Mobilizing ≠ Organizing

June 30th, 2018

Mobilizing isn’t the same as organizing. From  Marshall Ganz:

“I want to make a distinction here between mobilizing and organizing. Mobilizing is getting people to sign the petition, show up at that rally, or click the mouse. Often that’s a tactic involved in the process of organizing change.

But organizing is the part where people come together to decide, ‘Do we want to do that?’ ‘Why do we want to take this on?’ It’s the development of the infrastructure of relationships, leadership, and capacity to make decisions about what kinds of tactics to use.”

I’ve come to appreciate precise language. Clear definitions communicate clear ideas which enable us to pursue shared goals.