Growing and sustaining a movement

Event — a short time stamped activity that brings together a group of people around a subject.

Project — a long time stamped activity that brings together a group of people around a subject.

Network — a loose connection of people (Weak ties in social capital speak) usually big with infrequent communication.

Community — a strong connection of people (strong ties in social capital speak) usually smaller with more regular communication.

*Platform - a space, either physical or virtual, that serve as a meeting point/ holding place for events, projects, communities and networks (e.g. community centre or WhatsApp group)

For me, movement building is all about weaving these elements together into an ongoing dance. I always feel confused when we treat each in isolation. So when designing an event, ask how it will move forward projects, networks, and communities. When building communities, think about what networks, projects, and events can grow this community. When building a network, what are the key communities that will sustain this network? What are the events that will bring energy, grow the network, and give it identity? What are the projects that will give it meaning and purpose? And, importantly, how do we design platforms that can host and connect these various elements in a seamless, supportive way?

Events are where people meet and exchange ideas. They build and reinforce identity and foster common language and frames of thinking. Events can serve to help grow networks, establish and deepen communities, and inspire projects. They serve as an easy entry point for people into networks (growth) and help bust silos between communities. So, there is both the "ideas" layer to events and the "relationship" layer, both are important. Communities without events will fizzle and die—they bring a burst of energy into a community/network. But we can’t always be in events; we would never get anything done. Events are more about networks (though also important for communities). This is where platforms come into play. Platforms can house ongoing conversations, share information, and make events more sustainable by keeping the dialogue alive between meetings.

Projects give a community a sense of meaning and purpose. They are the things that keep people engaged and active. While events have scale but are short-lived (a flash), projects are smaller in scope but last longer and involve ongoing communication (a slow burn). Projects are more about communities—they deepen relationships. They still need to have an end date (why? Do they really? Isn't it more important that they have outputs? That's what really matters). These outputs are what give a community substance and value. Platforms can help track and support these outputs, providing a continuous space for feedback, collaboration, and the sharing of progress.

Networks are so important because they allow scale. A community without scale is limited in impact. Networks also allow for diversity—different communities having different experiences, shared across a network, reduces the chances of making the same mistakes and speeds up learning. But networks are too big and diverse to allow for ongoing collaboration at scale. Instead, they work best as flashpoints (events) to get scale of impact, and through ongoing knowledge sharing through periodic check-ins or message boards (e.g., Slack channels). Networks are what allow movements to have the scale and size to create broader impact. But networks often lack depth of relationship, and the weak ties can hurt sustained work. Platforms are where networks can find their connection points—providing a space for ongoing knowledge sharing, collaboration, and engagement beyond individual events.

Communities are where the action and life are. This is where the hard work gets done. Communities are the workhorses. Without them, movements fizzle. Systems change takes a generation or more. Communities are what sustain us through the long, hard work. Nothing is permanent. People can leave a community, but it’s important for them to find a new one to join. Otherwise, they will fall out of the movement—either through burnout or lack of connection and identity. The work of communities feeds the content of conferences, drives and completes projects, and sustains networks.

Platforms are the spaces where these communities can thrive, providing an environment for connection, collaboration, and information-sharing in ways that are scalable, sustainable, and flexible. Whether physical or virtual, platforms are the lifeblood that enables communities to stay engaged, visible, and connected, keeping the movement alive between events and projects.

A healthy, strong movement, therefore, needs all five components: events, projects, networks, communities, and platforms. For those of us doing movement-building work, it’s crucial to see each element as feeding into the other. Designing around this interconnectedness enhances the effectiveness of all of them, and ensures that the movement continues to evolve, grow, and sustain itself.

* I originally wrote this blog back in 2021. In the original version, I had not thought to include platforms. Since then I have realised how crucial platforms are to this work. It is this realisation that first brought me to Apolitical to help support the work of building platforms for the publci service transformation movement.