You Can’t Liberate People if You’re Running on Fumes
Reflections on structure, boundaries, capacity, leadership, and grace
Organizing is sacred. It is about growing power together and imagining something more whole for our communities.
But it can also test your limits.
Whether you are just getting started or you have been in the work for years, here are some grounding lessons I keep returning to.
These are reminders that organizing can be liberatory and sustainable when we approach it with care.
Structure is not the enemy of liberation
There is a common belief in organizing spaces that being flexible and responsive means not needing structure. But the truth is, structure is what gives your work shape. It helps people trust you.
It keeps your ideas from fizzling out.
Think about the way Ella Baker supported the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.
She knew that giving young organizers structure to hold their meetings, make decisions, and grow their base would allow them to organize with clarity and power. That structure did not restrict their creativity. It freed them to act.
Try using things like calendars, group agreements, role clarity, and timelines.
These are not bureaucratic burdens. They are containers that help your vision become real.
Watch: Community Organizing Principles and Strategy from NLIHC
Listen: Listen Organize Act podcast episode with Keisha Krumm and Mike Gecan
Do not let your purpose separate you from your humanity
You do not need to be a perfect organizer to be a good one. There is a pattern in movement spaces where people feel like they cannot make mistakes. We burn ourselves out trying to do it all with no rest and no space for reflection. That kind of pressure is not sustainable.
Charlene Carruthers, former national director of BYP100, shares how she had to learn that not every fire is hers to put out. In her book Unapologetic, she talks about the pressure to do everything and be everything and how that mindset made it harder to ask for help. But being honest about your limits builds stronger teams and builds more trust.
You are a whole person. You are allowed to learn. You are allowed to ask for support.
Listen: Finding Our Way podcast by Prentis Hemphill
It is okay to take your time
When you are doing work that is powerful, people will notice. They will ask you to speak, collaborate, attend meetings, or co-lead events. This can feel like a blessing, and sometimes it is. But it can also be a lot.
You are allowed to say, “Let me think on that,” or “I will get back to you.” You do not need to have an answer on the spot. You do not owe immediate access to everyone. Thoughtfulness and pause are part of the work too.
Relational organizing models actually depend on this kind of pacing. They ask you to have real conversations, reflect, and move with intention. You do not have to be fast to be impactful.
Read: Intro to One-on-One Organizing Conversations
Only commit to what you can truly carry
This one is hard. When you care deeply, it is easy to say yes to everything. But if you say yes to too much, your quality of work might suffer. You might drop the ball. You might start to feel resentment or exhaustion. That does not serve you or your community.
Before you say yes, ask yourself: Do I really have the capacity for this? Am I saying yes out of guilt or obligation? What would it feel like to say no with care?
If you do take something on, try to carry it with intention. And if it is no longer a fit, let it go. Saying no is not selfish. It is responsible.
Develop others as part of your organizing strategy
If you spend even five percent of your time mentoring, training, or empowering others to lead, you are building something that lasts. Movements grow because people grow.
This can be as simple as inviting someone to co-facilitate a meeting, sharing a grant writing opportunity, or letting someone shadow you on a campaign. Give people real opportunities to step into leadership. Create systems where others can thrive without depending on you.
Fred Ross, mentor to Cesar Chavez, was known for saying “A good organizer is one who organizes themselves out of a job.” That does not mean leaving. It means building strong teams and not hoarding power.
Read: How to Understand the Role of a Community Organizer - WORC
Hold space for forgiveness and grace
You are going to mess up. Everyone does. You might overbook yourself, forget to follow up, or struggle with a relationship in the work. That is part of being human. What matters is how you respond.
Offer yourself grace. Offer it to others too. Accountability is real, and so is repair. Mistakes are not the end of the road. They are part of the learning. A culture of perfectionism will keep us isolated. A culture of honesty and care will keep us moving.
A practice I love from Prentis Hemphill’s work is to ask: “What does repair look like here?” not “How do I prove I am good?” Forgiveness does not erase harm. But it can help us move through it.
Listen: Finding Our Way podcast
Final thoughts
Community organizing is not just about fighting for justice. It is also about practicing care. These lessons are not rules. They are reminders. You do not have to be all things to all people. You just have to stay in alignment with your values, your people, and your capacity.
If any of these lessons hit home, I invite you to share this with a fellow organizer, or journal about what boundaries or intentions you want to carry into your next season.
And if you need to hear this today: You are doing enough. You are enough.
Let me know if you'd like this made into a downloadable PDF or zine. I can also create a worksheet to go along with it if you want to turn this into a reflection tool or training resource.
Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.
Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.
CSO Voter registration drive, 1958
Examples in practice
In East Los Angeles, Fred Ross built voter‑registration campaigns and citizenship classes with deep neighborhood trust and house‑meeting infrastructure, meeting rhythms that built durable base and leadership
Charlene Carruthers describes how giving and receiving honest feedback allowed her to understand where to channel energy, when to step back, and how to build compassionate strategic leadership Teen Vogue.
Podcasts & Videos you may find inspiring
Here are resources that dig into themes of boundaries, leadership development, healing, and sustainable organizing:
Podcasts
Listen, Organize, Act! S1 E1: “What Is Community Organizing and Why Is It Needed?” features veteran organizers Keisha Krumm and Mike Gecan, who explain relational, capacity‑aware, grassroots organizing as a democratic practice built slowly through trust and systems. A great fundamental listen youtube.com+1.
Finding Our Way, hosted by Prentis Hemphill, explores how healing, vulnerability, trauma, and boundaries fit into powerful social justice work. Highly recommended for reflections on self‑care and collective care in organizing Them.
Unlocking Us with Brené Brown is not strictly organizing‑focused but explores humility, vulnerability, imperfection, and purpose in leadership and community contexts—valuable grounding for organizers
Videos
This video clearly lays out what community organizing is and means—defining power, organizing methods, and essential tools. Great refresher or training tool.
Also check out:
When Work Takes Over Your Life (WorkLife with Adam Grant)—excellent on setting boundaries with purpose and preventing burnout youtube.com+1youtube.com
