Building and Sustaining Mutual Aid Communities

This comprehensive course is designed for individuals, activists, organizers, and community members interested in understanding, participating in, or starting mutual aid networks. From learning the historical roots and core principles of mutual aid to building and sustaining your own group, this course offers practical guidance and real-world insights into grassroots organizing.

You’ll explore how mutual aid differs from charity, how to locate or start a group, ask for and distribute donations with dignity, recruit and retain volunteers, navigate legal and financial issues, and promote your efforts to maximize community impact. You’ll also gain tools for preventing burnout, resolving conflicts, and fostering long-term sustainability.

Whether you’re new to mutual aid or looking to deepen your organizing practice, this course empowers you to build a more just, caring, and connected world—one relationship at a time.

Topics include:

• History and ethics of mutual aid
• Starting a mutual aid group and overcoming early challenges
• Fundraising, outreach, and volunteer recruitment
• Legal, logistical, and sustainability considerations
• Community safety, accountability, and long-term movement building

Join us to learn, grow, and take action in solidarity with your community.