I think this will be helpful when we talk about being well-capitalized!
Really cool framework from Movement NetLab! (Source material here)
Image Description
Title: Juicy Concepts, The Two Economies.
Image: Two circles overlapping like a Venn diagram.
Left circle: Social Movement Economy. Transformational.
- Complex reciprocity
- “Gift economy”
- Cooperative
- Labor driven
- Inspiration & Meaning as currency
Right circle: For-/Non-profit Economy. Transactional.
- Market based
- Competitive
- Funding driven
- Paid staff
Arrow pointing from the Social Movement Economy to the For-/Non-profit Economy has text “extraction”
Arrow pointing between both the For-/Non-profit Economy and the Social Movement Economy has text “mutual aid”Question below the Venn diagram: How can the two economies support each other, without creating exploitative relationships between unequal partners.Text to the right: Two economies
Operating in parallel they can support each other or undermine each other.
Social movement networks tend to use the transformational economy, using a currency of “inspiration” and producing the immaterial yet all important product: “meaning.” Added labor becomes a benefit, not a cost. As a result, Social Movements end up having huge efficiencies like massive labor power that the paid economy couldn’t possibly afford.
Non profits can be hugely supportive providing skills, resources, space, platforms, staff time.
Just as often, they are extractive.