GRASSROOTS ACTIVISM

When it comes to campaigning for a change, it can be difficult to create the momentum needed to make a difference. Grassroots activism is about mobilizing a group of people, who are passionate about a cause and harnessing the power of their conviction to push for a different outcome. This kind of movement relies on individuals who are willing to drive the change that they are concerned about from the ground-up.

This type of advocacy has many challenges. Organisations can struggle to collate support from diverse donor sources. The activists in question may be geographically distributed, or have skill gaps that are difficult to fill. Despite these challenges, campaigns are surprisingly effective.

Education is the backbone of any grassroots campaign as people cannot participate in something that they do not understand. It is important therefore to raise awareness of an issue and to communicate effectively why it is such a concern. A higher level of visibility garners more support, and information is power for followers who want to be able to advocate for themselves, increasing the collective impact of the group.

Being armed with quantitative data to support your campaign is crucial. Those in positions of influence want to know that you have done your homework, and have analyzed the impact of the cause you are campaigning for. However, statistics alone are not necessarily enough to drive a permanent change. Sharing a personal story about how you, or someone you care about, has been affected can really help bring those numbers to life. To move someone to action, we must capitalize on the human element, and connect through the heart as well as the head.

An advocacy campaign cannot progress without support. For most social movements, this involves fortification from the ground up, from a community of like-minded advocates. To create a successful campaign we must engage the masses, giving people a safe forum to become involved, and generating the debate that we hope will influence decision makers.

The power of the grassroots movement then lies simply in the will and passion of the people who represent it. Personally motivated, these people bring an unrestrained enthusiasm that can carry a motion through the challenges that typically accompany change.

In addition, access to digital communication channels, including social media, means that these groups can mobilize a huge number of their membership base at speed, in a way that was never imagined in the past. Campaigns can go viral, increasing the number of people involved, and forcing the powers-that-be to sit up and take notice.