Learn About the Importance of Movement Support

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The Activist for Activists. Author of Make a Difference with Mental Health Activism and The Happy Activist: Journey the 5-Step Activism Path to Focus Your Passion and Change the World. Teacher, Psychologist, Environmental Activist, Animal Lover.

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Why You Should Consider Movement Support

In the same way that leaders can help others use their strengths, those in movement support can take care of tasks for others. Supporting others in the movement can multiply the impact of the activism community.

Movement support means using your strengths to provide support for activists on the front line. While you may not be the one making change, you are vital to allowing others to concentrate their skills to make a difference.

Greenpeace created a movement support hub to support those activists, organizations, and communities working on mitigating climate change.

“Our history as a campaigning and activist organization means we can provide trainings on nonviolent direct action, campaigning, and organizing. Our online team can coach people on social media best practices, and our research team can advise on opposition research techniques. And we are committed to building capacity by lending staff time and promoting stories through our online and social media assets. Were even stepping into the funding space, providing mini grants to cash-strapped grassroots organizers.”

Types of Movement Support

Volunteer Care

This work supports most activism efforts. Caring includes feeding volunteers and giving comfort. Then they don’t have to worry about other areas of their life while they are helping your cause. In a more profound sense, the breaking of bread together is an opportunity for community engagement. Small support gestures such as giving water on a sweltering day, making sure medical and support transportation are available, and just reminding another to “take ten” are meaningful.

Fundraising

Fundraising is essential work in activism. The ability to develop community connections pays off in financial support for your organization, of course, but a great fundraiser uses those connections to build other forms of assistance. They understand a donor seeks a mutually dependent relationship and is likely to contribute if they find it. Your organization will value these types of fundraising skills and connections.

Administrative Work

This work supports most activism efforts. Think about all the tasks required for an activism event, such as holding a forum for your cause. This is not the sexiest of activism jobs. But the event would not happen without someone creating and duplicating educational materials, researching and scheduling space, arranging for food, setting up the microphone, and a multitude of tiny details that, done right, increase the odds of affecting your cause.

[Read about the importance of leaders in What Is the Biggest Need in Activism?: Administrative Work]

The Impact of Movement Support

Your skills in management, cooking, childcare, or research are valuable to activism organizations. By providing this support, you allow activists to focus on making change.

The website 80,000 hours is about using your career for the betterment of society.

“You have 80,000 hours in your career. How can you best use them to help solve the world’s most pressing problems?”

If you have wondered about whether your job is fulfilling, browse 80,000 hours. It is fascinating. If you have a lucrative career, their recommendation may be to stay in the position and donate your money to your cause. The funds may be more impactful than switching jobs.

However, if you browse their high-impact job board, you will see mostly movement support roles such as personal assistant, fundraiser, chief of staff, paralegal, and researcher.

The same is true for volunteer positions. If you are skilled in a movement support area, consider using that skill to make a difference in the world.

[Are you ready to mobilize, too?]