Motivators greater than $$$ drive activists...

When you have a few minutes, check out the below video aShortChronicle came across recently.  It speaks directly to why "activists" do what they do even when there is no money involved for their own personal gain.

Click Here to Watch

The context of the video is business with technology and innovation as the main focus.  However, the first time I saw it, what came to mind were the 1000s of collective hours put into community activism through groups such as Save Davidson and the many other activist driven efforts around town.

The video hits on three points that are actually more motivating than money - Autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose.  Autonomy is the "ability to manage our own lives."  Mastery is "the urge to get better at stuff".  Purpose is the desire to do great things, or as Steve Jobs of Apple put it, the desire to "put a ding in the universe."

Community activism doesn't pay in monetary terms but the rewards in these other areas can be great, and that's one of the real reasons why the people involved in these organizations do what they do.