What does an activist do?
Activist responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real activist resumes:
- Manage local campaigns to improve the NYC public education system and perform research on school districts to gather and analyze statistics.
- Maintain the organization's social media presence through Facebook.
- Attend monthly meetings that emphasize women's leadership in society.
- Supervise up to a team of 8 people at various sites around nyc for fundraising.
- Implement in organization and leadership.
- Perform Psychological/Psychiatric/Intake assessments on perspective patients.
- Perform Psychological/Psychiatric/Intake assessments on perspective patients.
Activist skills and personality traits
We calculated that 33% of Activists are proficient in Climate, Grassroots, and Social Justice. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Compassion, and Interpersonal skills.
We break down the percentage of Activists that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Climate, 33%
Presented infographic relevant to Maryland coal power plants and discussed state level energy policy in the era of anthropogenic climate change.
- Grassroots, 22%
Organized grassroots campaign initiatives between the public and local elected officials through campus awareness, letter writing and mass mailings.
- Social Justice, 21%
Developed strategies to promote social justice.
- Customer Service, 20%
Established and maintained strong working relationship with clients and team members through effective communication and providing excellent customer service.
- Leadership, 1%
Co-facilitated a process to strengthen collaboration among global leadership teams for a Fortune 100 company.
- Community Outreach, 1%
Developed promotional videos and fliers for the organization for more efficient community outreach
Most activists use their skills in "climate," "grassroots," and "social justice" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential activist responsibilities here:
Communication skills. One of the key soft skills for an activist to have is communication skills. You can see how this relates to what activists do because "social and human service assistants talk with clients about the challenges in their lives and assist them in getting help." Additionally, an activist resume shows how activists use communication skills: "work in committees to successfully strategize all elements of logistics, finance, communications, and community engagement. "
Compassion. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling activist duties is compassion. The role rewards competence in this skill because "social and human service assistants often work with people who are in stressful and difficult situations." According to an activist resume, here's how activists can utilize compassion in their job responsibilities: "generate reporting for all outreach activities for treatcallers with empathy and compassion and provide referrals for community resources and services. "
Interpersonal skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of activists is interpersonal skills. This skill is critical to many everyday activist duties, as "social and human service assistants must make their clients feel comfortable discussing sensitive issues." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "execute in detail-oriented environments as well as people-oriented environments through outstanding interpersonal, community service, leadership, and organizational skills. "
Organizational skills. For certain activist responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "organizational skills." The day-to-day duties of an activist rely on this skill, as "social and human service assistants must often complete lots of paperwork and work with many different clients." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what activists do: "provided technical assistance in organizational development, fund-raising, program and personnel policies to groups seeking to set up homeless shelters. "
Problem-solving skills. Another common skill required for activist responsibilities is "problem-solving skills." This skill comes up in the duties of activists all the time, as "social and human service assistants help clients find solutions to their problems." An excerpt from a real activist resume shows how this skill is central to what an activist does: "educated the public and gained community support on environmental issues and solutions. "
Time-management skills. Lastly, "time-management skills" is an important element of what an activist does. Activist responsibilities require this skill because "social and human service assistants often work with many clients." This resume example highlights how activist duties rely on this skill: "connect youth with community resources and keep youth aware of scholastic deadlines. "
Compare different activists
Activist vs. Program coordinator
Program coordinators are mid-level employees who are assigned to work on a program of a specific department. They handle the communications between their department and any other department that they may need to collaborate with. They coordinate action plans and activities to ensure that the departments are aligned. They are present during the planning stage for the program so that they will be familiar with action items. They are directly involved in the implementation by liaising with the involved departments. Program coordinators should have good communication skills, interpersonal skills, and organization skills.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between activists and program coordinator. For instance, activist responsibilities require skills such as "climate," "grassroots," "leadership," and "environmental issues." Whereas a program coordinator is skilled in "patients," "social work," "excellent organizational," and "professional development." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Program coordinators tend to reach higher levels of education than activists. In fact, program coordinators are 9.9% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.9% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Activist vs. Coordinator
Coordinators are responsible for liaising between the department they are assigned to and any other external party. They oversee projects or agreements. They are in charge of following through negotiations between the two parties regarding work. They see through the conduct of such contracts by ensuring that all terms are amenable to both parties. They maintain records and other necessary data and paperwork. They also ensure that office policy and guidelines are being followed. Coordinators also ensure that all projects are completed efficiently and effectively.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real activist resumes. While activist responsibilities can utilize skills like "climate," "grassroots," "social justice," and "leadership," coordinators use skills like "patients," "excellent organizational," "data entry," and "excellent guest."
Coordinators earn similar levels of education than activists in general. They're 2.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Activist vs. Organizer
An organizer specializes in cleaning and sorting out homes and spaces, using various organizational systems and strategies. They are primarily responsible for coordinating with clients and learning their preferences, traveling to different places, determining areas of improvement, and implementing corrective measures. There are also instances where an organizer must purchase new organizational devices and other fixtures; therefore, it is essential to adhere to the client's budget. Organizers may work under a company or independently. Still, it is crucial to develop trust and rapport with customers to establish a client base.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, an activist is likely to be skilled in "climate," "grassroots," "customer service," and "social issues," while a typical organizer is skilled in "outreach efforts," "seiu," "leadership development," and "community organizations."
Most organizers achieve a similar degree level compared to activists. For example, they're 2.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Activist vs. Volunteer
Volunteers are usually unpaid individuals who render their service to a company or organization. Most of the time, volunteers are skilled in specific areas needed by the organization but prefer to provide free service. They may be employed in another organization, but they lend their time and talent to another organization or company to give back to the community. They raise funds, create awareness, and work on the ground. Volunteers usually choose a cause or advocacy close to their heart, such as teaching children, taking care of the elderly, coaching sports teams, cleaning up communities, and caring for animals.
Types of activist
Updated January 8, 2025