Aspiration and Activisim: Armies of Online Leaders

Chapter 9 in CauseWired presented a very important notion about online philanthropy. On pages 170-172, Watson introduces several points that are important in the CauseWired movement.

1. Online Organizing requires a hierarchy.
2. Moving from online to in-person cements the cause.
3. Small but well-connected can be more effective than huge and widely disbursed.

These rules (so to speak) made me think about and evaluate the non-profit that I sponsor, International Justice Mission (IJM). Organizations like IJM, have a lot of professional work to do (lawyers, social workers, doctors, teachers, etc.) but also need to advocate online activism. Their organization has a hierarchy of leadership and runs pretty much like any other small company. They have a C.E.O., V.P., managers, secretaries, case workers, public relations, among many others. The fact that people can Google "IJM" and be taken to their site and offered an opportunity to free a child from slavery speaks volumes. Once the cause is transferred from online to "in-person," the supporter feels like they are a part of the organization and are involved in the rescue mission of enslaved people. They are small but well-connected and are expanding slowly. I think that "change" starts small and builds as the work leaks out and people become aware of the situation that is at hand. A small group of people that have easy access to one another can rally together and be strategic and more effective in fighting for their cause (in IJM's case it would be raising awareness of this injustice as well as gaining supporters financially).