RESOURCE MOBILIZATION

BY AGNES NTHENDA
Understanding resource
mobilization
• resource mobilization may be defined as:
• a management process that involves identifying
people who share the same values as your
organization, and taking steps to manage that
relationship.
• Looking closely at this definition, one can see
that resource mobilization is actually a process
that involves three integrated concepts: which
are the elements of resource mobilization
Elements of Resource Mobilization

Relationship
Building

Communicating and
prospecting

Organizational
management and
development
• The key concepts and elements are are:
organizational management and
development, communicating and
prospecting, and relationship building. Each
concept is guided by a number of principles.
 Organizational Management and
Development
• Organizational management and development involves
establishing and strengthening organizations for the resource
mobilization process.
• It involves identifying the organization’s vision, mission, and
goals, and putting in place internal systems and processes that
enable the resource mobilization efforts, such as: identifying
the roles of board and staff; effectively and efficiently managing
human, material, and financial resources; creating and
implementing a strategic plan that addresses the proper
stewardship and use of existing funds on the one hand, and
identifies and seeks out diversified sources of future funding on
the other.
• This concept covers the following principles:
• 1. Resource mobilization is just a means to the end, th end being the
fulfillment of the organization’s vision
• 2. Resource mobilization is a team effort, and involves the
institution’s commitment to resource mobilization; acceptance for
the need to raise resources; and institutionalizing resource
mobilization priorities, policies and budget allocation
• 3. The responsibility for the resource mobilization effort is shared by
the board, the president or the executive director, and the resource
mobilization unit
• 4. An organization needs money in order to raise money
• 5. There are no quick fixes in resource mobilization
 Communicating and Prospecting
• Once an organization has achieved a certain readiness for
resource mobilization, it must then take on another
challenge: ensuring its longterm sustainability by acquiring
new donors and maintaining a sizeable constituency base.
• The art of resource mobilization entails learning how to
connect with prospective donors in a manner and language
they understand, and finding common ground through
shared values and interests.
• It also entails discerning the right prospect to approach,
and matching the appropriate resource mobilization
strategy to the prospect.
• This concept is governed by two principles:
• 1. Resource mobilization is really FRIEND
raising. Financial support comes as a result of a
relationship, and not as the goal in and of itself.
• 2. People don’t give money to causes, they give
to PEOPLE with causes. People give to
organizations to which they have personal
affiliation, in some shape or form.
 Relationship Building
• And thus the courtship begins: once you identify your donors, the
objective then is to get closer to them, get to know them better, very
much the same way as developing a casual acquaintance into a trusted
friend and confidante.
• As the relationship deepens, this increases the chance of donors giving
higher levels of support over time, intensifying commitment and
enlarging investment. As cultivation techniques become more targeted
and personal, a donor may become more involved in the organization.
• Initiating new relationships, nurturing existing ones, and building an
ever expanding network of committed partners is an ongoing activity,
embedded as a core function of the organization. This requires the
dedication of board members, staff and volunteers, and in order to
build enduring relationships,
• the following principles should be
remembered:
• 1. Donor cultivation means bringing the
prospect to a closer relationship with the
organization, increasing interest and
involvement
• 2. Start at the bottom of the resource
mobilization pyramid to get to the top
 The Resource Mobilization Pyramid
and the 80–20 Rule
• The resource mobilization pyramid is a graphic depiction of
the proportion of an organization’s supporters vis-a-vis
their level of involvement in its activities:
• Major Donors make up only 10% of an organization’s
support base, but contribute 70% of total donations
received.
• Repeat Donors make up 20% of an organization’s support
base, and contribute 20% of total donations received.
• First-time Donors make up 70% of an organization’s
support base, but contribute only 10% of total donations
received.
• Insert pyramid
 What Donors Look for
• It would seem then that advocating for a good
cause is not enough to attract local funding
but there are characteristics that and
Organization needs to have to attract donors:
legitimacy, transparency, and accountability.
 Legitimacy

• Different countries have different terms and requirements for

recognizing the legal existence of organizations. But however
diverse these requirements are across the region, each state still
exercises a degree of control over the incorporation of non-profit
organizations.
• Only those that have been established according to their
country’s civil laws and traditions are considered to be legitimate.
Such organizations are more likely to gain donor support because
they have achieved some level of compliance with government
standards, and are less likely to be suspected of being fronts for
underground political movements or “fly-by-night” operations.
 Transparency

• This refers to open communication with internal and external

stakeholders regarding an organization’s financial and
management health, and is a characteristic of organizations
that disclose information ab0ut their programs, activities, and
even financial transactions and investments to stakeholders and
anyone who wishes to know more about the organization.
• It is a criterion that is highly regarded by prospective donors
and partners, as transparency assures them of an organization’s
trustworthiness and commitment to its constituents.
 Accountability

• This refers to an organization’s ability to stand up for its mission, and to be

guided by sound management and financial principles. An accountable
organization is one that responsibly services its community, properly
manages its resources, and is able to report back to donors regarding the
use of donated funds.
• Such organizations are also likely to gain public support, as quite a number
of donors now expect to be updated on how their funds have been used by
their beneficiary organizations. Moreover, it is not uncommon for donors
to request visits to project sites to be sure that their monies are being used
in the best way possible. If there is only one message to take home from
this chapter it is this: In building a base of donors, the focus is less on
resource mobilization, more on friend raising. The funds come as a by-
product of the relationship, and not so much as an end in itself.
Social movements
 Theoretical perspectives
on social movements

Serious theories of social movements are

based on general approaches to the
principles of society's development.
 Chosen perspectives:

• Collective behavior
• Mass society approach
• Deprivation Theory
• Resorce mobilization
• Political process
• New social movements
 Deprivation Theory
Deprivation Theory argues that social movements
have their foundations among people who feel
deprived of some good(s) or resource(s). According
to this approach, individuals who are lacking some
good, service, or comfort are more likely to
organize a social movement to improve (or defend)
their conditions. It adds to the collective behaviour
approach that a social movement is a `mild'
(aborted, weak, undeveloped) form of
revolutionary outbreak or an aspect of revolution.
 Three assumptions

• These are not homogeneous currents

• A lot of concepts and insights have been
borrowed from several theoretical persepctives
• There have been a lot of transformations which
have taken place over time in the course of the
intelectual development of individual scholars
 There are two significant problems with this theory.
First, since most people feel deprived at one level or
another almost all the time, the theory has a hard
time explaining why the groups that form social
movements do when other people are also
deprived.
Second, the reasoning behind this theory is circular -
often the only evidence for deprivation is the
social movement. If deprivation is claimed to be
the cause but the only evidence for such is the
movement, the reasoning is circular.
 Collective Behaviour Theory
(Structural-Strain Theory)

The supporters of this approach consider

social movements as semi-rational responses
to abnormal conditions of structural strain
between the maior societal institutions; that
strain causes malfunctioning of the whole
social system.
Theory proposes six factors that encourage
social movement development (N. Smelser):
• structural conduciveness - people come to
believe their society has problems
• structural strain - people experience
deprivation
• growth and spread of a solution - a solution to
the problems people are experiencing is
proposed and spreads
precipitating factors - discontent usually
requires a catalyst (often a specific event) to
turn it into a social movement
lack of social control - the entity that is to be
changed must be at least somewhat open to
the change; if the social movement is quickly
and powerfully repressed, it may never
materialize
mobilization - this is the actual organizing and
active component of the movement; people do
what needs to be done.
It stresses the structural function of society and
ignores its developing function. The normal state
of society, according to Smelser, is the state
where civil society completely correlates to social
order. In practice, Smelser considers the situation
when civil society does not develop. That is why
the proponents of the `collective behaviour'
approach assess the situation of society's
development as abnormal. That is why the
`collective behavior' approach considers social
movements irrational and psychopathological.
Mass Society Approach and Deprivation Theory

Mass society perspective and deprivation theory

are close to the approach of collective
behaviour but there are some differences.
 Mass-Society Theory
Mass-Society Theory argues that social
movements are made up of individuals in
large societies who feel insignificant or socially
detached. Social movements, according to this
theory, provide a sense of empowerment and
belonging that the movement members would
otherwise not have.
Very little support has been found for this
theory now.
According to this position, the normal or
healthy society is characterised by strong class
and group solidarities, which play the
controlling function and prevent the
manipulation of the people. But when this class
or group solidarity becomes weak under the
conditions of industrialisation and urbanisation,
the processes of `massification' (`anomie',
`atomisation', `rootlessness') begin. These
uprooted and atomised masses become
vulnerable to direct mobilising appeals by
powerful elites and charismatic leaders
 Resource-Mobilization Theory
Resource-Mobilization Theory emphasizes the
importance of resources in social movement
development and success. Resources are understood
here to include: knowledge, money, media, labor,
solidarity, legitimacy, and internal and external
support from power elite. The theory argues that
social movements develop when individuals with
grievances are able to mobilize sufficient resources
to take action. The emphasis on resources offers an
explanation why some discontented/deprived
individuals are able to organize while others are not.
Some of the assumptions of the theory
include:

there will always be grounds for protest in
modern, politically pluralistic societies
because there is constant discontent (i.e.,
grievances or deprivation); this de-
emphasizes the importance of these factors
as it makes them ubiquitous

actors are rational; they weigh the costs and
benefits from movement participation
• members are recruited through networks;
commitment is maintained by building a
collective identity and continuing to nurture
interpersonal relationships
• movement organization is contingent upon
the aggregation of resources
• social movement organizations require
resources and continuity of leadership
• social movement entrepreneurs and protest
organizations are the catalysts which
transform collective discontent into social
movements; social movement organizations
form the backbone of social movements
the form of the resources shapes the activities
of the movement (e.g., access to a TV station
will result in the extensive use TV media)
movements develop in contingent
opportunity structures that influence their
efforts to mobilize; as each movement's
response to the opportunity structures
depends on the movement's organization and
resources, there is no clear pattern of
movement development nor are specific
movement techniques or universal methods.
• Resource mobilization theory is one means
sociologists use to explain the characters and
outcomes of social movements.
Understanding the principles, applications,
and strengths and weaknesses of resource
mobilization theory is vital background for all
those interested in the sociology of social
movements.
The Basics of Resource Mobilization Theory

• The resource mobilization theory of social

movements holds that a social movement
arises from long-term changes in a group’s
organization, available resources, and
opportunities for group action. It emphasizes
the importance of resources in social
movement development and success.
• Resource mobilization theory has five main
principles (Jenkins, 1983):
• 1. The actions of social movement’s members and participants are
rational.
• 2. A social movement’s actions are strongly influenced by
institutionalized power imbalances and conflicts of interest.
• 3. These power imbalances and conflicts of interest are sufficient to
generate grievances that lead to the mobilization of social movement’s
intent on changing the distribution of resources and organization.
• 4. Centralized and formally structured social movements more
effectively mobilize resources and achieve goals of change than
decentralized and informal social movements.
• 5. The success of social movements is heavily influenced by group
strategy and the political climate.
• The resource mobilization theory of social movements
examines structural factors, including a group’s available
resources and the position of group members in socio-
political networks, to analyze the character and success of
social movements.
• According to resource mobilization theory, participation in
social movements is a rational behavior, based on an
individual’s conclusions about the costs and benefits of
participation, rather than one born of a psychological
predisposition to marginality and discontent
(Klandermans, 1984).
• Resource mobilization theory argues that social movements
succeed through the effective myobilization of resources and
the development of political opportunities for members.
Social movements can mobilize both material and non-
material resources.
• Material resources include money, organizations, manpower,
technology, means of communication, and mass media,
• while non-material resources include legitimacy, loyalty,
social relationships, networks, personal connections, public
attention, authority, moral commitment, and solidarity
(Fuchs, 2006).
• Resource mobilization theory holds that social movement organizations with
powerless or resource-poor beneficiaries require outside support and funding.
• There are two types of members belonging to social movement organizations:
conscience constituents and beneficiary constituents. Social movements often
seek out and receive resources from conscience constituents.
• Conscience constituents refer to individuals or groups outside of the social
movement who have a moral alliance with the social movement’s cause, goal,
or mission. The social movement and the mass media are responsible for
framing the social movement’s message and character.
• Resource mobilization theorists have found that conscience constituents tend
to contribute more when beneficiaries are framed, by the social movement
itself or mass media, to emphasize commonalities with conscience
constituents (Paulsen & Glumm, 1995).
• Ultimately, the resource mobilization theory of
social movements helps to explain the
formation of social movements, the process of
social mobilization, and the politics of social
movements. How?
 critics
• While resource mobilization theory dominated social
movement theory from the 1960s to the 1980s, critics have
begun to find fault with the theory’s narrow political and
economic focus. A number of issues pose a major
theoretical challenge to the dominance of resource
mobilization theory.
• Critics of this theory argue that there is too much of an
emphasize on resources, especially financial resources.
Some movements are effective without an influx of money
and are more dependent upon the movement members for
time and labor (e.g., the civil rights movement in the U.S.)
• That resource mobilization theory focuses almost exclusively on
centralized social movement organizations and ignores
decentralized social movement communities.
• Resource mobilization theory discounts the importance of a
collective identity in the actions, characters, and outcomes of
social movements, and it does not explain individuals’ motivation
to join and participate in social movements (Beuchler, 1993).
• In effect, resource mobilization theory’s focus on large-scale
analyses can undervalue the micro- level processes of individual
motivation, personality transformation, and cultural change
(Jenkins, 1983).
• Further, resource mobilization theory limits the category
of social movements to institutional change movement’s
intent on transforming the social structure or distribution
of power and resources in society, claiming thatall social
movements are an extension of institutional actions. As a
result, it ignores personal change movements, such as
cults, communes, and religious sects, which the theory
considers to rely on social interactions and charismatic
leadership for defining goals rather than institutional
structures. By so narrowly defining social movements,
though, the theory can limit its applications.
Critics of this theory argue that there is too
much of an emphasize on resources,
especially financial resources. Some
movements are effective without an influx of
money and are more dependent upon the
movement members for time and labor (e.g.,
the civil rights movement in the U.S.).
 Political Process Theory
Political Process Theory is similar to resource
mobilization in many regards, but tends to
emphasize a different component of social
structure that is important for social movement
development: political opportunities. Political
process theory argues that there are three vital
components for movement formation:
insurgent consciousness, organizational
strength, and political opportunities.
The idea is that certain members of society feel
like they are being mistreated or that somehow
the system is unjust. The insurgent consciousness
is the collective sense of injustice that movement
members (or potential movement members) feel
and serves as the motivation for movement
organization.
Organizational strength falls inline with resource-
mobilization theory, arguing that in order for a
social movement to organize it must have strong
leadership and sufficient resources.
• Political opportunity refers to the receptivity or
vulnerability of the existing political system to
challenge. This vulnerability can be the result of
any of the following (or a combination thereof):
• growth of political pluralism
• decline in effectiveness of repression
• elite disunity; the leading factions are internally
fragmented
• a broadening of access to institutional
participation in political processes
• support of organized opposition by elites
 Assignment question
• SADC social accountability fund is calling for
proposals to fund a project that is going to
account for public funds (social accountability)
• In light of this, design a proposal
• Including everything that is included in a
project proposal
• Due date: 25 September 2015