Grassroots Organization

Grassroots is a movement, usually political, is driven by citizen in the community. It's a natural yet spontaneous movement. Since grassroots is a citizen based, fundraising is a big part if the organization. They have to raise money, budget, and spread the word amongst themselves. Grassroots host parties, meetings, put up posters, set up tables, and organize large demonstrations to get their point across.

Astroturf is a "fake" grassroots group. They are usually established through corparations or P.R. firms. They are created to generate instant public support on a specific point of view. Activists who are recruited are usually deceived or uninformed about the cause in which they are fighting for.

Rainforest Action Network is a large grassroots organization. Some would consider them an astroturf. They have been dubbed "the most savvy agitators of the environmental business,"
by The Wall Street Journal. RAN believes that the old way of doing things and causing damage to the atmosphere is no longer acceptable. I classify them as a grassroots even though they have a lot of funding. They are also larger than most grassroots but you cant blame anyone for wanting to get involved with a good cause.



Sources:
www.rainforestweb.org
www.RAN.org