The movement does not have to be elitist or cliquish (Tim) by X.

Often left-wing groups, especially student groups, gain notoriety (deserved or not) for being insular and cliquish. Organizers must constantly keep aware of group dynamics and the effect this has on allies and potential members. Besides obvious problems such as sexism or hetero-normativity, in-group out-group behavior can also be very detrimental on retention: insularity can be easily and often unconsciously reinforced by usage of inside jokes, leftist jargon, etc.

Special effort should be made to make new people feel welcome in the group, and to solicit their participation as early as possible, thus giving them a stake in the movement. This can be done by something as simple as directing the person toward a particular project or committee. Even more elementary: if a new person shows up to a meeting, take time out to talk to this person before or after, and make sure that everyone else does too. This can be difficult if, say, you are at a meeting with a close friend you haven’t seen for a few weeks, or perhaps you see someone else you’d prefer to talk to. But we should always keep in mind that we are trying to create a movement which anticipates a better society, a society for all, not just a few.