In Robert D. Putnam's Bowling Alone, he talks about how several independent studies have elucidated that in modern times, civil engagement is at an all-time high when one considers the average number of civil group memberships per American (It's greater than one!), however the average number of Americans holding leadership positions within a civil group has plummeted. We also attend far fewer in-person events.

The reality is clear. Civil leadership has been consolidated into the ranks of middle management and ad executives. Modern civil activism is pay-by-mail, one-newsletter-at-a-time, simply install and forget.

If you find yourself frustrated with the leadership of the civil groups you maintain, consider splintering you and those in your groups who trust you into a new civil group which focuses on a local level: Local canvasing could be far more effective than distributing online propaganda.