{"id":3884,"date":"2014-03-27T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-03-27T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/?p=3884"},"modified":"2024-05-08T17:48:53","modified_gmt":"2024-05-08T17:48:53","slug":"earthrights-international","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/blog\/earthrights-international\/","title":{"rendered":"EarthRights International Raised Over $20,000"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-4383\" src=\"https:\/\/causevox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/about-earthrights-crowdfunding.jpg\" alt=\"about-earthrights-crowdfunding\" width=\"580\" height=\"215\" \/><\/h3>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<h3>In true David and Goliath fashion, human &amp; environmental rights organization EarthRights International takes on corporate human rights abusers in the arena of public opinion by crowdfunding a documentary film series &amp; training curricula that will empower activists in their pursuit of justice.<\/h3>\n<p>\u201cJohn Steinbeck was my hero,\u201d said Katie Redford, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.earthrights.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">EarthRights International\u2019s<\/a> Co-founder and Director. His works, like <em>The Grapes of Wrath<\/em>, exposed her to \u201cthe underbelly of the American dream\u201d and inspired Katie to pursue a legal career as a means of seeking justice.<\/p>\n<p>After completing her undergraduate studies and before heading to University of Virginia\u2019s School of Law, she spent two years teaching English in the town of Mae Sot, Thailand, situated by the border shared with eastern Burma.<\/p>\n<p>She lived among and worked with refugees \u2013 men, women, and children who\u2019d been displaced by or suffered from human rights abuses \u2013 who became her friends. Before she returned to the U.S., they told her, \u201cYou\u2019re going back to the greatest democracy in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-4384\" src=\"https:\/\/causevox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/earthrights-international-katie.jpg\" alt=\"earthrights international katie\" width=\"560\" height=\"420\" \/><\/p>\n<p>\u201cPlease use your freedom to help us get ours,\u201d Katie\u2019s friends said.<\/p>\n<p>But \u201cbeing a lawyer is not what I thought it was,\u201d she said. \u201cAt the time, UVA had the only human rights program,\u201d said Katie, yet she found herself swimming upstream among classmates vying for positions at prestigious white-shoe law firms in New York and Washington.<\/p>\n<p>Thanks to her experience in Thailand, however, she stayed her course. After graduating, she returned to Thailand, where she co-founded EarthRights International (ERI).<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/TLqqJkKeJMk\" width=\"580\" height=\"326\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>ERI defends human rights and environmental rights, which the nonprofit organization defines as \u201cearth rights\u201d, using the power of law and the power of people.<\/p>\n<p>ERI\u2019s accomplishes their mission by:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Documenting &amp; exposing human rights and environmental abuses;<\/li>\n<li>Organizing &amp; rallying human rights and environmental activists;<\/li>\n<li>Litigating on behalf of survivors of human rights abuses in U.S. courts;<\/li>\n<li>Educating people &amp; training activists of their earth rights and remedies; and<\/li>\n<li>Advocating for survivors and the defense of earth rights.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Much of ERI\u2019s legal work is based on the Alien Tort Claims Act (ATCA), which allows foreign nationals to seek redress before the U.S. justice system for human rights violations that have occurred outside the U.S.. For example, in <em>Doe v. Unocal<\/em>, Burmese villagers sued the Union Oil Company of California (Unocal) for human rights violations, such as forced labor and wrongful death, related to Unocal\u2019s pipeline project in Burma.<\/p>\n<p>These kind of lawsuits would be examples of \u201cimpact litigation\u201d, the practice of filing lawsuits to effect broad change in laws and policies in addition to seeking remedies for the plaintiffs.<\/p>\n<p>But not all impact litigation results in positive change. In <em>Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission<\/em>, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that parts of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA, also known as the McCain-Feingold Act) were unconstitutional.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/dg5vd3ocj3r4t.cloudfront.net\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/rf13_large_for_lightbox\/public\/change-chevron.jpg?itok=mwyhz6Zg\" alt=\"from EarthRights International Blog\" height=\"295\" hspace=\"5\" vspace=\"5\" \/><\/p>\n<p>That is, money was likened to free speech, thus limitations on how it\u2019s spent were interpreted as restricting free speech rights, which is unconstitutional. As Katie explained the repercussions of the ruling, she sounded incredulous.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey don\u2019t have mouths, they\u2019re not people,\u201d she said. \u201cThe concept of corporate personhood [has gotten] out of control.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>With caps on corporate political spending lifted, fewer safeguards exist to curb undue corporate influence on government. So the battle for earth rights is fought not only in the court of law, but also in the \u201ccourt of public opinion,\u201d Katie said. \u201cWe all need to hold them accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It wasn\u2019t enough to reveal the truth of corporate human rights abuses in the courtroom; it was time to expose the truth to the world. Recognizing the power of media, ERI set out to produce a series of short films and training curricula.<\/p>\n<h2>EarthRight\u2019s Nonprofit Crowdfunding Campaign<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"line-height: 1.5em;\">Thus their fundraising campaign was born.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>But this campaign had to be done differently. \u201cOver 90% [of our funding] comes from foundations, [and] larger grants,\u201d Katie shared. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/online-fundraising-major-donors\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Donations ranging from $5,000 to $10,000<\/a> have come from a few individuals.<\/p>\n<p>These films are meant \u201cto amplify [their] voices, and give them a platform,\u201d said Katie, referring to the victims and survivors of human rights abuses caused by corporations. The purpose of the campaign, then, is \u201cto raise the voices of the \u2018little\u2019 people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-4390\" src=\"https:\/\/causevox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/earthrights-causevox1.jpg\" alt=\"earthrights-causevox\" width=\"560\" height=\"476\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Accordingly, \u201cthis campaign needs to be funded by the people,\u201d she said. In architecture, form follows function, that is to say that a building\u2019s purpose will determine its structure. Likewise, the method of fundraising \u201cshould mirror the cause being championed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>To tackle corporate human rights abusers, with their Goliath-sized public relations budgets, Katie envisioned \u201ca lot of Davids\u201d rallying behind this campaign. This made <a href=\"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/crowdfunding\/\">crowdfunding<\/a> the most fitting approach for the campaign.<\/p>\n<p>After extensively researching crowdfunding options that would best meet their needs, ERI chose CauseVox.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt offered us a bit more control over the design of our page than some of the other platforms we looked at,\u201d said Patrick Boyle, ERI\u2019s Development Associate. \u201cWe also liked the way the \u2018fundraiser\u2019 options were laid out, and how it offered flexibility for our staff.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Not only was the overall crowdfunding campaign page customizable, staff members were able to \u201ctailor their pages and appeals to their own individual networks, and to tell their own stories about their work,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Patrick attributed some of the campaign\u2019s success to the ability to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/blog\/7-habits-of-effective-personal-fundraisers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">customize each individual fundraiser&#8217;s page<\/a>; the personalized appeals were most visitors\u2019 introduction to EarthRights. These visitors were first-donors.<\/p>\n<p>The campaign began July 19, 2013, and the initial goal was set at $15,000. As staff participation increased, ERI bumped the goal to $20,000.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe had such positive results and such a warm response from our outreach that towards the end of the campaign we decided to make one last push to a broader swath of contacts that had not been part of our original outreach,\u201d Patrick said. They increased the goal one more time to $25,000 as a way to encourage new participants.<\/p>\n<p>The campaign concluded August 21, 2013; by the numbers as of August 23, 2013:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Number of fundraisers (those who created fundraising pages): 10<\/li>\n<li>Number of donors: 192<\/li>\n<li>Total raised: $24,532<\/li>\n<li>Average donation: $127<\/li>\n<li>Range of donations: $5-$2,000<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Not too shabby for a first attempt at crowdfunding.<\/p>\n<h2>Supporter-driven Fundraising<\/h2>\n<p>With much of ERI\u2019s work being done and the staff being based in Southeast Asia, a few of the staff incorporated a pseudo-national past time into their crowdfunding efforts: Karaoke. Those who donated were able to select a song for the fundraiser to sing; the fundraiser would film himself singing said song and share for the donors\u2019 viewing &amp; listening pleasure.<\/p>\n<p>Given the last-minute nature of the crowdfunding campaign\u2019s inception and the novelty of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/peer-to-peer-fundraising-software\/\">peer-to-peer fundraising<\/a> to the ERI community, a fun incentive made the process easier for everyone.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-4392\" src=\"https:\/\/causevox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/earthrights-supporters-causevox.jpg\" alt=\"earthrights-supporters-causevox\" width=\"560\" height=\"476\" \/><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think having something silly to trade to your donors eased some of the anxiety of asking friends and family for money,\u201d said Patrick. \u201cAnd maybe replaced it with the performance anxiety that comes with performing on stage.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>However, karaoke wasn\u2019t a part of the top fundraiser\u2019s strategy. In lieu of giving her presents, Gillian Caldwell asked friends and family to celebrate her birthday by donating to ERI\u2019s campaign. Like Katie, Gillian is also a human rights lawyer, and had served as an executive director of a human rights organization.<\/p>\n<p>Gillian headed Witness, an organization that uses film &amp; video to advocate for human rights. And by the end of July, she and her family had already arrived in Chiang Mai, Thailand, where she and her partner Louis have already begun work on the film portion of the project.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s challenging to find filmmakers who are skilled in making human rights films, Katie said. And that Gillian, an experienced human rights film producer, offered her service at a discounted rate compounds the impact of the funds that were raised.<\/p>\n<p>Thanks to Gillian\u2019s friends and family, she raised over $10,000; the cushion of funds raised over the $20,000 to complete the film &amp; training materials affords ERI flexibility should any additional costs or needs spring up.<\/p>\n<h2>Lessons Learned<\/h2>\n<p>ERI learned a few lessons from their first foray into crowdfunding. Not every future fundraising endeavor will be a crowdfunding campaign, but they know now that they\u2019ll set aside more time to plan and roll-out their next one.<\/p>\n<p>They\u2019ll spend the time training and acclimating themselves to this form of fundraising, and schedule the campaign strategically (read: not during peak vacation season), Katie noted. She also observed that successful campaigns are personal, and reaching out to one\u2019s network on an individual basis requires time.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-4389\" src=\"https:\/\/causevox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/earthrights-team.jpg\" alt=\"earthrights team\" width=\"645\" height=\"412\" \/><\/p>\n<p>With this experience acting as a diving board, future campaigns will be even more successful. Katie hadn\u2019t known what to expect and was pleasantly surprised by the experience.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGosh, most people weren\u2019t annoyed,\u201d she said. \u201cThey were excited, thankful,\u201d to be a part of the campaign. The responses to crowdfunding the project were affirming, too; Katie had been told, \u201cI\u2019m so glad you didn\u2019t fund this with a large grant.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Patrick may choose a different kind of incentive. \u201cNow that I actually have to film myself singing karaoke tunes, I think I would have picked a different gift!\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<h2>Funding impact<\/h2>\n<p>With this project, donors get to see \u201csomething concrete,\u201d said Katie, noting that it\u2019s less so with the impact litigation ERI does.<\/p>\n<p>ERI partners with the Mekong Legal Network to provide legal and technical support as well as facilitating an annual professional development conference. Through this partnership, they\u2019ve identified \u201crabble rouser\u201d lawyers in the Mekong River countries whom the film series and training curricula will largely benefit.<\/p>\n<p>The curricula will provide these firebrand attorneys insights into successful casework strategy. In addition to empowering earth rights lawyers and encouraging activists, the short film series will be made accessible to the public, and won\u2019t require a legal degree to understand.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-4385\" src=\"https:\/\/causevox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/earthrights-international-conga.jpg\" alt=\"earthrights international conga\" width=\"645\" height=\"406\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Human rights abuse survivors take real risks in telling their stories, said Katie. But these stories offer hope. Through their storytelling, survivors are not only reclaiming their rights but they\u2019re also changing global policy.<\/p>\n<p>Through this project, ERI seeks to expand and multiply the ripple effect of collecting the people\u2019s voices and amplifying them. Corporate human rights violators make formidable opponents in the fight for justice but they\u2019re not invincible.<\/p>\n<p>The dream is that this film series and curricula be among ERI\u2019s collection of stones to knock down their public relations shields and expose the truth to the world:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re not as powerless as we think,\u201d said Katie.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In true David and Goliath fashion, human &amp; environmental rights organization EarthRights International takes on corporate human rights abusers in the arena of public opinion by crowdfunding a documentary film series &amp; training curricula that will empower activists in their pursuit of justice. \u201cJohn Steinbeck was my hero,\u201d said Katie Redford, EarthRights International\u2019s Co-founder and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3884","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article"],"acf":[],"featured_image_src":null,"featured_image_src_square":null,"author_info":{"display_name":"Rob Wu","author_link":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/author\/rob\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3884","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3884"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3884\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3884"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3884"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.causevox.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3884"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}