Whether your group has millions of supporters around the world or consists solely of you and your amazing html skills, your events, your ticket sales, and your success can benefit from the help of local activists who share your concern. Mobilisation of a grassroots surge can help you create events of greater interest to the public, sell more event tickets, and continue doing your work around the clock, even when you can’t personally stick around to supervise.

Step 1: Find your base.

Call a meeting. Advertise your intention in every place you imagine your supporters may be waiting for you. That will include local media outlets such as television, radio, magazines, and newspapers. You will also want to hang flyers and posters in relevant shops and public places, such as the library. And of course, you need a strong web presence: a website, along with a blog. Leave messages on others’ forums, and send email blasts if you can obtain useful mailing lists. Invitations sent via snail mail can also be effective, if you have a good list of addresses.

Step 2: Hear them out.

Once you’ve gathered local activists to your meeting, state your intentions and open the floor for discussion and suggestions. This is the heart of grassroots organisation. Your goal is to raise money for and awareness of your cause. Allow interested participants to take charge. If, for instance, you wish to raise $1000 for cancer research, introduce yourself, explain why you are interested, and ask people what sort of fundraiser they would like to support.

Step 3: Activate.

Having settled upon an event, you can begin planning. Let your grassroots army do the heavy lifting, and support them as much as you can. Be sure to involve local businesses and personalities as much as possible. This would include hiring caterers from your town, using local venues, asking local bands to play or local celebrities to speak. Your grassroots movement is much more likely to identify with your efforts if they can see its local appeal.

Step 4: Sell that event.

Once planned, everyone can start selling event tickets. If you’ve made an effort to create a truly homegrown event, you’ll sell more tickets. Even those who aren’t invested in your charity will want to participate in a big community event. Print your own event tickets online to save money, then let your volunteers sell tickets to friends, family, neighbors, and strangers. Ask local businesses if they would be willing to sell tickets through their shops. You can also sell tickets online, through your own website, or through a site like TicketRiver.com.

Step 5: Don’t lose your momentum.

If you’ve carried off one big event, keep that grassroots army in motion. Let them keep planning and executing the events they want to see! If your organisation works from the ground up, you can create a vibrant movement, accomplish your goals, and bring people together for a good cause.

Your supporters are out there, waiting for you to engage them. Go find them!