SumOfUs

SumOfUs
Founded 2011
Type NGO 501(c)(4)
Focus Advocacy
Area served
Worldwide
Method Online campaigning
Members
10,000,000+
Key people
Website www.sumofus.org

SumOfUs is a global advocacy organization[1] and online community that campaigns to hold large corporations accountable on issues such as climate change, workers’ rights, discrimination, human rights, animal rights, corruption, and corporate power grab. It is a non-profit organization operating in three languages currently reporting ten million members over 130 countries.

Founder and executive directors

Australian-American activist Taren Stinebrickner-Kauffman is the founder of SumOfUs and was its executive director from 2011 to 2016. In November 2016, Hannah Lownsbrough became the new executive director of SumOfUs.

History

SumOfUs was launched in 2011 with campaigns targeting Google’s links to the US Chamber of Commerce,[2] a campaign to thank Starbucks for supporting same-sex marriage in the United States,[3] and calling on Apple to force its suppliers to treat their workers more ethically.[4]

Since its launch, SumOfUs has expanded to have members in nearly every country with the greatest concentrations in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, France and Germany.[5][6]

SumOfUs has staff in the UK, Canada, Germany, France, Lithuania, Colombia and the Netherlands.

Notable campaigns

In December 2013, after a week of pressure from SumOfUs members, Zara and major UK retailers Topshop and Asos committed to stop selling Angora from rabbits that were plucked live for their fur.[7]

In February 2014, Kellogg’s and Wilmar both signed commitments to eliminate deforestation from their supply chains in the next two years. [8] SumOfUs demanded in a petition that "the cereal maker [Kellogg’s] get tough with Wilmar or end its supply and distribution joint venture with the company".[9]

In 2015, SumOfUs helped to push airline companies such as Delta to stop shipping hunting trophies,[10] lobbied Canadian officials to charge Nestle responsible water rates for drawing water from public lands,[11] and helped get Standard Chartered Bank to cancel its financing of Adani's giant Australian coal mine.[12]

Methodology

SumOfUs uses digital technology to organize and communicate globally, connecting consumers, workers and investors from around the world.[5]

One of SumOfUs’ primary functions is to amplify other corporate accountability organizations' campaigns by launching rapid-response campaigns.

The online campaigning NGO operates using lean start-up methodology, by adapting the “minimum viable product”[13] model to the online campaigning field. SumOfUs mirrors corporations’ global perspective and power base – and transcends national boundaries to take advantage of transnational companies’ vulnerabilities.[13]

Financial contributors

SumOfUs is a registered 501(c)(4) social welfare nonprofit. Around 85% of SumOfUs funds come from small donations from its members.[14] SumOfUs publishes the source of revenues every year on its web site.[15]According to the Form 990 SumOfUs filed for 2016, $631,515 was contributed by a single anonymous person. [16] According to the Form 990 SumOfUs filed for 2015, $595,000 was contributed by two anonymous donors. [17]

Community

SumOfUs campaigns in English, French, and German and has members in over 130 countries. Since its launch, the SumOfUs community represents 10 million people from around the world have taken action with SumOfUs.

According to its 2015 report-back, the SumOfUs community took more than 17 millions actions in that year.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "After pressure from global corporate watchdog SumOfUs, Wilmar adopts industry-leading anti-deforestation policies. • Voqal". Voqal.org. 2014-02-28. Retrieved 2016-03-03.
  2. ↑ "Google needs to quit the US Chamber of Commerce". Googlequitthechamber.org. Retrieved 2016-03-03.
  3. ↑ SumOfUs. "Thank Starbucks for standing up for gay rights". SumOfUs. Archived from the original on 2012-03-22. Retrieved 2016-03-03.
  4. ↑ SumOfUs (2012-04-28). "April 2012 Campaigns Update". SumOfUs. Archived from the original on 2012-05-07. Retrieved 2016-03-03.
  5. 1 2 King, Alex (2014-08-27). "Sum of Us - Five Million Strong". Huckmagazine.com. Retrieved 2016-03-03.
  6. ↑ "5M SumOfUs". Fivemillion.sumofus.org. Retrieved 2016-03-03.
  7. ↑ The Daily Mail (27 December 2013). "Zara and Gap finally ban angora as shoppers threaten to boycott shops over the horrific plight of rabbits plucked alive for their fur".
  8. ↑ The Guardian (19 February 2014). "Kellogg's to buy only sustainably sourced palm oil". Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  9. ↑ Bloomberg (February 14, 2014). "Kellogg to Stop Buying Deforested Palm Oil Amid Pressure". Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  10. ↑ The New York Times (August 3, 2015). "After Killing of Cecil the Lion, Delta Joins Airline Ban on Game Trophies". Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  11. ↑ The Province (November 16, 2015). "B.C. government criticized for water-rates 'flip-flop'". Archived from the original on November 17, 2015.
  12. ↑ Mashable (November 29, 2015). "How online activist groups are raising millions to keep corporations in line".
  13. 1 2 Tsukayama, Hayley (January 8, 2014). "SumOfUs: Online petition site passes 2.5 million members". The Washington Post. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  14. ↑ http://mashable.com/2015/11/29/corporate-activism-crowdfunding/#ly87oDhMbgqj
  15. ↑ SumOfUs (2015-10-07). "Frequently Asked Questions". SumOfUs. Archived from the original on 2015-01-20. Retrieved 2016-03-03.
  16. ↑ SumOfUs (2017-10-31). "Funding" (PDF). SumOfUs. Retrieved 2017-10-31.
  17. ↑ SumOfUs (2016-11-03). "Funding" (PDF). SumOfUs. Retrieved 2016-11-03.
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