Invisible Children: Creating missional communities

In this second installment of what's going on at Invisible Children, I think another secret to their catalytic movement is their ability to create tight communities working towards their mission.

Over and over, I have heard community mentioned by IC volunteers. That's not a normal experience with many non-profits and their volunteer base. There is usually affiliation, networks, general camaraderie among an organization's volunteers and staff, but at Invisible Children it is a particularly strong and compelling part of what drives people to get involved... and stay involved with increasing commitment and responsibility 

Here's a very amazing video articulating this through one young volunteer's story (their first volunteer, apparently!) Not only did Seth find community as he got involved with Invisible Children, but this process definitely shaped him and developed him into a leader. What a great volunteer experience! It wasn't a "Leadership Development Program" that he went through, or public speaking training, or any such program... but probably a mix of a community of people committed to a mission, and also committed to each other. A great mission can get people involved, but I think deep community keeps people coming back.

In my interview with Katie, I heard the same experience with community through IC echoed in her story. Katie went to the film screenings, bought a bracelet, told other people about IC. But it wasn't until her friend got back from being a "roadie" (a semester-long volunteer program where they take the films on tour) and told her about the experience that she decided to apply for it too. Then, after being a roadie, she has kept coming back for more.

There is something about developing community among volunteers that is key to a catalytic movement of people. I think radical empowerment of volunteers (like I talked about in the last post), and experiential opportunities for the community of volunteers (like the roadie program) really solidify a dynamic, missional community.

Maybe nothing embodies this more than the "Fourth Estate" conference that IC puts on. I love this idea. The Fourth Estate is a gathering of 650 of Invisible Children's most committed volunteers (biggest fundraisers, longest volunteers, etc.) They brought them to USD to get them up to speed on what IC is doing, inspire them with speakers, and collaborate on finding new ways to respond to the war in Uganda. They also had a lot of fun.

What a smart way to honor and empower their most committed volunteers, and create a deeper sense of community by bringing them all together to collaborate towards their mission? It also has a slight sense of exclusivity, or on the flipside, giving other volunteers something to aspire towards.

What do you guys think about the importance of community in a volunteer experience? How does an organization create it?