Introduction
This guide is part of the community maintained wikis on this forum and is therefore independently developed and unofficial. It’s primarily based on the 68-page guide (TZM chapters guide 2.0) created in 2012, along with experience gained by activists over time. This TL;DR[1] version of the 2.0 guide offers a short and concise overview. For more detailed information, the original 2.0 version is still recommended.
Starting Activism for The Zeitgeist Movement (TZM) can be overwhelming. You might wonder: Where do I start? What do I need? What should my goals be? This chapters guide provides the core infrastructure, routines, and advice needed to build and expand your chapter activities.
It is critical to understand that TZM’s thinking rejects any “us versus them” mentality. We are all simply “us” globally—one people sharing this single fragile planet. Adopt this mindset as you engage in activism with the movement. To learn more about TZM and our mission, please read our about page.
Expectations
Starting TZM activism requires realistic expectations and a positive attitude. Begin with small initiatives and scale up only when both possible and necessary. Enjoy spreading the TZM Train of Thought while setting attainable goals based on your available time, skills, and budget. When developing ideas, don’t rely on others’ resources—their participation is voluntary and never guaranteed. Remember that socioeconomic change is gradual; this is a marathon, not a sprint.
The survivability of your chapter depends on establishing a non-exhausting routine that builds up a sustainable momentum for the long run. This guide provides some suggestions with this in mind.
Setting up a chapter
Definition and focus of a chapter
TZM’s organizational structure is built upon chapters (local groups) that serve two essential functions: facilitating collective activism and ensuring organized information flow among its diverse global membership.
These chapters function within a “grassroots” culture, where each group operates independently while sharing the collective TZM Train of Thought—without central control. Every chapter works to spread and refine this thinking. In practice, this means both raising awareness about core social and economic problems and investigating practical solutions at our disposal. By making these solutions better known, we aim to eventually outgrow the current outdated socio-economic system.
The function of a chapter is to create and sustain a work-oriented environment from which activism can then be performed in accordance with the understandings supported by the movement. A chapter may therefore consist of teams. It is also part of a global chapter structure for information purposes and larger order activism.
TZM is not a club. It is a worldwide campaign of mass-awareness. The result of creating a chapter is that it brings the activity of the movement to community level – literally into the backyards of “the masses”.
| Tier | Description |
|---|---|
| Meta | It’s encouraged for international chapters to communicate and collaborate when needed and possible. This occurs organically and in an unofficial capacity. Global chapters may e.g. share their progress through Activism > Reports and their skills and experience through community wikis and Activism > Projects. Meta-chapters may be formed based on a common language, such as Spanish. Or based on geographic accessibility such as international environmentally friendly high speed train connections. |
| National | A national chapter should focus on setting up core tools and organization for development into regional chapters. This includes activities such as organizing, creating, developing, and adapting content to their region in order to be used by sub-chapters in local activism. |
| Regional | A regional chapter should focus on relieving the national chapter from the responsibility of expanding into the various regional cities by directly supporting, guiding, and promoting these developments. At first, depending on the region’s size, a regional chapter may resemble the activity of a city chapter until it grows enough to be divided into a number of more localized chapters in the same region. |
| Local | A local chapter should focus on being constantly active in the local area, typically a town, city, or a college campus, by consistently organizing events and always trying to be visible and getting the word out there. |
The role of a chapter coordinator
A chapter coordinator serves not as a traditional leader but as someone who helps others develop their own leadership abilities. The coordinator’s role is purely facilitative—they don’t direct others but instead help them take charge of necessary tasks. Rather than seeking the spotlight, coordinators guide others into it. They understand that organizational growth depends on developing multiple “leaders” throughout the group.
For simplicity’s sake, we define a leader as any proactive member, as opposed to those who are merely reactive or passive.
Gathering people
First of all, check if you can join or revive an existing chapter. Consult the global chapters map for this and also search on social-media platforms and search engines for existing chapters because the map may not be complete.
An easy way to quickly build up momentum is by starting a chat group on e.g. Signal. If you’re the person that is taking the initiative, you could create the Signal group and make it publicly shareable by link. You can then share that link on e.g. social-media. Make sure the Signal group has an appropriate name, such as “TZM Amsterdam” to attract people within your locality. It is recommended to build the foundation of your chapter on open-source solutions to shape the cultural direction for the future of your chapter. In this group you may discuss the following:
- Why is everyone interested in doing activism for TZM?
- Discuss each other’s strengths and weaknesses and develop a general short-term strategy to exploit them. Check in particular for management, IT, multimedia, and writing skills.
- How much time is everyone realistically able to spend on activism?
This information helps you build your chapter’s basic infrastructure. While attracting members is important, manage your expectations realistically. Some people who join may be passive—and that’s perfectly fine; these are your supporters. Chapters typically develop organically, with a small subgroup of active individuals emerging as your core members. These core members usually initiate activities that passive supporters can then participate in.
Treat all members equally, regardless of their activity level. Remember that all contributions have value, and roles often shift as people’s available time changes. Small chapters tend to function more efficiently, so avoid aiming for more than 10 core members in your chapter. Instead, promote self-leadership and, when feasible, subdivide into smaller local chapters.
Information base
Establish a dedicated website as your information base. Choose a domain name that’s memorable, concise, and descriptive—examples include zeitgeistbeweging.nl, www.zeitgeistitalia.org, or movimientozeitgeist.com (all meaning “Zeitgeist movement” in their respective languages). Consider experimenting with various top-level domains (such as .org, .earth, etc.), as prices can vary significantly.
When building your website, prioritize open-source software solutions. A dedicated website serves as a stable anchor point where people can learn about TZM and find ways to get involved with your chapter.
Include the following on your website:
While establishing your information base on social media might seem convenient, it makes you dependent on algorithms that control your contact with your community—algorithms that may not always work in your favor. Additionally, social media platforms have limited lifespans, meaning your follower base can disappear when platforms fade away.
For long-term relevance, maintain control over your own data, domain, contacts, and audience. The best approach is typically to create your own website first, then automate content distribution to social media platforms (where platform APIs allow). This automation strategy maximizes your impact while minimizing effort—your time is far too valuable to waste on repetitive tasks like manually copying links across platforms and chat groups.
Organize meetings
Establishing a consistent meeting routine is crucial. Set a regular schedule—for example, the first Tuesday evening of each month. While face-to-face meetings best foster social bonds and interaction, online meetings offer valuable accessibility advantages, especially for those with logistical constraints.
Prioritize action over excessive meetings. Never meet without purpose—each gathering should have clear goals and build upon previous discussions. Keep meetings concise with efficient time management. Reserve casual conversation for after the formal agenda concludes, not during it. This approach allows participants to attend only the essential portions if needed, without missing key information.
Avoid aiming for large attendance numbers (10+ people). Oversized meetings typically devolve into either monologues from a few dominant voices or chaotic, unfocused discussions. For lengthy announcements or updates, consider writing a blog post instead.
Respect others’ time as a precious resource. Often, a brief chat or voice message can effectively replace a meeting. When there’s nothing substantial to discuss, feel free to cancel a scheduled meeting or combine it with a social activity to maintain connections without the formality.
Try to experiment with the strengths of synchronous (voice/video meetings) and asynchronous communication (texting/blogs/forums/email) to inform and stay informed.
Conflict resolution
Mind the human. This is especially true for online interaction. If a conflict develops during an online chat, switch to a video call. If a conflict develops during a face-to-face meeting, discuss it privately in another room. Use non-violent communication techniques and objective reasoning to arrive at a resolution. If this is not possible, find a mediator.
If issues arise due to technical reasons, find a technical solution. If issues arise due to workload, delegate the work or apply automation.
Manage projects
Activism > Projects are initiatives with clearly defined outcomes and specific timeframes. Unlike ongoing activities, projects have definite endpoints—they aren’t designed to continue indefinitely. Whenever possible, make your projects open-source so other chapters can both contribute to their development and benefit from the results.
Your idea, your project
Brainstorming sessions frequently evolve into unproductive competitions to propose the most ambitious ideas—a pattern that consistently leads to failure. Instead, develop concepts that align with your actual resources: your available time, existing skills, and financial capacity. Only expand your project’s scope when others demonstrate both ability and willingness to participate. Always consider participants’ other life commitments and maintain realistic expectations about their involvement.
Appreciate all contributions, no matter how small.
Divide up and delegate work
Avoid the temptation to control everything or shoulder most responsibilities yourself. This approach inevitably leads to two negative outcomes: decreased involvement from others and your own burnout.
For lengthy projects, break the work into manageable chunks. Discuss each component separately and clearly assign responsibilities based on individual agreement. Ensure assignees have the necessary capabilities, then trust them to complete tasks in their own style. Implement periodic progress checks—people rarely feel motivated when their work seems unnoticed or unappreciated.
When facing obstacles, shift your focus from limitations (“what you can’t do”) to possibilities (“what you can do”). Prioritize tasks by importance and implement automation for any repetitive processes.
Failure in this area (of dividing and clearly delegating) will most likely lead to disappointment or worse, mainly due to the “diffusion of responsibility” effect.
Do it in twos
Working in pairs improves creativity and speeds up problem-solving tasks.
Work SMART
| Letter | Definition | Description |
|---|---|---|
| S | Specific | Target a specific area for improvement. |
| M | Measurable | Quantify or at least suggest an indicator of progress. |
| A | Achievable or attainable | Specify who will do it. |
| R | Relevant or realistic | State what results can realistically be achieved, given available resources. |
| T | Time-bound | Specify when the result(s) can be achieved. |
Project suggestions
- Setup a TZM website to build up an information base.
- Design and print high quality TZM stickers or t-shirts/sweaters as promotion material and to be easily recognizable at Activism > Events.
- Create an inventory of local like-minded organizations for organizational networking.
Organizing events
At events, wear TZM-branded apparel featuring both the movement’s logo and your chapter’s website. This serves dual purposes: initiating conversations and promoting TZM information. Present yourself with objectivity, calmness, and friendliness while communicating the movement’s message with clarity and integrity.
Your primary role is to build networks and stimulate thought about the systemic problems inherent in our infinite-growth economy, introducing the Natural Law/Resource Based Economy (NL/RBE)[2] as a potential alternative solution.
Mature chapter events
When your chapter reaches a developed or mature stage with an adequate number of motivated, experienced members, you can begin planning more substantial events like ZDay (Zeitgeist-Day) or town hall meetings. However, carefully evaluate your input-to-output productivity ratio. If organizing a ZDay would consume months of preparation time and prevent all other activism work, reassess whether your chapter has truly reached the necessary maturity level. Investing excessive resources into a single day of activism rarely represents efficient use of your chapter’s capacity.
Event overview
The overview below may help you understand the goal and possible outcome of typical TZM events. Also note the colored categories; these are just suggestions and may help you manage expectations. Check our Activism > Events category for any current or past events.
= Suitable for developing chapters.
= Requires a developed chapter.
= Requires a mature chapter.
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
|
Orientation meetings: Attend interesting lectures to improve your knowledge or attend workshops to improve your skills in your local area with your chapter and organize a dinner before or after the meetings to improve your social bond as well. |
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Organizational networking: Create an overview of like-minded organizations and attend their meetings to broaden your activist network. Respect their initiative and schedule; don’t attack them or interrupt their talks. |
|
Street activism: E.g. long-lasting stickers for popular places such as busy traffic lights and metro/bus/tram/train stations. Do check with local regulations regarding any restrictions. In general, always cooperate with the police. |
|
Organize interviews: Reach out to local media and talk about what TZM proposes or organize your own interviews and post them on your chapter website. |
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ZDay (Zeitgeist-Day): zday is a yearly global symposium about exposing problems and possible solutions in the current “zeitgeist”, or current climate of society. |
|
Town hall meetings: Town hall meetings are basically a ZDay, but can be organized multiple times a year. Invite local government, business, and press. Poke their brains about a post-scarcity economy. |
|
ZMF (Zeitgeist Media Festival): zmf recognizes the power of art and media to help change the world; the annual festival bridges the artistic and activist communities in the hope to inspire change. |
Protests
As a social/educational movement, TZM deliberately avoids protests and demonstrations as vehicles for conveying its central message. We believe meaningful change emerges from understanding problems and proposing superior solutions that render existing approaches obsolete.
Protests and demonstrations simply lack the necessary bandwidth to adequately communicate our comprehensive Train of Thought. While such actions may be noble and occasionally raise awareness, they ultimately fall short of our goals. Therefore, despite the emotional appeal and excitement these “high energy” activities might generate, they should never be conducted in TZM’s name.
You never change things by fighting the existing reality.
To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.
– Buckminster Fuller