Accelerate Action is a 501(c)4 nonprofit with a mission to develop and test new models for citizen organizing, particularly in communities of color, that are scalable, financially self-sustainable, and develop deep, trusted relationships to move people to action. With a grant from Progressive Multiplier, Accelerate Action worked to develop non-donation revenue streams for partner organizations PushBlack, Pulso, and ParentsTogether using sponsored content.
Accelerate Action wanted to test if they could identify, pitch, and contract brands to spend advertising and/or sponsorship dollars on the nonprofit organizations’ Facebook Messenger communities. Initially, they faced challenges in launching the project: They struggled to identify a media consultant to help them develop the program, as they lacked contacts in the space. In addition, they had difficulty uncovering brands that aligned with the partner organization’s mission, vision, and values.
After the project was underway, they faced yet another hurdle. Accelerate Action had started the project just as the COVID-19 pandemic began, and as the impact began to multiply, sponsors pulled back on their advertising spends, further limiting the scope.
Despite the above roadblocks, this project had two key successes: A campaign with Curls, a Black hair brand, and No Evil Foods, a vegan food company. In exchange for $10,000, Curls delivered four custom Messenger stories to approximately 20,000 PushBack Messenger subscribers. No Evil Foods tested a campaign for $5,000, targeting supporters through ProgressPop.
Accelerate Action is a 501(c)4 nonprofit. Our mission is to develop and test new models for citizen organizing, particularly in communities of color, that are scalable, financially self-sustainable, and develop deep, trusted relationships that can move people to take action.