step instructions, and social norms (e.g., how decisions are made, meeting agreements).
Learning Cycles / Political Education: Short monthly sessions or reading groups that deepen shared understanding of values, strategy, and history.
Skill-Sharing & Micro-Trainings: Quick sessions on facilitation, media making, safety strategies, conflict navigation, data tools, etc.
Blueprint
The components below are least reflective of “decentralized”' movements, which often, which often move quickly and informally.
Write a 1-page movement agreement: Values, vision, alignment commitments.
Define circles and roles: Coordination, spokes, working groups, contributors.
Build a welcoming onboarding process: 60-minute session + clear document + mentor pairings.
Map decisions clearly: What’s local, what’s shared, what’s escalated.
Set up communication tools that everyone can use: Shared drive/Notion, monthly bulletin, meeting rhythms.
Create care and equity systems: Justice keepers, rest cycles, conflict repair.
Launch working groups with clear charters: Purpose, expectations, communication norms.
Reflect and adjust every 6–12 months: Bring in stories, learning, harms, wins, and redesign as needed.
Resources
Our approach builds on multiple streams of knowledge, including patterns in movements (like Movement for Black Lives, Occupy Sandy, Sunrise Movement); scholarship and mutual aid traditions, and lived practice. We are still refining what structures help people thrive, but check out the resources below to learn more.
