OrTheBullet [any]

I dug into this. I'm getting the feeling that there was significant internal debate over authoritarian vs. libertarian. That debate couldn't be resolved, shouldn't be resolved. The rules were codified in such a manner they appear to be fighting with one another.

The good news is, it definitely seems I can do what I wish to do.

I think you've got it backwards. The larger the chapter, the larger the proportion of dues they retain. You're doing what everyone else does: Trying to convince me the distribution of dues is justified. You've done better than anyone else by providing a financial report and budget. But, that's not what I asked for. I want to know if I can make a donation to my local chapter that nationals may SEE, but not TOUCH. The required dues are negligible compared to what I have to possibly donate. I wish to be able to support nationals and my local chapter in whatever proportions I wish, not the proportions someone else wishes. If I could, I'd like to be able to earmark part of what I give for certain initiatives. Basically, I can rationalize giving more if I have some reasonable influence over what happens, afterwards.

Regardless of if you know the answer, am I making sense, at least?

There's no benefit of the doubt I can find to give.

It seems like none of my dues would go to my local chapter if I join the DSA using a annual payment. Even if I use a monthly payment, which is significantly more expensive, only a small portion of those dues are sent to my local chapter. And, the larger the chapter, seemingly the higher the proportion of dues are allocated to the chapter, which seems totally counterintuitive.

I can tolerate the... authoritarianism in this facet, so long as I can also speak with my dollar. For instance, I'll pay an annual membership, then donate ten times that amount to my local chapter. But, if I were designing this system with the goals that seem inherent in it, I'd have thought of this.

Every time I bring this up to a DSA member (online) they feed me absolute bullshit. I'm not talking about how they believe it should work. It's my voice. I wish to speak with my dollar. I'd like guidance.

Because the situation has been getting worse and worse, younger and younger people are forced to admit the reality of the world. You say your group lacks experience. That's true. Part of that is lacking the experience to understand what a like-minded, motivated group of teenagers can do in a short period of time. Even if your group decides to sit and talk, to understand one another better, that's valuable.

I was given this advice several years ago. I didn't heed it. I paid for that choice: time, money, especially sanity.

Adding to it: In addition to choosing the "right" org for self, right now, and communicating boundaries, also communicate your expectations and why they're important to you.

It's breaking my heart to see Foo Fighters headlining the last day.

I don't actually know how they've organized things this year. But, the "huge" music festivals I've attended usually have more than one stage. The biggest, like this one, may have four stages. Typically, two or three of them have a band playing at any given time. When one artist isn't your thing, another stage probably has an artist you'd find more appealing.