There are multiple and branching paths that you can take to create a mutual aid network. Each model will have benefits and drawbacks. The "best" model will depend upon the needs and dynamics of the community the fund will support. As needs and dynamics shift, the chosen model may need to shift as well. What follows is an introduction to different approaches to mutual aid that may guide your work.

Centralized versus Decentralized Approaches

Dean Spade's chart delineating the difference between mutual aid and charity models is useful for understanding the principles at the core of mutual aid and avoiding the replication of practices that could harm our communities or derail our efforts. At the same time, Spade acknowledges that most organizations end up being a mix of qualities from both columns. Rather than thinking of the chart as a checklist, think about it as a spectrum from mutual aid to charity. As you proceed with your own mutual aid efforts, use the chart to consider which aspects of your work are closer to mutual aid, and which are closer to a charity model. In areas where you find yourself closer to the charity model, consider what barriers may be preventing you from moving closer to a mutual aid model. This reflection can be practiced periodically or continually, with more or less formality, as your work proceeds. 

Since mutual aid projects are often in response to urgent needs, organizers sometimes have a tendency to rely on tools and platforms that are already familiar and freely available such as Slack, Google Drive, WhatsApp, and Venmo. There are also a number of alternatives that exist outside of the systems of surveillance capitalism that have greater security and are more aligned in values to mutual aid such as Signal, Element/Matrix, Hylo, and Etherpad. You should select the tools and platforms you use for your mutual aid project thoughtfully and consider how you navigate trade-offs between familiarity, ease of use, costs, transparency, data privacy, and algorithmic biases that accompany whatever is your choice.