3 Types of Social Capital: Bonding, Bridging, Linking
And Why We Need All Three to Change Our Communities
Let’s talk about power. Not the kind that comes from money or title, but the kind that lives in our relationships. The kind we build block by block, barbecue by barbecue, budget meeting by budget meeting.
This is what sociologists call social capital, and it’s one of the most underrated tools we have in community organizing and civic engagement. If we want to create real, sustainable change, whether that’s in city council chambers or in the classroom, we have to get intentional about building it.
There are three main types of social capital: bonding, bridging, and linking. Each one plays a role in how we show up, organize, and transform the systems around us. Let’s break them down. Then we’ll talk about how to put them to work.
🤝 1. Bonding Social Capital: “Us and Us”
This is the glue. Bonding capital connects people who are alike in some key way, whether that's family ties, shared culture, race, religion, socioeconomic status, or lived experience. Think of:
A mutual aid group that grew out of a church congregation
A support circle for formerly incarcerated people
A neighborhood association that’s been tight for decades
Bonding is where we build trust, safety, and resilience. It's where we show up for each other without needing to ask. But here's the catch: bonding capital is powerful, and it's insular. If we're not careful, it can reinforce silos and echo chambers.
🌉 2. Bridging Social Capital: “Us and Them”
Bridging capital connects different groups across lines of race, income, neighborhood, political beliefs, or ideology. It’s the potluck where the artists meet the engineers. It’s the coalition of rural moms and urban activists working together to stop book bans.
Bridging capital is where empathy grows and coalitions form. It’s essential when we're trying to scale impact beyond our immediate circles. This is the kind of social capital that wins citywide elections, changes statewide policies, and pushes back against systems that rely on division.
But here’s the deal: bridging requires intentionality. It doesn't happen just because we show up in the same room. It happens because we build relationships with care, curiosity, and shared purpose.
🏛 3. Linking Social Capital: “Us and Power”
Now this one’s often overlooked - and that’s a mistake. Linking capital connects people and communities to institutions and decision-makers: the mayor’s office, the school board, the health department, the DA.
It’s the relationship between community organizers and city staff. It’s the reentry advocate who sits on a policy task force. It’s knowing who to call when the bus routes change or when zoning laws threaten your neighborhood.
Linking capital doesn’t just ask for a seat at the table. It helps design the table. It turns petitions into pilot programs, testimonies into budgets, and protests into policy.
💡 Putting It All Together: A Strategy for Power-Building
Real, grassroots power doesn’t come from just one type of social capital. It comes from the weaving together of all three.
Use bonding to build deep trust and resilience within your community.
Use bridging to find common cause with folks outside your immediate circles.
Use linking to influence the systems and structures that shape our lives.
This isn’t abstract. It’s what works. It’s how we win.
🎯 So What Can You Do This Week?
Host a dinner or coffee chat with someone outside your usual circle. Practice bridging.
Get your crew to a local government meeting. Watch who speaks, who listens, and who decides. Take notes. That’s linking.
Start or join a group chat with folks in your building, block, or church. That’s bonding.
Social capital isn’t just a concept. It’s a practice. And it’s how we take back power, one relationship at a time.
Let’s keep building. 💪🏽
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