Sloane Berrent

Today’s guest post comes to us from May Yu.  May is the Project Manager of CitizenEffect.org, an organization that empowers anyone to become a Citizen Philanthropist by providing the tools to work directly with communities in need and lead a cause-campaign.

Ninety-one meetups,  45 music venues, five countries  -- fueling one movement to directly aid theGulf Coast, all organized in four weeks. 

As a co-producer of the Gulf Coast Benefit, Sloane Berrent is a true Citizen Philanthropist -- she not only walks the walk, she empowers passionate individuals everywhere to run their own race.  

I had the fortune of meeting Sloane in New Orleans on the Citizen Gulf Mission to Help Fishing Families, two days prior to the Gulf Coast Benefit: A coast-to-coast campaign that pulls in local music venues and artists to organize a series of benefit concerts on July 1st. Proceeds from each event will donated to the Gulf Restoration Network to directly aid those affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.  

Sloane’s campaign demonstrates the future of cause-marketing and fundraising: empowering individuals to self-identify, join the movement, and taking ownership to make it their own. Using eight different social media tools and one microsite, Sloane’s campaign gave those who cared for the Gulf a means to do more, and the steps to become successful in doing more. A centralized outreach strategy via social media provided the structure for individuals to join, donate, and/or promote. More importantly decentralized control also gave participants the agency to work outside the structure, redefine the tools and strategy, and start their own local movement linked to a nationwide campaign.

Venues and artists Sloane reached out to in California and Louisiana signed on quickly. Soon online visibility brought new groups in Arkansas into the mix, those whose passion and creativity were sparked by Gulf Coast Benefit’s mission. Those who followed the steps and then took the initiative to contact local media and recruit members of their local community to create a micro-movement of their own. 

Sloane recognizes that relationships central to grassroots philanthropy are not established solely through social media and technology. “Online platforms allow people to reach out… holds you to what you want to be” thereby reinforcing the cause, mission, and strategy. It provides the framework for others to become successful organizers on their own, and the experience to replicate the model and self-generate the movement.  

As Project Manager of CitizenEffect.org, a nonprofit that empowers anyone to become a Citizen Philanthropist, I’ve often been asked about what makes a successful fundraiser and citizen-led campaign.

Sloane proves the Citizen Philanthropist model behind Citizen Effect: to truly affect change, you can’t just do it alone. It’s more than just the $5 or $5,000 donation. It’s about give people the tools to start a cause-campaign and the trust to run it on their own. Real leaders are organizers who inspire and teach others to self-organize.