PL+US Learnings and insights for Social Change Movements
June 23, 2022
When PL+US was founded we named a bold north star: win paid leave by 2022 and then close our doors. We knew that by taking on this goal, we would need to take risks; some would pay off while others would fail. But win or lose, we committed to sharing what we learned along the way in service of the leaders, organizations, and movements that come after us. Here are 4 lessons that stand out:
1. Distinct theories of change can not only co-exist within a social change movement, they can strengthen it. A diversity of approaches to achieving an objective like federal paid leave derisks the movement, enables organizations and leaders to respond more rapidly to changing contexts, and broadens the base of power.
2. A single-issue time bound campaign can buck key constraints of traditional multi-issue institutions. An organization like PL+US could marry a sense of urgency with clarity of purpose, resulting in more nimble decision making and bolder risk taking. This enabled PL+US to seize on moments of opportunity like passing emergency paid leave in the COVID-19 pandemic when people needed it most and mobilizing a grassroots outcry that succeeded in the reinstatement of paid leave in the Build Back Better bill passed by the House.
3. Effective social change movements shouldn’t ignore the power of the private sector and corporate leaders in achieving public policy. Increasing access to paid leave through corporate policy change –i.e. PL+US campaigns to win paid leave at Walmart, Starbucks, CVS and more – helped increase the number of people experiencing the benefits of paid leave and built support among corporate leaders who then used their private sector perch for public advocacy. Movements too often think of public and private mobilization as unconnected lanes.
4. A values-based, more humane approach to a “campaign” is possible! An organization can merge the hallmarks of a campaign (speed, efficiency, opportunity spotting, nimbleness) while maintaining a strong organizational culture that values people, centers work-life balance and empowers team members to be the stewards of their work schedules. High trust = high impact.
You can read the full report on Lessons Learned here.