Start a Circle 2/Section 1: Organising Circles around local action
For Circle Stewards
Understand how Circles are essential for achieving Logos’ core mission, creating positive impact for individuals and the local community in the short term.
This section introduces how Circles organise around meaningful local action (winnable issues). It outlines how to identify relevant issues in your community, work with others to shape them into focused, achievable goals, and build momentum through small, practical wins. The emphasis is on grounding the Circle in real-world needs, fostering ownership within the community, and turning shared intent into visible impact.
What is a winnable issue?
In community organising, there is a concept known as an “issue-cutting” or “issue-based campaign” strategy. It involves selecting a clear, concrete, winnable issue that allows organisers to mobilise the community effectively, build solidarity among participants, and gain momentum to achieve broader social change goals.
The idea is to:
- Identify an issue that resonates broadly with community members.
- Choose a specific and achievable target for action to ensure early victories.
- Use these victories to build collective confidence, foster greater solidarity, and sustain long-term participation and growth within the movement.
This method is particularly emphasised in the highly successful organising methods developed by Saul Alinsky, often summarised as:
“Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it.” (Saul Alinsky, Rules for Radicals)
Such campaigns are foundational in community organising, leveraging clear and attainable goals to foster greater unity, build organisational strength, and enhance strategic positioning for future, more ambitious initiatives.
This concept is highly related to fostering Interaction Ritual Chains.
Remember, people participate because they care, not because the technology is interesting.
What Makes an Issue Winnable?
- Aligned with Logos values: decentralisation, privacy, open infrastructure, autonomy.
- Has emotional weight: people feel strongly about it.
- Tangible and achievable: something your Circle can take action on and see progress.
- Already has roots: there are local individuals, groups, or organisations already working on it.
Winnable Issue checklist
Clarity & Focus
- [ ] Is the issue clearly defined and specific (not vague or overly broad)?
- [ ] Can the problem be explained in one or two sentences?
Emotional Resonance
- [ ] Does it provoke strong emotions (anger, hope, solidarity, urgency)?
- [ ] Does it affect people in your community directly or personally?
- [ ] Would people feel motivated to act or show up because of it?
Actionable & Measurable
- [ ] Are there concrete steps the Circle could take toward a solution?
- [ ] Does the group have the resources, time and effort required to achieve this?
- [ ] Are there clear indicators of success or progress?
- [ ] Is there a clear start and finish?
Aligned with Logos Values
- [ ] Does it align with decentralisation, transparency, privacy, or mutual aid?
If you can check at least 80% of this list, you're likely working with a real winnable issue. If not, refine the problem or go deeper into community listening. Winnable issues emerge through conversation, care, and iteration.
Winnable issues: Pipeline Workflow
How to scope, propose, and deliver a winnable issue
Step 1. Community Listening
Ask the Circle:
- What issues do you see around you?
- Who needs help? What can be improved?
- What behaviour must change?
- What is missing today?
Step 2. Cut the Issue
Choose a narrow, winnable target that targets part of the larger problem
Example transformations:
| High Level Issue | Winnable Version |
|---|---|
| Isolation amongst domestic violence survivors | Set up a safe communication channel for the survivor community |
| Dirty streets | Organise a trash cleanup day |
| Youth unemployment | Fundraise for a school’s IT department to improve the students' employability |
| Food insecurity | Set up a food bank |
| Digital exclusion of older population | Run in-person digital literacy sessions |
Step 3. Circle x local community Co-Design
Winnable issues must be owned by the community.
Required elements:
- Local partners - who is already working on this and how can we support or learn from them?
- Frontline validation - have the people directly affected validated that this is actually useful?
- Small pilot group - bring together a small group of benefactors
- Emotional resonance - do the Circle members really care about this issue and are continuing to volunteer, or is motivation fizzling out?
Step 4. Prototype Using Circle Capabilities
Circles should act as enablers, not top-down builders.
Core Principle:
Build With, Not For
Traditional development builds solutions for users.
Circle-based prototyping builds tools with participants, where:
- The community shapes functionality
- The problem definition can evolve
- Feedback directly influences iteration
- Ownership remains local
The Circle’s role is to ideate, facilitate, coordinate, and provide infrastructure - not to centralise control.
In this step, you should create a shareable artefact:
In line with showcase-driven development, a prototype should produce something visible:
- A working tool
- A measurable improvement
- A documented process
- A public demonstration of impact\
This artefact becomes:
- Proof of concept
- Recruitment material
- Strategic leverage for future campaigns
Step 5. Impact Signal (Critical Success Metric)
Do not build complex dashboards.
Pick two to three metrics only.
Suggested signals:
- Active participants
- Successful help requests routed
- Community actions executed
- Behaviour change indicators
- Local adoption growth\
If your winnable issue requires a technical solution, please refer to theLogos technical project management guide for support
Circles Civil Society Issue Buckets (Pilot)
Building a Parallel Society
To build a resilient parallel society, Circles need to think about how they can develop these foundational pillars: Economy, Security, Healthcare, Housing, Welfare, Infrastructure, and Institutions.
Start small by solving small local problems, document wins to recruit more activists, and gradually connect with other Circles to tackle bigger issues. Over time, we build a network of inter-connected local communities - the Parallel Society.
Action-First Organising
To kick-start a local Circle, a steward should begin with one visible win on an issue they care deeply about (the First Action). This draws people in and creates early momentum. The first Circle then forms and collectively chooses additional winnable issues to work on.
When picking a First Action, think about:
- What is a problem that people recognise in my community?
- What is a small micro-collective action that we can achieve in the next week, to make an impact towards the problem?
- Who can work with me to take this action?
Growth Mode
As you grow your local Circle community and work on solving more issues together, fundraising and group decision-making become more important.
Fundraising
As your Circle approaches solving bigger problems, the ability to fundraise or pool money becomes more important. This is a key skill your Circle should develop as you grow - starting with small fundraisers and advancing to savings pools and other forms of funding.
Governance
As your Circle grows and chooses more winnable issues to tackle, how you make decisions together becomes more important. How you make decisions is up to you, but make sure you have a process.
Issue Buckets
ECO — Economy & Cost of Living
Long-term vision: Make essentials community-owned via co-ops, credit unions/SACCOs, food co-ops/CSAs, CLTs, energy co-ops, time banks, local currencies.
Beginner
- Bulk-buy co-ops for staples (20 families splitting wholesale).
- Repair cafés (bikes, clothes, electronics).
- Community pantry or free fridge.
- Buy-local days with window stickers and stamp trails.
- Pop-up retail or one-day storefront activations.
Advanced
- Scale into proper co-ops and businesses (food co-ops, tool libraries, skill-exchange platforms).
- Time banks and local currencies.
- Blended finance and revenue-generating community enterprises.
Success looks like: Lower cost of living for participants; members earning income from Circle activity; visible local economic tools.
HOU — Housing
Long-term vision: Permanently affordable homes outside speculative markets via ADUs/tiny homes, faith-land (YIGBY), CLTs, housing co-ops; land acquisition, blended finance, permanent-affordability mechanisms.
Beginner
- Know-your-rights tenant workshops.
- Land scans: map vacant lots and faith-owned land.
- Clean up and reclaim one derelict lot or building.
- Housing-conditions survey or zoning-barrier audit.
Advanced
- Support or form housing co-ops and CLTs.
- Land acquisition strategies and permanent affordability models.
Success looks like: More affordable housing options created or protected; documented wins that other Circles can replicate.
Real-World Example: The Lisbon Circle worked with a community in Quinto de Mocho to advocate that the local government establish a community center. They ended up successfully getting a community center where they now organize a community festival with local partners. People came together for food, games, and other cultural activities.
HLT — Healthcare
Long-term vision: Community-run primary care via community health workers, direct primary care, telemedicine as force-multiplier, healthcare co-ops; hybrid models with public systems.
Beginner
- Free screening days (blood pressure, glucose) with volunteer nurses.
- CPR / first-aid training afternoons.
- Ride rosters for elderly to medical appointments.
- Essentials drives tied to health (e.g., winter coats, hygiene kits).
Advanced
- Community health worker programs.
- Healthcare co-ops and mutual aid health funding pools.
- Telemedicine initiatives and hybrid care models.
Success looks like: Improved community health outcomes; reduced dependency on strained systems.
WEL — Welfare & Social Protection
Long-term vision: Member-run safety nets based on self-reliance via mutual aid, time banks, rotating savings (stokvels), faith-based welfare, worker co-op safety nets.
Beginner
- Door-to-door base building (names, concerns, skills).
- Essentials drives (food, coats, toys).
- Fundraisers for urgent need (medical emergency).
- Launch a mutual-aid board and make first matches.
- Small savings groups (regular contributions into shared fund).
Advanced
- Rotating savings & credit associations (stokvels).
- Comprehensive mutual aid systems and worker co-op safety nets.
- Time banks integrated with other buckets.
Success looks like: Stronger safety nets run by the community; members helping members without state dependency.
Real-World Example: The Benin City Circle organized a fundraiser to help pay for the urgent healthcare costs of a Circle member’s parent’s.
SEC — Security & Crime
Long-term vision: Community-led safety that reduces violence and supports reintegration via violence interruption (Cure Violence model), holistic reentry programs (Homeboy-style), community policing, citizen safety data, and long-term state partnership where needed.
Beginner
- Safety walks: map dangerous spots day/night and fix what the Circle can (lighting, sightlines, clearing corners).
- Stand up one safe corner/haven space.
- Welcome-home packs and first coffee for recently released individuals.
- Digital-security baseline for organizers (encrypted messaging, password managers, 2FA).
Advanced
- Violence interruption and conflict mediation programs.
- Holistic reentry support.
- Community policing alternatives and citizen safety data projects.
Success looks like: Measurable reduction in local crime or fear; safer public spaces; stronger community bonds.
INF — Infrastructure
Long-term vision: Community-owned physical and digital backbone via co-ops, community shares, concessions, sweat equity, adaptive tech (broadband, roads, ports, utilities).
Beginner
- Launch a tool library with first lending day.
- Free public wifi node on a shared building.
- Connectivity scan: map who has/doesn’t have internet.
- Infrastructure gap mapping (lighting, drainage, waste, water).
- Trash cleanup or recycling drive tied to local infrastructure.
Advanced
- Community-owned broadband or mesh networks.
- Larger infrastructure co-ops (energy, water, waste).
- Sweat equity projects for shared facilities.
Success looks like: Tangible improvements in local infrastructure owned or stewarded by the community.
Real-World Example: The Liberland Pop-Up Circle organized a trash cleanup where activists spent an afternoon collecting 30+ bags of garbage.
Real-World Example: The Benin City Circle organized to build a crypto fundraising platform FundBrave to help themselves and other local communities fund local initiatives. They’re now growing it as a startup.
INS — Rule of Law & Institutions
Long-term vision: Power held accountable and disputes resolved without capture via private arbitration/mediation, pro bono legal networks, investigative journalism/OSINT, court & election monitoring, civic tech, citizens’ assemblies, democracy data, defender-protection networks (includes anti-corruption).
Beginner
- Community mediation tables for small disputes.
- Legal-rights clinics with pro-bono lawyers.
- Short local investigations using public data (misspent funds, unsafe buildings).
- Municipal budget analysis and per-capita gap mapping.
- Map local power structures (who controls permits, zoning, spending).
Advanced
- Private arbitration and mediation systems.
- Ongoing investigative journalism / OSINT and monitoring networks.
- Civic tech tools and citizens’ assemblies.
Success looks like: Greater local accountability; disputes resolved peacefully outside broken systems; empowered communities.
EDU: Education & learning
Long-term vision: Community-run access to knowledge, skills, and technology through peer-learning, skills academies, apprenticeships, and alternative credential pathways.
Beginner
- Run a one-day intro workshop on tech basics (computing, blockchain, AI), with separate beginner and developer tracks.
- Organize peer-to-peer tutoring or homework clubs.
- Hold a back-to-school donation drive: collect textbooks, exercise books, stationery and second-hand backpacks for one under-resourced school and get them distributed.
- Map the gap: survey which schools or learners in the area lack materials, tech or access, written up in a day.
- Raise a small fixed target for one school's equipment (computers, tools) and hand it over
- Host career/CV/digital literacy workshops.
- Invite local professionals to mentor students.
Advanced
- Build recurring community academies or weekend schools.
- Apprenticeship and mentorship programs.
- Microschools and homeschooling co-ops.
- Community-issued certificates and learning pathways.
- Open-source educational tools via hackathons.
- Long-term fundraising for school infrastructure and technology labs.
Success looks like: More people gaining practical skills, local experts regularly teaching others, and communities creating their own trusted pathways for learning.