What are members vs. volunteers vs. subscribers?

We’re ashamed to admit that it hadn’t occurred to us to clarify the difference between committee members, volunteers, and subscribers until some fresh faces at our meeting inquired: What is the difference?

Members

When we refer to BoxfordDems members, we’re talking about formal members of the Boxford Democratic Town Committee (BDTC). To be eligible to be elected to the BDTC, you must be a Boxford resident, a registered Democrat, and voted on to the committee.

The BDTC, which operates under its own bylaws, is associated with the Massachusetts Democratic Party (MassDems). The MassDems issues guidelines and rules for conducting meetings, manages and makes available resources, proposes platforms and candidates, but does not otherwise provide financing for town and city committees or deal with who is elected to the BoxfordDems.

We currently have 19 committee members, but are permitted under our Bylaws to have up to 35. More hands make light work. The more we have available to help fight MAGA wingnuts, organize projects, come up with initiatives to help our community, drive voter turnout, and otherwise engage and inform voters the better. So if you’re interested in joining the committee, let us know!

We’d love to have you!

So, what are the benefits of joining formally as opposed to remaining a subscriber or volunteers?

We recognize that we have a two-party system. It’s not ideal, but that’s what we have. It may sound pollyannish, but you can absolutely take an active part in changing the direction of the Democratic Party if you don’t like its current state. Depending on your ambition level, you get to have a say in formulating the MassDems’ platform; help select which candidates for endorsement; prepare the ground for our candidates to succeed; organize grassroots support for policy and community initiatives, decide the direction of the BoxfordDems; emphasize which pro-democracy projects and initiatives we work on; and meet and hang out with a great group of people,

For our non-Boxford subscribers, we highly recommend that you contact your local city or town committee to get involved. Here’s a list of our neighboring committees, all of which collaborate: Middleton, Topsfield, Andover, North Andover, Georgetown, Rowley, Ipswich, Danvers, Groveland, Newbury, Peabody, Danvers, and Salem.

Volunteers

We have about 15 active Boxford volunteers—both registered Democrats and Unenrolled voters—who are not formal members of the BoxfordDems. They help distribute BoxfordDems materials (such as door hangers), help out at standouts such as our No Kings rallies, volunteer as delegates at conventions, and help distribute lawn signs for our candidates.

Subscribers

If you’re reading this page, chances are that you’re one of our nearly 800 Action Update newsletter subscribers. Many of our subscribers are Democrats, but most are Unenrolled. We love to have you as a subscriber so that we can keep voters informed and, perhaps persuade some to volunteer and join our committee (or our neighboring sister committees).