Implementing a Global Action Plan by Mobilize Now
Pitch
Implement the 2015 award-winning Global Action Plan, “Make Climate a Top Priority for Action by Every Global Citizen and Organization.”
Description
Summary
The proposal, “Make Climate a Top Priority for Action by Every Global Citizen and Organization” by Mobilize Now, won the Popular Choice Award in the 2015 MIT Global Climate Action Plan. It references a number of MIT Climate CoLab projects that, when taken together, can help solve the Climate Change problem through radical reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, mitigation, and adaptation. Many of the authors of these proposals presented them in the hope that they would be vetted for possible funding and implementation.
Now that we have a vetted group of finalists and winners, the next step is to get funding for their many proposals that have received the MIT Climate CoLab imprimatur or have been in serious contention. Other plans and proposals will come to light in the future and can be fit under this "umbrella" of vetted proposals if they are appropriately framed and structured, and reviewed and approved by MIT Climate CoLab.
We feel that is needed next is one of the two following systems:
Option 1 - Requires some upfront investment by MIT or a grantor and can be implemented by summer 2016
- A parent web site where projects can be showcased so that for-profit and not-for-profit funding agencies can evaluate them and provide resources to projects they choose.
- A conference of the winners and finalists to flesh out their proposals and coordinate actions that, together, comprise a global plan.
- Participation by grantors in evaluation and "judging" of our project to bring them on board.
Option 2 - No upfront investment required by MIT and can be implemented immediately
- Authorize Team Mobilize Now to establish an "MIT Climate CoLab Winners' and Finalists' Fundraising page" on Crowdrise.
- Authorize Team Mobilize Now to establish an "MIT Climate CoLab Winners' Channel" on Youtube.
What actions do you propose?
In case Option 1 is chosen - Actions to be taken in coordination with MIT Climate CoLab:
1. Create a web site where each of our selected proposals can have a sub-site where it can mount a short "pitch" video to tell prospective funders about the project. Interested funders can then click a link that brings them to an extended description and a platform where they can make a contribution to, or investments in, their chosen proposal.
2. Advise all prospective website participants to become eligible to receive funding, either by (a) incorporating as separate for-profit or not-for-profit entities or (b) becoming sub-foundations of a fiscal non-profit sponsor, such as United Charitable.
3. Obtain sponsorship for a one-time conference of winners and finalists to be organized as an Open Space Conference that we enjoyed so much at Crowds and Climate Conference 2015. We will meet for three days in Spring 2016 in topic areas to discuss the “pillars” of the program, generally organized in the same topics as the separate contests. On the last day we will reconvene and present our separate projects in a way that makes it clear (a) what needs to be done, (b) who is to do it, (c) where it is to be done, (d) when it will be done, (e) what resources will be needed, and (f) how a particular project coordinates with other projects. On the last day we will present our ideas as pitches to potential funding agencies. MIT should invite in all the funders they can identify both from the not-for-profit world and the for-profit world (including participants from UN COP 21). These potential funders and additional experts would have the option of working with us during the entire conference or just talking to us on the last day. As a result of this conference we would get all “winning" solutions fleshed out with additional crowd-sourced input. Funders would become acquainted with particular proposals in their areas of interest.
4. Fund continued work and administration of the Mobilize Now Team with a percentage of the investments and contributions described in action 2 above. In other words team Mobilize Now would be incentivized to bring donors and investors to the table by making certain we receive a portion of the proceeds from our actions. This project to fund proposals could be independent or could be managed by MIT Climate CoLab, which would receive and redistribute these "royalty" funds.
In case Option 2 is chosen:
1. Team Mobilize Now will establish an "“MIT Climate CoLab Winners Fund-raising Page" on Crowdrise - We write to all the projects that are listed in our proposal, or to the exhaustive list of winners and finalists, and get them to join our team at Crowdrise, after they are eligible by virtue of incorporation, to raise not-for-profit money. Then all the non-profit money goes to one central pot, and can be redistributed to the project which raised the money, less the charge from Crowdrise and less 10 percent that we keep for Team Mobilize Now for administration to pay for the service of bringing attention of the widest possible audience to our many worthy causes.
Then in the name of MIT Climate CoLab we can send any not-for-profit grantors to Crowdrise directly. We can send entreaties to the foundations on the list at this link and to other High Net Worth families and individuals as well as all to all the MIT Alumni. We can write an article about this for the MIT Alumni bulletin and permit alumni to take the lead in donating. Crowdrise will help us to do this. They are very proactive. When they see the potential they will give us all the help we need. They are professionals at this new approach to fund-raising.
Here is an example of a Crowdrise fundraising appeal in which many local Bostonians have participated. https://www.crowdrise.com/2016BostonMarathon As you can see, it really works. They have raised over $4,000,000 so far. We may eclipse that total in short order. We are not appealing only to Boston, but to the World. One advantage of Crowdrise is that there is no time limit to the project.
2. Team Mobilize Now will establish an “MIT Climate CoLab Winners Channel” on Youtube.
We will invite each of your designated winners to put a 3 minute video on that channel. They simply post a link to their Youtube video on www.crowdrise.com and it populates automatically to the site.
For-profit investors or other equity funding prospects can be referred directly to individual sub-projects.
Who will take these actions?
Option 1
1. To create the appropriate web site we will need to contract with a development team at a cost of approximately $40,000. Dylan Husted, a member of our team, has volunteered to coordinate the developers and oversee creation of the appropriate web site. Alternatively, he is willing to work with an existing crowd funding site but to reconfigure their format for the purpose of enabling this funding project.
2. MIT Climate CoLab should contact winners and finalists of projects we have selected for possible inclusion on the funding website and should ask them to (a) insure they are legally eligible to receive money, (b) create a short pitch video to include in the new web site, (c) create a site where potential investors/donors can go to find out more about the project.
3. MIT Climate CoLab should find in the donor community a sponsor or sponsors who can put up the money needed to hold the proposed conference at MIT.
4. Mobilize Now core team will set itself up either as a B Corporation or as a not-for-profit project of United Charitable to permit it to receive funding for carrying out coordination of the ongoing Global Climate Action Plan project.
Option 2
Team Mobilize Now will undertake the interaction with both Crowdrise and with Youtube to set up the framework for the fund-raising efforts. We will write, with MIT authorization, to every winner we jointly identify telling them about the project, soliciting their video and insuring they are eligible to receive contributions. We will communicate with leadership at Crowdrise to get as much of their support as possible to create an extremely effective presence on their platform.
Where will these actions be taken?
All actions by sub-projects will take place in the offices of those participating sub-projects wherever they may be located. All actions by Team Mobilize Now will take place in their own offices. MIT actions will take place in the offices of MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Unless we hold a conference in Cambridge, no transportation is required. This feature of the program is attractive in that the carbon footprint of planning from now on is minimal.
How will these actions have a high impact in addressing climate change?
What are other key benefits?
The primary benefit is to bring to the table funders and authors of numerous creative projects that will enable grass roots citizens and organizations to fight climate change, thus contributing to achieving the goals subscribed to at COP21 in Paris. This project is intended to lead to society-wide mobilization on the level of World War II, with every citizen becoming enabled to participate in actions to maintain a sustainable home on planet Earth. By the time of COP22 in November 2016 in Morocco this project should be available in every country for investment or contribution. As time goes by one key benefit of this project will be that new sub-projects that might not be able to get funding from the environmental establishment will be able to become part of our overall project with the blessing of MIT Climate CoLab.
What are the proposal’s costs?
Option 1
1. Website development is estimated to cost $40,000. It is estimated an additional $5,000 per year will be needed for maintenance.
2. Conference space and administrative costs will be the same as Crowds and Climate 2015, with adjustment for the fact that this will be a three-day conference. One savings is that the conference will not have any outside speakers who would need to be taken care of or who would expect a stipend.
3. All other costs will be borne by donors and investors.
Option 2
Cost to MIT is negligible. Project will pay for itself entirely thanks to crowdfunding.
Time line
First half of 2016:
Option 1
1. Hold initial conference in Spring 2016.
2. Design, test, evaluate and launch the fund-raising website by June 2016.
Option 2
1. Write to all sub-projects in January 2016
2. Start Crowdrise site in February 2016
3. Launch in March 2016
Related proposals
Please see our original Team Mobilize Now proposal for details of our related projects
By:
Mobilize Now
