AGO is a movement accelerator. We work with activists and funders to tell powerful stories, grow movements, and accelerate positive social change.
What we do
We help human rights and climate activists build community and audiences around their ideas.
Strategic communications
Strategy, branding, and campaigns that promote ideas, build audiences, and strengthen activist communities
Movement infrastructure
Collaborative, learn-by-doing approach to capacity building, coalition building, training, and coaching
Civic incubation
Pilot programs and fellowships, research, insights, and resources to shift power, strengthen civil society, and grow movements
How we do it
Investing in leaders and communities
Too often, those who do social good are expected to solve complex problems through sheer passion and grit. We want to change that.
Prioritizing communications
Marketing and communications are often sidelined as a low priority, or cut out of operational costs altogether.
Planning for the long term
“Overhead” and strategic planning are chronically underfunded, leaving organizations unable to pursue longer-term strategies and grow.
Creating space for new approaches
High-impact breakthroughs happen through experimentation and research, but there are few opportunities to field-test new ideas.
Our principles
Build with, not for
We work in service of and alongside activists. When we consider programs, we’re mindful of the cost in terms of attention diverted from the core mission.
Try new things
We aren’t afraid to take a moonshot, a bank shot, or a big swing—even if we miss. We value big ideas, and believe that design thinking is a worthy approach to social, cultural, and other thorny problems.
Activism isn’t charity
Human rights, democracy building, and climate work is hard. It requires resilience, ingenuity, and time. People doing this work should be valued and compensated.
Diversity makes us stronger
Our differences—be they cultural, generational, or professional—make us smarter, and better able to wrestle with difficult, complex problems.
Build systems, not bandaids
Our aim is to support activist ecosystems with tools and resources that can help advance causes. We steer clear of one-off solutions with temporary impact.