There are benefits and drawbacks to developing mutual aid within institutional structures.
The benefits arise from being able to lean on the established infrastructure an institution can provide as far as the administration of the program. An institution is likely to have procedures for distributing funds, staff who know how to route money to banks, are familiar with tax laws and how to comply with them, access to contact information and communication channels, computer software for keeping track of everything, and other useful tools for managing an aid effort. Localized communities of mutual aid (e.g., workers within the same institution) may be more motivated and willing to participate in mutual aid if they see that it will make an immediate impact on a fellow worker.
The drawbacks of working with an institution stem from the constraints of working within an established infrastructure that will necessarily impose limits on how the fund can evolve. This can make it more challenging to be responsive to the changing needs of the community the fund is intended to support. There may be power hierarchies, arbitrary timelines, bylaws, "common practices," strict interpretations of policies, risk aversion, and other elements that will restrict who is able to have a voice and how they are able to participate in or benefit from the fund. The institution may use their participation in the mutual aid effort to improve their public image or distract from legitimate critiques of their practices. Working within an institutional framework also introduces the danger of imposing a charity model on the mutual aid effort. Similarly, contributors to and recipients of mutual aid may themselves struggle with the charity mindset, particularly in localized contexts where a worker is receiving aid from a fellow worker.
There are many examples throughout history of mutual aid efforts established beyond the reaches of institutions. People are able to organize themselves and learn what they need to know to distribute funds, route money, find relevant tax laws, create contact lists, and discover free tools for managing the aid effort (Spade 16). This requires learning who is part of your community and what each individual is willing and able to contribute in terms of time, knowledge, and skills.
Mutual aid at work can cause unique frictions with the institutions that employees require for their material needs. Workplaces, professional organizations, schools, and employers can both support and impede the work of mutual aid. Individuals beginning to create mutual aid networks at work should seriously consider how institutional backing may or not benefit your efforts. You can be intentional about your relationships. For example, the Archival Worker's Emergency Fund's ad hoc Organizing Committee maintains a relationship with the Society of American Archivists (SAA), yet the Organizing Committee insisted on maintaining its own blog site separate from the SAA organization, which ultimately allowed the group to maintain its own presence before and after the collaboration.
Every institution is different, but a fundamental characteristic they share is that they are established in and benefit from existing power structures, and therefore have a stake in maintaining them. In contrast, a key motivation of mutual aid efforts is to challenge the legitimacy of existing power structures by calling attention to the failure of these structures to provide for basic survival needs. Whether a mutual aid effort is established within or outside of an institution, this tension will (and should) persist.
Is it possible to work within an institution while also calling out its failings? There are subversive ways to continue to put pressure on institutions even while partnering with them. Continuing conversations and education at the grassroots level, outside of institutional presence or oversight, is one way to make this possible. Partnering with an institution does not mean that institutional partners are now invited to every meeting.
For an exercise leading you through a process of getting started, go to the section Exercises: Considering Community in Institutional Contexts.
For a list of mutual aid efforts that have taken place or are ongoing in LAM, please see Examples and Inspiration.