Hi all,

My name is Michael Brooks and I’m working with Henry Poole on a strategy paper. We are creating a report synthesizing some of the most interesting work in the world of strategy and social change.  We have read Clay Shirky, Markos Zuniga and Saul Alinsky for a theoretical grounding. Now we’re looking for examples of creative, audacious, smart, and successful approaches to:

• New media
• Creative protest
• New tactics for engagement 
• Long-term strategies for campaign building
• Community building
• Direct action

Here are some of the examples that we have been working with so far:

1. Kickstarter is transforming grassroots funding for artists and other creatives. Kickstarter recently facilitated a significant fundraising drive for Diaspora, the "open source Facebook". Kickstarter follows a very elegant model of peer-to-peer fundraising. Futurist Hugh Knowles explains the success of the fundraising:

They asked for $20k and within about 15 days got $200k from over 6000 people. The level of trust required to hand over $200k to four unknown programmers with no return and no guarantee of delivery is very high – but that trust was distributed through the community. Each person was responsible for about $30 of ‘trust’. This funding model combined with open source software and hardware is pretty mind-boggling. Makes you think that the radical change I mentioned above is fundable in a very distributed way.

2. Color of Change has sustained its success through clear campaign targeting and successful polarization. Its organization of the Glenn Beck boycotts has led such marquee advertisers as Geico, Procter & Gamble, and Progressive Insurance to pull themselves from Beck’s broadcast. Keeping up with targeting the dishonest and damaging rhetoric coming from Fox news, Color of Change has launched their “Turn off Fox” campaign.

3. Knights Apparel sprang up from the success of the Students Against Sweatshop Labor and other anti-sweatshop activists on college campuses. Knights Apparel operates a garment factory in the Dominican Republic that pays living wages and still maintains high profitability. Knights has both done well by doing good and by demonstrating that workers in developing countries do not need to be subjected to abuse.

4. 350.org is working toward grounding the climate crisis’ movement through clear language and globally-integrated activism. 350.org organized the largest synchronized protest in human history according to estimates from CNN. As a follow up 350.org has launched a 10/10/10 Global Work Party that will activate communities across the globe to directly respond to the climate crisis.

5. Stand Up to Cancer has created a community-based networking platform built on addressing the social aspects of Cancer. Cancer not only affects those with it, but also friends, family and community. In addition to raising 100 million dollars for translational cancer research, Stand Up to Cancer has created communities and partnerships across sectors and social systems. 

I would be really curious to hear of any examples that any of you may have.  We’re looking for truly exceptional activists, social enterprises, or campaigns that have had real successes in recent months. The range is wide -- any group promoting a greener, fairer, smarter world.  I would love any tips you may have.

All the best,

Michael