The other day someone asked me, “Ok, so I know that you are a movement builder — but what do you do?”  It’s a good question, and one that takes a long time to answer.  It is complicated because, in many way, building a movement is similar to assembling a puzzle: there are lots of pieces, figuring out how they all go together can be tough, and if the pieces aren’t put together properly then the big picture won’t be clear.

The Puzzle Pieces

There are a variety of components to movement building, and so I’ve written a separate page for each category.  Their links are below, along with a short description for each.

Assessment

The start of any component of movement building is understanding where you are currently — including your resources, opportunities, and obstacles — and what the playing field around you looks like.

Strategic Planning

Once you know where you are, you will be able to set your sites on where you want to go.  Strategic planning is the ongoing process of figuring out how you will get from here to there.

Messaging and Positioning

Achieving your goals will require reaching out to others.  Your messaging and positioning will provide the substance of that outreach.

Marketing

Once you have clarified what your message is, the time has come to start spreading it.   Marketing involves developing and implementing your plan for outreach.

Press and Media

One tool in your marketing toolbox is media coverage.  Providing a consistent message through a diversity of press-worthy channels is the key to success.

Volunteer Management

The larger your movement becomes, the more effort will be required to keep its momentum going.  Volunteer management is the art of recruiting, developing, and retaining volunteers to help you with that task.

As you see on their individual pages, each of these categories encompasses a broad range of additional efforts.  Some may be more vital to the success of your movement than others, but all are important pieces in the movement building puzzle.