Mobilize: Starting a Grassroots Movement Starts with You

There are many issues facing us today and with the upcoming election, a lot of issues are going to be debated. Are you going to remain silent or are you going to stand for something your feel strongly about. To mobilize a grassroots effort, it only takes a few simple steps. If you see an injustice, find others who want to make changes, set goals, spread the word, and ask for help.  That’s all it takes!

RECRUIT

The best place to start is in organizations to which you belong already such as sororities/fraternities, social clubs, churches, and alumni associations.  Recruit several willing people who will commit to at least three to six months of dedicated action that will support a goal.  Encourage volunteers to share their personal experiences and personal connection to the movement. For instance, if a woman has felt the stings of unequal pay, she should share her testimony with the group.  This information will prove to be valuable when setting goals.

SET GOALS

Developing a primary goal is essential to invigorating your fledgling group.  To create buy-in, ask each recruit what he/she believes is a key issue. For example, for the Mike Brown incident, the goal may be to reduce police brutality and racial profiling in the African American community while building trust between the community and the police. Seems daunting, but if your group scales it to a local level while reaching out to similar groups via social media around the country, it can spread like wildfire.

POUND THE PAVEMENT

While social media is an extremely useful communication tool, it can also give an unrealistic assessment of support for an issue. Clicking “like” is extremely noncommittal when trying to broaden your base of active participants. Making contact through phone calls, door-to-door, and by sending personal emails to close friends will garner more committed supporters in the long run. Organizing community events and participating in established events are opportunities to bring a captive audience to you. It will be most appropriate to recruit and provide takeaways during these events. How many people have registered to vote just because an organization decided to set up a “Get Out the Vote” table?

ASK

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The appeal of using social media is that fact that the communication is free. Yet, there are free or inexpensive ways to print up materials to hand out to raise awareness. The more organized and goal-oriented a movement is, the more resources will be made available to them by others who support the cause. There are business owners within the organizations that you recruited from who may not be willing to attach their names or time to the cause, but will support by covering printing costs or provide in-kind service donations. You never know how effective a “Stop Bullying” campaign will be by just passing out cards that raise awareness.  Just ask!

REPEAT

Lastly, it is integral to remain courageous and focused.  You have the power and connections to recruit, set goals, get the word out, ask, and persevere for the cause.  As Mahatma Gandhi’s famous quote states, “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”

By the way...VOTE ON NOVEMBER 4TH!