For the advanced founder: What happens to your beautiful structure when the fire starts?
What happens to your beautiful structure when the fire starts? You did the work. Roles are clear. Decisions are made bottom-up. People know what’s expected of them, and they step up without you asking. Well done. Most founders never get this far. But have you ever asked yourself what happens to all of that on […]
How to delegate when the mission feels too important to let go
How to delegate when the mission feels too important to let go I get this question a lot. How do you delegate? And I’ll be honest: I’m not always good at it. When something is new to me, I have the tendency to hold on more because I don’t yet trust myself to catch it […]
Seven things nobody told me before I became chair of a movement with 13,000 members
Seven things nobody told me before I became chair of a movement with 13,000 members I was 28 when I joined Volt. 31 when I became chair, in the middle of a crisis, with a lawsuit, angry members and national media. This is what I didn’t know back then. 1. You’re not equal to everyone […]
How do you involve people in decision-making so they feel heard and help shape the direction of your movement?
What makes a social movement sustainable beyond its first momentum.
Volunteers don’t send resignation letters
Volunteers don’t send resignation letters Your movement is probably losing people right now. You just won’t find out for another six months. In a company, someone who leaves at least hands in their notice. You get a letter. A date. An awkward goodbye cake. In a movement you get nothing. People stop replying in the […]
You’re busy. But is it working?
You’re busy. But is it working? Every movement I work with is active with events, campaigns, actions, projects. There’s never a shortage of things happening. But when I sit down with a director or a founding team and ask what has actually moved your mission forward this year, the room goes quiet. People look at […]
Beyond the first wave: what it actually takes to sustain a movement
Many social movements begin with energy, urgency, and strong motivation. But sustaining that momentum over time is often the real challenge. Why do some movements grow and evolve, while others slowly lose energy? Building a movement that lasts requires more than passion. It requires structure, shared leadership, and a shared understanding of purpose.
Scared of being the boss? That’s exactly why your hubs keep stalling.
Scared of being the boss? That’s exactly why your hubs keep stalling. There’s a sentence I hear in almost every movement, worded slightly differently each time. “We don’t want hierarchy. We want local hubs/chapters/teams to decide for themselves what works for them.” It sounds great. Democratic, bottom-up, trusting. And it’s exactly why so many local […]
The quiet tension between board and director
Not every movement has a board but many do. And when I work with those organisations, I see almost the same thing every time. Meetings run smoothly. Agendas get covered. Decisions get made. But something feels off and everyone senses it, but nobody says it out loud. Three patterns keep coming back. Pattern 1: The […]