America’s Plan is built around a simple idea: different people play different roles in the same long‑term work. This page explains the main roles in the project so you can see where you might fit.
It connects directly to the 4‑step action plan on the homepage and to the way issues are meant to move from lived experience to plans and accountability.
The 4‑step action plan
All roles exist to support the same basic pipeline:
- Experience an issue – people live with a problem that is hurting them and those around them.
- Organize with others – they use America’s Plan to find each other and form a team.
- Build and push a solution – they use shared tools and knowledge to develop and push plans.
- Track results and enforce accountability – they keep track of what was promised and what actually happens.
No role exists for its own sake; each one is there to make those steps easier and more effective.
Affected parties
Who they are
Affected parties are the people directly living with the consequences of an issue: workers, tenants, patients, students, parents, neighbors, community members, and others whose daily lives are shaped by how systems behave.
What they do
- Bring real‑world experiences, examples, and patterns into the work.
- Help define what the problem actually is and what “better” would look like from their perspective.
- Help decide which demands and plans are worth pursuing.
Why they matter
America’s Plan exists to shift power toward affected people. They are not extras in someone else’s plan; they are the primary authors of the agenda the project is trying to build.
Facilitators
Who they are
Facilitators are people who help affected parties work together over time on specific issues. They are not bosses or spokespeople; they are coordinators and stewards of an issue hub’s work.
What they do
- Welcome new people into issue spaces and help them get oriented.
- Organize discussion so it moves from scattered posts toward clearer shared plans.
- Help keep issue hubs, forum areas, and commons materials coherent as they grow.
Why they matter
Without facilitators, issue work tends to fragment or stall. With them, issue hubs can become stable public anchors where work accumulates instead of constantly starting over.
Experts and advisors
Who they are
Experts are people with deep knowledge or professional experience in a relevant field: law, policy, science, organizing, infrastructure, data, and more. They may be researchers, practitioners, or long‑time organizers.
What they do
- Help affected parties understand constraints, tradeoffs, and technical details.
- Provide feedback on draft plans, demands, and strategies.
- Point out risks or unintended consequences that might otherwise be missed.
Why they matter (and how they fit)
Experts are important, but they are not in charge of the agenda here. America’s Plan is built so experts support affected parties, rather than the other way around. Plans should be co‑designed, not handed down.
Support team and infrastructure contributors
Who they are
Support contributors help keep the overall system functioning: the website, forum, commons/wiki, outreach, editing, and the other pieces that make long‑term collaborative work possible.
What they do
- Maintain and improve the digital commons: pages, hubs, navigation, and documentation.
- Help organize research, definitions, and handbooks in the commons/wiki.
- Support communication and outreach so affected people can find the project and each other.
Why they matter
This work is often invisible but essential. A long‑term civic project needs infrastructure that is as reliable as possible, or the burden falls back onto a few individual volunteers in ways that are not sustainable.
How roles interact
In a healthy issue hub, these roles support each other:
- Affected parties bring in lived experience and help define priorities.
- Facilitators help organize that experience into shared understanding and plans.
- Experts help test and refine plans without taking over.
- Support contributors keep the tools, pages, and commons material in good enough shape that the rest of the work can continue.
None of these roles are fixed jobs. People may move between them over time as their situation, skills, and available time change.
Choosing a role
If you are wondering where to start, a simple rule of thumb is:
- If you are directly affected by an issue, start as an affected‑party contributor on that issue.
- If you like coordination and structure, consider stepping into a facilitator path once you understand an issue hub.
- If you bring specialized knowledge, consider acting as an expert advisor under affected‑party leadership.
- If you like building and maintaining systems, look at support and commons roles.
The Contribute and Contributors Wanted pages describe specific roles and current needs in more detail.
This article was researched and drafted with AI assistance under human review. See our full AI and editorial practices.