Many freelancers choose to work independently because they want to live more balanced lives. They make time for family and cultural pursuits, but many are also committed to making a difference in their communities by organizing for social change.

Because freelancers often understand the importance of balance, creativity, and worker ownership in their own businesses and lives, they organize with other Quiet Revolutionaries to become a positive force in supporting artists, small businesses, and sustainable environments. We mapped these organizations on our Quiet Revolutionary map, here.

If you volunteer at one such organization or know of one in your community, please take the time to put it on the map!

Organizing for worker fairness

Not only must we be good, but we must also be good for something. ~Henry David Thoreau

As freelancers, we know what a big difference ownership makes.

When we worked for big corporations, it often felt like the profit of our time and labor went to some investor or firm or person we’d never met, often through channels we didn’t understand. Now we own businesses and know where the money goes. We know how empowering it feels to own the profits of our work.

We should support organizations across the country that help low-wage workers organize to form worker cooperatives, leading to wage increases and better working conditions, like The Center for Family Life in Sunset Park, Brooklyn (on the Quiet Revolutionary map!), which incubates local worker co-ops.

Organizing for art in our communities

We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future. ~Franklin Delano Roosevelt

The majority of freelancers are creative professionals, so it’s natural that they’d have an interest in supporting local artists and arts education.

Yankton Area Arts in Yankton, South Dakota is an organization that gives art classes for the local kids because local schools don’t teach art. They also host an annual arts festival.

Organizations like Yankton Area Arts demonstrate the power of people coming together to fill gaps in their communities and support the next generation of freelance illustrators / artists / entrepreneurs.

Thanks to Jessi Koch for mapping Yankton Area Arts on our map. If you know a business that is supporting local artists or art education, show your support by adding it to the map.

Organizing for environmental sustainability

We won't have a society if we destroy the environment. ~Margaret Mead

Freelancers are interested in more that their next gig. As creative, forward-thinking people, they understand that a sustainable economy and a sustainable environment can’t be separated.

The organization Ecotrust is an incubator and investor in small businesses and nonprofits who provide “innovative solutions to environmental and social issues.” They’ve supported efforts to bring local fresh food to schools, give grants to organizations that clean up local watersheds, and more. They also host community events and serve as a hub for sustainable businesses in in the Pacific Northwest.

You can find Ecotrust on our map.

Support the revolution

One day spent at the local community art center or with your local environmental advocacy group makes you a Quiet Revolutionary. We are changing the way our economy works by living our values -- whether it be in the form of environmental action, supporting arts education, women-owned businesses, or another worthy cause.

Freelancers often make up the core set of volunteers in local community and non-profit organizations. If you want to get involved in a local non-profit you believe is supporting your community or independent workers, you should add it to our Quiet Revolutionary map.