Some donors and policymakers who do not have experience with the transformational power of community mobilization are skeptical of the process, confused by the range of definitions and approaches, and they have raised a number of legitimate concerns. The purpose of this publication is to address these concerns and present evidence from the field to make the case for including community mobilization as part of broader national health plans to achieve the Millenium Development Goals of reducing maternal and child mortality and improving maternal and child health.