ACTS, NOT JUST ACTIVISM
Real-World Strategies for Creating Community Change
"...acts create tangible change." - Mike
I just returned from facilitating a two-day board retreat for an inspiring climate justice organization working along Hood Canal—a stunning inlet in Washington's Puget Sound where this non-profit is tackling environmental challenges with remarkable creativity and grit.
What struck me most wasn't just their passion, but their practical wisdom. In two days of intense work, this group crystallized their hard-won lessons into five memorable clichés. But here's the thing about these clichés: they contain truth and advice for others working to cause positive change in their community. Let me unpack what I learned, one cliché at a time.
1. "Not Radical, But Healthy Opposition to the Status Quo"
In practice, this means doing things
like:
- Lead with solutions, not grievances
- Frame your work as improving systems, not destroying them
- Build bridges to decision-makers while maintaining your principles
- Ask "What's the next right step?" rather than "How do
we blow this up?"
Why it works:
Local change requires local relationships. You can challenge ineffective
policies while respecting the people implementing them. This isn't about
compromising your values—it's about recognizing that sustainable change happens
through persistence, not pyrotechnics.
2. "Provide Food and Hold a Raffle"
In practice, this means doing things
like:
- Always include food (even simple snacks signal hospitality)
- Create reasons for people to stay until the end (raffles, door
prizes)
- Design for conversation, not just information presentation
- Recognize that relationships built over social activities often
matter more than the agenda items
Why it works:
In rural communities especially, people are exhausted from work, travel
distances are significant, and free time is precious. When you honor the social
dimension of gathering, you're respecting people's investment of time. The
raffle? It's brilliant—people stay, they laugh, they connect. That's when the
real organizing happens.
3. "Acts, Not Just Activism"
The How-To:
This distinction is crucial for resource professionals and community organizers
alike. Activism can be performative; acts create tangible change.
In practice, this means doing things
like:
- Prioritize projects with visible, measurable outcomes
- Choose restoration over rhetoric
- Engage in monitoring to inform a resource management learning system
- Build demonstration sites that tell success stories without words
- Document successes in ways that inspire replication
Why it works:
When you plant native species along a degraded stream bank, install a rain
garden, or help a farmer implement regenerative practices, you create evidence.
Visible acts build credibility in your community. They show rather than tell.
In an era of deep skepticism about environmental work, a restored habitat
speaks louder than any petition.
4. "Raise the Baseline of Being Informed"
The How-To: Today, we're drowning in misinformation, even propaganda. Rather than
In practice, this means doing things
like:
- Host accessible educational events (think field trips, not lectures)
- Translate technical information into local context and “How to…”
advice
- Partner with trusted messengers (teachers, farmers, tribal leaders)
- Create simple reference materials people actually use
- Celebrate local expertise alongside scientific knowledge
Why it works:
When more people in your community understand basic ecological principles,
water cycles, or climate science, misinformation has less fertile ground.
You're not trying to convert skeptics in one conversation—you're gradually
raising the floor of collective understanding. It's patient work, but it
compounds.
5. "Good Enough for Now and Safe Enough to Try"
The How-To: This is perhaps the most liberating principle for small nonprofits
drowning in the perfection trap.
- Ask two questions before launching any initiative:
- Is this solution good enough to have a reasonable probability of success?
- Is it safe enough that failure won't cause significant harm?
- If yes to both, move forward
- If no to either, refine—but don't indefinitely delay
In practice, this means doing things
like:
The Bigger Picture
These five principles share common
DNA: they're all about doing more with less, building trust through action,
and maintaining momentum without burning out.
For natural resource professionals, researchers, and educators working in challenging political and economic landscapes, these aren't just nice ideas—they're survival strategies. The Hood Canal group isn't special because they have more resources or easier problems. They're special because they've figured out how to keep moving forward.
Your Turn
Which of these clichés resonates most with your work? Where are you getting
stuck in perfection rather than progress? What "acts, not just activism" could you initiate this month?
The beauty of wisdom wrapped in clichés is that it's portable. You can take these five principles into any community, any organization, any challenging situation—and they'll serve you well.
Resources
Want more practical strategies for
making collaboration work? Check out Mike's new book: The Fix-It Guide to Collaboration
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I offer free consultations on conflict, facilitation, difficult meetings, public involvement, online meetings, and collaboration in general. Schedule an opportunity to talk with me about your issue. I promise to not trap you into a marketing message. We will stick to problem-solving on your issue. Click for Appointment
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Michael Fraidenburg
Olympia, WA, USA.
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