How The Historic Hands Off Rallies Could Be a Turning Point

How the Historic Hands Off Rallies Could Be a Turning Point for Power Building

The Hands Off rallies on April 5 sparked a decisive shift in American civic engagement and power building.

From coast to coast—and across the globe—over 3 million people united in one of the most significant decentralized protest movements in U.S. history. With more than 1,300 coordinated events, every U.S. state and major international city had a presence.

From massive demonstrations in Washington, D.C., and New York City to grassroots gatherings in Tupelo, Mississippi, and small towns in North Carolina where turnout exceeded the local population, the message was clear: people are rising.

But the #HandsOff movement wasn’t just a one-day protest—it signaled the rise of digitally organized, people-powered action that can reshape how we build power for a better world.

Behind Every Powerful Protest Is an Organizing Engine

Behind the scenes, organizations like Indivisible, MoveOn, Working Families Party, 50501, Sunrise Movement, Planned Parenthood, Greenpeace, and major labor unions coordinated a massive, networked campaign effort.
At New/Mode, we’re honored to support many of the partners behind this historic event. 

Whether you were involved or not, any activist or campaigner can learn from what made it work.

Rallies like these don’t happen accidentally—they’re planned, amplified, and sustained using powerful tools and long-term relationship building.

Many of the groups involved were able to leverage vibrant communities (not just ‘lists’) that they have built up over many months, if not years.  For example, Color of Change recently mobilized against budget cuts using New/Mode, and then channeled this community to the HandsOff rallies. 

We’ve long recommended (and social science backs it) the practice of building powerful relationships with supporters through long term multi-tactic advocacy campaigning. 

What does this pre-event community-building work look like?

📢 Targeted multi-tactic advocacy actions: From contacting lawmakers to sending letters to editors.

What Matters Most Is What Comes Next

More rallies are already in the works – but keeping people engaged between events is key to building lasting power. 

Sustained engagement can create a virtuous ‘cycle of power building’: actions build and deepen relationship, fueling the next wave of events.

Here’s what that can look like:

(Note: this is just a model. Tactics will vary. For example, a well-timed donation ask ahead of Step 3 can work well. Or an entirely new type of action after Step 4 might be ideal.)

It’s great to see groups like Beyond The Ballot and the Workers Center for Racial Justice are hosting follow up actions on New/Mode’s platform.

Where Do We Go From Here?

This isn't a one-time outcry. It’s the launchpad for a new era of mass civic engagement.

In the past, many of the tactics we’ve highlighted were only accessible to well-resourced organizations.

Today, we’re helping change that.

At New/Mode you can now access sophisticated tactics like Click to Call campaigns on all subscription tiers (including our free plan) and there are no rate limits on campaigns or communication with supporters.

Please reach out if we can help you:

• Build your advocacy base
• Launch campaigns in minutes
• Reach decision-makers directly
• Keep your supporters active and engaged

Ready to mobilize your movement? Let’s make the next one even bigger—together.