chapotraphouse

A lot of people are going to “support” your initiative in the way that people “support” football teams. And unfortunately the only thing that differentiates them from the people looking to organize with you is the follow through. They feel very similar right up until you make an ask that seems small to you and apparently it’s too big for them. I don’t blame people for this. There’s lots of of complex reasons why someone might not want to sign on and dive straight into concrete action. If you can gain momentum with the people who are responsive, people will come around and you’ll grow. For me personally, the concept of being sent a spreadsheet to make time commitments to make or deliver food for me gives me an anxious sense of, “oh shit that’s going to cost me time I don’t have”. I can work through that and do it anyway. But that’s the sort of quasi-rational thing you’re up against. It’s also a matter of relationship building. Some of these people might need to get to know you better or see some of their friends participate first.