Making it “Easy to Help”: The Evolution of Norwegian Volunteer Initiatives for Refugees

Abstract

AbstractAt the height of the refugee reception crisis in 2015, a large number of volunteers across Norway mobilized to bring assistance in different forms. The two most notable initiatives were Refugees Welcome Norway (RWN) and A Drop in the Ocean (Dråpen i Havet, DiH). RWN focused on those arriving in Norway and DiH on those arriving in Greece. Looking at these two initiatives’ organizational trajectories together allows us to examine how they managed the transition from the immediate ‘crisis’ and large volunteer mobilization to finding a role for themselves in the longer‐term. Drawing on social movement theory and literature on humanitarian action, the article argues that the two organizations, while adapting in different ways, focused their organizations around ‘making it easy’ for volunteers to help. The article explores how this allowed to forge their distinct identity in the organizational landscape, while also engaging with volunteers’ ‘need to do something’.