A Montana native, Donavon has been involved in social justice and political activism since 2008, working with SEIU, Montana Organizing Project, Praxis Project, Alliance for a Just Society and the Center for Community Change. Hawk has served on the executive board of the Montana State Democratic Party, as well as serving on non-profit organization boards Forward Montana Foundation and Butte America Foundation.

Donavon Hawk has worked tirelessly over the past four legislative cycles keeping Montanans engaged with public policy affecting their communities. For over 10 years, Hawk has directly worked on issues such as health care access for all Montanan's, Medicaid expansion, reducing student debt, expanding voting rights, fighting against predatory lending, keeping public lands in public hands, protecting the rights of hunters and fishers for generations to come, protecting Social Security, defending worker rights and protecting unions, and defending quality public education.