Final answer:
Funding is essential for social movements as it supports administrative tasks, outreach, staff maintenance, and enables public engagement. It allows movements to grow, institutionalize, and effectively push for change. Resource mobilization theory underscores the importance of resources like time and money in increasing a movement's impact. Option b is the correct answer.
Step-by-step explanation:
Funding is a crucial aspect of social movements for several reasons. One could consider the option that effective organizing works better with funding which allows for a staff and administrative resources. This is particularly true because, as McCarthy and Zald's resource mobilization theory suggests, resources — primarily time and money — are essential to the power of organized movements. Without sufficient funding, a movement will struggle with administrative tasks, outreach, and the ability to maintain a full-time staff, which are critical elements as the movement grows and strives to achieve its goals.
Funding plays a role in each stage of a social movement's lifecycle as outlined by Blumer and Tilly. In the preliminary stage, funding can help raise issue awareness quickly. During the coalescence stage, resources are necessary for the organization and publicity efforts. In the institutionalization stage, an established movement with a professional staff benefits greatly from continuous funding to maintain its operations. In all these stages, social media plays a dynamic role in fundraising and mobilizing support.
The impact of funding isn't limited to internal operations; it also facilitates the engagement of supporters. As illustrated by the 2020 Presidential elections, social media can be used to raise significant amounts of money for social movements. This form of engagement often translates into financial support, with a notable percentage of people who interact with nonprofits through social media contributing monetarily. Thus, funding becomes a significant consideration for any formal social movement looking to sustain its efforts and push for change.