LA DSA-LA Custom Tools Quick guide for chapter leaders and organizers
Ed K's Leader-facing digital tools

Socialism. Solidarity. Software.

Over the past year, I've built a set of custom digital tools to support DSA-LA leaders in their organizing work. These tools are designed to solve specific problems that come up in our chapters, campaigns, and coalitions, and they're all built with the unique needs of DSA-LA in mind.

These tools are built to be as intuitive and self-serve as possible, but they also have some features that aren't immediately obvious. The summaries below are meant to surface those features and give leaders a sense of when to use each tool for maximum impact.

Whether you're a branch lead looking for a venue, a chapter chair running a meeting, a canvass coordinator prepping volunteers, or a campaign lead explaining policy, there's something here for you. Dive in and see how these tools can make your organizing easier and more effective.

Could your working group or committee benefit from a custom tool like these? Reach out to Ed on Signal at 310-421-8419 or username edkeenan.20

See the six tools Open the map first

The Six Tools

These summaries are written for leaders deciding when to use each tool, what it helps with, and how to get value from it quickly.

Membership Validation and Vote Tabulation

Proxy Vote Counter

This tool takes a members-in-good-standing export and a proxy form responses export, validates each submission, and produces a local tabulation showing who can cast proxy votes and how many they receive.

Best for Meeting chairs, convention teams, election administrators, and membership leads managing in-person vote delegation.
What it checks Confirms submitter and target emails are members in good standing, skips self-proxies, flags duplicates, and keeps an audit list of invalid rows.
Local browser-only processing Column mapping UI Membership validation Duplicate detection CSV export reports

Quick start

  1. Export the members list and proxy form responses as CSV files from Google Sheets.
  2. Upload both files and verify the auto-mapped columns.
  3. Run tabulation and export totals or full audit CSV output.

Leader use case

Use it before credentialing or voting blocks to confirm proxy validity and produce a transparent vote allocation list.

Open proxy counter
Find Your Event Location

DSA-LA Map

The map is a searchable, filterable view of organizing locations across DSA-LA branches. It combines markers, branch filters, tag filters, and a full location list so leaders can find usable venues and understand branch coverage fast.

Best for Branch leads, canvass coordinators, event planners, and anyone trying to answer where we already organize.
What it shows Popups with address details, recent event context, contacts, links, and tags, plus a switchable clustered view when the map is dense.
Search by name or address Filter by branch Filter by tags Browse all location cards Toggle clustering

Quick start

  1. Search for a neighborhood, venue name, or address.
  2. Filter to the branch or location type you care about.
  3. Open a marker or card to review venue details before outreach or scheduling.

Leader use case

Use it before a branch event, canvass launch, social, or coalition meeting when you need fast location memory instead of starting from scratch.

Open the map Admin view
Debate Facilitation

Meeting Timer

The timer is built for DSA-style meetings where speakers, amendments, votes, and breaks need to stay visible and fair. It combines a large public-facing speaker timer, an agenda timer, and an embedded slide area in one screen.

Best for Convention chairs, parliamentarians, debate teams, chapter meeting facilitators, and anyone running a projector in the room.
What it does Loads common speaker presets, supports manual countdowns, targets a clock time for breaks, and can auto-read from the agenda schedule file.
Speaker presets Agenda countdowns Target-time mode Google Slides embed Fullscreen-ready

Quick start

  1. Open the timer on the display computer and go fullscreen.
  2. Select a speaker preset or set a custom time for the current part of the meeting.
  3. Load slides or let the agenda timer carry the room into the next section.

Leader use case

Use it when the room needs visible structure, especially during voting meetings, long agendas, or any event where equitable speaking time matters.

Open the timer Volunteer guide
Power to the Tennants

Rent Calculator

Custom-built for the Power to the Tennants working group, the rent calculator compares how different rent policies affect a tenant over five years. It turns policy arguments into a concrete visual by combining a current rent input, year-by-year CPI sliders, utility settings, and a comparison chart.

Best for Housing campaign leaders, canvassers, tenant organizers, spokespeople, and coalition partners explaining policy differences.
What it compares The Keep LA Housed plan, the current RSO, and the LAHD proposal, with a shareable result URL for live conversations and follow-up.
Current rent input Five-year CPI sliders Gas and electric options Comparison chart Copy-share URL

Quick start

  1. Enter a monthly rent that matches the story you are telling.
  2. Adjust CPI assumptions and utility settings to fit the scenario.
  3. Use the chart and summary boxes to explain why the policy differences matter.

Leader use case

Use it in one-on-ones, canvasses, coalition meetings, and press prep when you need the policy argument to become immediate and personal.

Open the calculator Headless version
Shared storage and file access

Synology File Server

The file server gives members and project leads a central place to open, upload, and manage shared files. It can be reached directly in a browser at the Synology web interface or mounted as a network volume for day-to-day file work.

Best for Media teams, chapter leads, archivists, and anyone who needs dependable access to shared files without passing around attachments.
How to access it Use the browser interface at https://moondough.i234.me:5001 for the simplest entry point, or mount the server as a shared network volume when you want it to behave like a normal folder on your computer.
Browser access Shared network volume Mac and Windows friendly Centralized file storage Detailed setup guide

Quick start

  1. Open https://moondough.i234.me:5001 in your browser.
  2. Log in with the username and password you were given for the server.
  3. If you need drag-and-drop access from Finder or File Explorer, use the platform-specific network option below.

Leader use case

Use it when your team needs a shared place for photos, videos, documents, meeting materials, or archives that should stay accessible beyond one person's laptop.

Detecting platform
Open the file server Network volume setup Full instructions

Platform-specific file access will appear here when supported. The full instructions cover every method.

Efficient Listwork

Text Banker

Text Banker is a lightweight spreadsheet utility built around one ARRAYFORMULA. It uses recipient and sender columns to auto-generate personalized messages so organizers save a few seconds on every call list row.

Best for Call-team leads, campaign organizers, and anyone preparing text outreach sheets at volume.
What it does Outputs header status, setup warnings, missing-phone alerts, and personalized message text from live spreadsheet columns.
ARRAYFORMULA based Header/setup validation Missing-phone warning Auto personalized output Google Sheets friendly

Quick start

  1. Set recipient FirstName in column A, phone in D, sender in E, with message parts in L1 and N1.
  2. Paste the formula once into your output header cell.
  3. Copy the generated messages directly from each row into your texting workflow.

Leader use case

Use it right before outreach shifts when every repeated edit costs time and consistency.

Open Text Banker docs Example sheet

What leaders should know

These tools are strongest when treated as shared chapter infrastructure rather than one-person knowledge. A few habits make them easier to rely on.

  • Open the tool you need before the meeting or outreach shift begins and test it on the actual device you will use.
  • Share the live URL with co-chairs, branch leads, or campaign teams so the tool is not trapped with one operator.
  • When a tool becomes part of a routine, document who updates the underlying data, agenda, or assumptions before the next event cycle.