Chapter 10: Fundraising for Advocacy and Social Change

Inequality, injustice, and marginalization have created conditions that galvanize dissenting voices. Social movements fight poverty, racism, violence, misogyny, climate security, gender identity, and other issues. Social movements require time, talent, and money to further their positive vision. Fundraising for advocacy and social change have helped establish important institutions essential for social movements of all kinds. 

The chapter opens with discussion of fundraising and advocacy during the Covid-19 pandemic and the social justice movement of the early 2020s. The remainder of the chapter is dedicated to two case studies–Muslim-Americans and domestic violence—to illustrate the role of fundraising within the context of social change. Engaging Muslim Americans and domestic violence survivors and activists through their own unique histories provides important lessons for raising funds for social change and advocacy. Both case studies illustrate the central role that fundraising plays in the development of nonprofit organizations and the larger social movements they support. Centering fundraising approaches on the priorities of affected people and communities, leveraging the social capital from the volunteers who drive these movements, and constantly engaging with the diverse narratives that come from these movements are critical to success.