What are the key bottlenecks of social movement organisations?

Why this matters

Philanthropic funding for social movement organisations is growing, but funders often lack basic information about where the real constraints lie. This survey provides a rare ground-level picture of what SMOs are actually short of - and the answers challenge some common assumptions. Money matters, but it is far from the only or even primary bottleneck.

What we found

The median organisational budget across surveyed groups was around $250,000, with average salaries of just $24,000 - well below comparable NGO roles. The biggest reported limiting factor was not funding but a shortage of qualified, committed unpaid volunteers, followed by low public awareness of their issues and difficulties with internal culture and conflict. Fundraising was the hardest role to hire for, followed by legal and finance. Almost all organisations said they could spend additional money more cost-effectively than their current budget allows - primarily on recruitment and communications - but the single largest donor accounted for 80% of funding at the median organisation, creating acute vulnerability. Nearly three-quarters said they would like to diversify their funding base but did not know how.

What it means for funders and organisations

For funders, the clearest opportunities are to diversify the funding landscape by publishing which activities they will support, offering open grant applications, and investing in shared movement infrastructure - particularly training in campaign design, volunteer mobilisation, and fundraising. For organisations themselves, the report recommends building conflict resolution processes early, investing in skilled fundraisers as force multipliers, streamlining volunteer integration, and moving towards healthier working conditions and pay levels to reduce the burnout that drives experienced activists out of movements. The findings make a strong case that movement infrastructure support - the unglamorous operational backbone that funders rarely want to pay for - may be among the highest-leverage investments available.