SumOfUs
Ekō, formerly SumOfUs, is a global non-profit advocacy organization founded in 2011 by Australian-American activist Taren Stinebrickner-Kauffman to challenge corporate influence through online consumer mobilization and campaigns targeting environmental degradation, labor conditions, and democratic accountability.[1][2] The group rebranded to Ekō in 2023 to better reflect its international scope and emphasis on collective action.[3] Headquartered in New York, it operates as a digital platform for petitions and pressure tactics, self-reporting a community of millions who participate in efforts to influence multinational corporations.[4][2] Key activities include orchestrating boycotts, shareholder resolutions, and public shaming campaigns against companies accused of prioritizing profits over sustainability or worker welfare, with self-claimed successes such as prompting McDonald's to phase out plastic straws in certain markets and contributing to the abandonment of Google's censored search engine project in China.[5][6] These outcomes, however, often rely on the organization's own attributions, with limited independent verification of direct causation amid broader market or regulatory trends. The group's funding derives predominantly from small individual donations—over 313,000 contributions averaging $19 in 2023—supplemented by grants from progressive foundations like Tides and Chorus, supporting an annual operation with assets around $867,000.[7][8][9] Ekō's campaigns frequently advance environmentalist and labor agendas aligned with left-leaning priorities, such as curbing fossil fuel expansion and promoting supply chain reforms, but have faced criticism for employing hyperbolic narratives to drive micro-donation fundraising, potentially misleading supporters on campaign impacts.[10] User reviews reflect dissatisfaction with persistent email solicitations and perceived inefficacy, yielding a low average rating of 2.4 on independent platforms.[11] Despite these critiques, the organization has sustained growth, evolving from U.S.-focused efforts to a multinational network influencing corporate policies in diverse sectors.[3]Founding and Early Development
Inception and Founders
SumOfUs was founded in 2011 by Taren Stinebrickner-Kauffman, a dual Australian-American activist with prior experience in digital organizing across multiple continents.[1][9][12] Stinebrickner-Kauffman, who earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Duke University, launched the organization as a nonprofit consumer advocacy group dedicated to holding multinational corporations accountable through grassroots mobilization.[13][14] No co-founders are documented in available records, positioning Stinebrickner-Kauffman as the sole originator of the initiative.[9][1] The inception reflected a broader trend in early 2010s online activism, where Stinebrickner-Kauffman sought to build a global network empowering ordinary consumers to influence corporate behavior on issues like economic justice and environmental impact.[3][14] Headquartered in New York, the entity began as a small U.S.-centric corporate accountability effort but was designed from the outset for international scalability, leveraging digital tools to amass supporter engagement.[4][3] Stinebrickner-Kauffman led as executive director until November 2016, overseeing initial growth to a membership base that eventually reached millions.[9][14]Initial Launch and Objectives
SumOfUs launched in 2011 in New York City as a digital advocacy organization modeled after progressive groups like MoveOn, with the aim of mobilizing global online communities to challenge corporate influence.[15][16] The initiative began as a small corporate accountability effort primarily targeting U.S.-based campaigns, seeking to harness consumer and public pressure against business practices deemed harmful to society and the environment.[3] The organization's initial objectives focused on curbing the expanding power of multinational corporations by encouraging ethical behavior in areas such as environmental protection, labor rights, and democratic governance.[17] SumOfUs positioned itself as a "global consumer watchdog," running petitions and campaigns to influence companies to prioritize sustainability, fair worker treatment, and respect for public interests over short-term profits.[18] This approach emphasized collective action from consumers, employees, and investors to hold firms accountable, reflecting a worldview that corporate decisions should align with broader societal benefits rather than unchecked market forces.[19] Early efforts highlighted tensions between corporate affiliations and public values, such as pressuring tech giants over political lobbying ties, underscoring the group's strategy of using viral online mobilization to amplify grassroots demands for transparency and reform.[9] These objectives were framed not as anti-business but as pro-accountability, though critics later noted the selective targeting often aligned with left-leaning priorities like climate action and union support.[9]Organizational History
Growth Phase (2011-2015)
SumOfUs was established in 2011 as a digital advocacy organization aimed at mobilizing consumers to challenge corporate practices on economic, environmental, and social issues. Founded by Taren Stinebrickner-Kauffman, it initially operated primarily in the United States, employing an online petition model to amplify grassroots pressure. The organization's early strategy emphasized rapid member acquisition through viral campaigns, enabling quick scaling without heavy reliance on traditional infrastructure. By focusing on high-profile targets, SumOfUs achieved early visibility, with membership growing from zero at launch to substantial numbers within the first few years.[20] A pivotal factor in this expansion was the success of initial campaigns, such as those pressuring financial institutions over debit card fees and tech companies on labor conditions in supply chains. For instance, in 2012, SumOfUs launched a petition urging Apple to enforce ethical manufacturing standards ahead of the iPhone 5 release, highlighting worker welfare in factories. These efforts, combined with targeted email outreach and social media, drove exponential supporter engagement, as members were encouraged to sign petitions and share actions. The model proved effective in building a distributed network, with petitions often garnering hundreds of thousands of signatures in short periods.[21] By January 2014, SumOfUs had amassed over 2.5 million members globally, reflecting a surge in online participation amid rising public interest in corporate accountability post-financial crisis. This growth coincided with involvement in broader environmental advocacy, including opposition to tar sands development, which drew funding and alliances from aligned nonprofits. Organizational capacity expanded modestly, with staff increases to handle campaign execution and member communications, though the core remained lean and digitally oriented. Membership reportedly approached 5 million by mid-decade, underscoring the phase's momentum before further internationalization.[22][23]Expansion and Key Milestones (2016-2022)
During 2016–2022, SumOfUs expanded its operational footprint internationally, maintaining staff presence in countries including the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, and France while growing its global membership from an estimated base in the low millions to nearly 17 million by 2020 and over 19 million by 2021.[9][24] This period saw the addition of Dutch as an operating language to broaden outreach in Europe.[24] Financially, the organization reported revenue of $5.4 million from grants and contributions in 2017, increasing to $7.1 million in 2020 and $9.3 million in 2021, with corresponding rises in expenses and net assets reflecting scaled-up campaigning and administrative capacity.[9][25] Key milestones included high-profile campaign victories attributed by the organization to member mobilization. In January 2021, SumOfUs pressured Meta platforms over data policies, coinciding with revisions to WhatsApp's terms that limited user data sharing with Facebook.[24] By May 2021, over 125,000 members participated in actions against Instagram for Kids, contributing to Facebook's decision to pause development amid widespread criticism.[24][26] In December 2021, advocacy efforts helped block French public funding for TotalEnergies' Arctic gas exploration project.[24] SumOfUs also secured net-zero emissions commitments from Canada's three largest banks—Royal Bank of Canada, Toronto-Dominion Bank, and Scotiabank—through targeted pressure on fossil fuel financing.[24] In parallel, the organization influenced BNP Paribas to withdraw support for activities linked to Amazon deforestation in Brazil's Cerrado region, following prior cuts of $6 billion in related financing.[24] By 2022, SumOfUs announced plans to extend operations into the Middle East and North Africa, building on over 100 partnerships with civil society groups representing 71 million EU citizens.[24] These developments underscored a shift toward intensified focus on climate accountability and digital harms, with membership actions exceeding 200,000 participants in select 2021 drives.[24]Rebranding to Ekō (2023 Onward)
In February 2023, SumOfUs rebranded to Ekō, with the change publicly announced via social media on February 7.[27] The new name derives from a phonetic spelling of "echo," selected for its cross-linguistic resonance symbolizing the organization's collective power to amplify messages globally.[28] Ekō maintains its headquarters and operational structure but emphasizes its expansion to a community of over 20 million supporters operating in seven languages.[3] The rebranding stemmed from the view that the original "SumOfUs" name—a mathematical pun on aggregating individual actions—was increasingly limiting and failed to resonate with diverse international audiences as the group evolved beyond its U.S.-centric origins.[3][28] To select the new identity, leadership generated a list of potential names, consulted members through voting, and collaborated with branding experts including Alt Studio for strategy and OPX Studio for visual design.[28] Post-rebranding, Ekō has upheld its core mission of prioritizing people and the planet over corporate profits, continuing campaigns against corporate overreach in areas like environmental accountability and labor rights.[3] Notable efforts include a May 2023 protest at Microsoft Build targeting AI ethics concerns via advertisements and billboards,[29] the #HyundaiDriveChange coalition addressing the company's environmental impacts,[30] and ongoing petitions for policies such as Ireland's Occupied Territories Bill to curb corporate ties to controversial territories.[31] In 2024, Ekō filed an amicus brief in a U.S. Supreme Court case advocating for shareholder protections against executive overcompensation, underscoring its sustained focus on corporate governance.[32] The organization reports no fundamental shifts in tactics or funding models, positioning the rebrand as an evolution to enhance global mobilization rather than a strategic pivot.[3]Mission, Ideology, and Principles
Stated Core Goals
Ekō (formerly SumOfUs) articulates its primary objective as fostering a global community dedicated to limiting corporate influence and compelling corporations and governments to prioritize human welfare and environmental sustainability over financial gains. The organization explicitly states: "Ekō is a global community of millions who are committed to ensuring corporations and governments prioritize people and planet over profit."[33] This vision encompasses advocating for a "fairer, more sustainable economy" by mobilizing supporters against practices deemed exploitative, such as environmental degradation and labor abuses.[17] Key stated goals include challenging corporate accountability across multiple domains, including animal rights and protection, environmental justice, human and workers' rights, equitable trade and finance, civil liberties, racial and economic justice, opposition to privatization of public services, mitigation of climate impacts, digital rights, and shareholder advocacy.[33] These objectives are pursued through collective action to pressure entities into adopting policies aligned with social and ecological priorities, with the organization claiming involvement from over 23 million individuals since its inception in 2011.[33] SumOfUs's foundational aim, as outlined in its early documentation, centered on organizing consumers and citizens to influence corporations toward economic justice and public welfare enhancements.Ideological Underpinnings and Worldview
SumOfUs, rebranded as Ekō in 2023, espouses a worldview centered on limiting corporate influence to achieve economic and environmental equity, positing that unchecked corporate power undermines democratic governance and public welfare. The organization asserts that governments must prioritize citizens over corporate interests, advocating for policies that enforce corporate accountability in areas such as labor rights, consumer protections, and ecological sustainability.[34] [35] This perspective frames multinational corporations as primary drivers of systemic harms, including environmental degradation and worker exploitation, necessitating global grassroots mobilization to compel regulatory reforms and behavioral changes.[17] Ideologically aligned with progressive principles, Ekō's approach integrates intersectional considerations, as evidenced by its development of a style guide promoting language that supports cross-sector power-building and inclusive narratives around social justice issues.[36] Campaigns consistently target business practices deemed misaligned with left-leaning priorities, such as pressuring firms to adopt stringent environmental standards or animal welfare measures, reflecting a belief in collective action over market self-regulation.[9] This orientation critiques free-market dynamics as favoring profit maximization at the expense of broader societal benefits, favoring interventionist strategies to redistribute power toward affected communities.[9] Underlying this stance is a causal framework attributing global inequities to corporate dominance rather than individual or structural factors like policy incentives or innovation barriers, with empirical focus on case-specific victories like policy reversals on deforestation or chemical use.[17] While self-presented as non-partisan advocacy for "people and planet over profits," external analyses characterize it as advancing left-wing ideological goals through targeted corporate shaming and alliance-building with aligned NGOs.[9][35]Methods and Operations
Campaign Tactics and Mobilization
SumOfUs, now operating as Ekō, primarily mobilizes its global community of millions through digital platforms, leveraging email alerts and online petitions to drive rapid member engagement against targeted corporations and governments. Members are prompted to sign petitions amassing hundreds of thousands of signatures, such as over 170,000 demanding the resignation of Bayer-Monsanto's CEO in 2019 or 209,000 opposing WhatsApp's data policy changes in 2021.[37][38] These actions often coincide with coordinated email and social media campaigns, including thousands of targeted messages to decision-makers, as seen in 2,000 emails to pension fund managers for a Saputo food waste initiative or 1,600 emails and tweets to the U.S. Forest Service.[37][38] Shareholder activism forms a core tactic, where the organization files resolutions at annual general meetings to pressure companies on environmental and social issues, mobilizing supporters to vote or lobby institutional investors. In 2019, this yielded 25% shareholder support for PepsiCo's palm oil accountability resolution and 42% for Saputo's food waste reduction.[37] Similar efforts in 2021 targeted Alphabet and Facebook, alongside outreach to state-run pension funds for divestment.[38] These campaigns extend to encouraging boycotts or service disruptions, such as over 80,000 Airbnb account deactivations during a global day of action.[37] Complementing digital efforts, SumOfUs organizes in-person protests and symbolic stunts to amplify visibility, including demonstrations outside corporate headquarters like PayPal's Berlin office or JP Morgan Chase locations, and creative actions such as mobile billboards at the U.S. Capitol targeting Facebook or delivering an oil drum to Lloyd's of London chairman.[37][38] A 2021 protest featuring a 5,000-pound iceberg outside the Capitol highlighted climate concerns.[38] This hybrid approach draws on a member base exceeding 19 million by 2021, fostering collective pressure through scalable, low-barrier online actions escalated to high-impact offline events when needed.[38]Research and Reporting Practices
Ekō (formerly SumOfUs) conducts research primarily through in-house investigative teams that employ direct engagement with targeted platforms and services to document alleged policy failures and harms. Researchers often simulate vulnerable user profiles, such as adolescent accounts on social media, to observe algorithmic recommendations and search results, identifying networks of content promoting self-harm, incel ideologies, or drug sales accessible to minors.[39] For instance, in a 2023 analysis of TikTok, investigators located at least 18 accounts selling substances like cocaine and Xanax via easily discoverable posts, compiling evidence through screenshots and links to verify exposure risks.[39] In virtual environments, the methodology involves team members entering platforms like Meta's Horizon Worlds with new avatars to record real-time interactions, revealing instances of virtual harassment or assault simulations occurring within hours of login.[40] A May 2022 report detailed multiple such encounters, including groping and explicit propositions, supported by logs, timestamps, and narrative descriptions rather than aggregated statistical data.[40] Similar qualitative approaches extend to hashtag-based content audits on Instagram and TikTok, where searches under youth-targeted tags uncovered over 33 million posts with problematic material, though without disclosure of sampling parameters or automation tools used.[41] Reporting practices center on producing accessible PDF documents that integrate firsthand evidence with interpretive analysis framing findings as systemic corporate negligence, often timed for maximum impact such as pre-shareholder voting periods.[42] These outputs prioritize advocacy goals, demanding policy reforms or accountability measures, and are disseminated via press releases to media and community networks exceeding 23 million members.[43] While drawing on empirical observations, the absence of external validation, randomized controls, or quantitative rigor distinguishes this from academic standards, aligning instead with activist journalism aimed at mobilizing consumer and investor pressure.[39][40]Digital and Grassroots Strategies
SumOfUs, rebranded as Ekō, primarily relies on digital platforms for mobilization, leveraging online petitions, email alerts, and social media to engage a global supporter base exceeding millions. The organization's community petition platform enables users to create and promote targeted campaigns against corporate entities, facilitating rapid collection of signatures and public pressure.[44] This approach reached 2.5 million members by January 2014, with petitions directed at companies such as Google, Apple, and Trader Joe's to influence business practices.[22] Email campaigns form a core tactic, sending targeted alerts to subscribers urging actions like signing petitions, contacting corporations, or donating, which drive repeat engagement and funding.[38] Social media amplification extends reach, creating reputational risks for targets by flooding platforms with campaign content and encouraging shares to escalate visibility.[45] These digital tools support coordinated global efforts, such as boycotts or shareholder pressure, positioning supporters as consumers, workers, or investors exerting economic leverage.[2] Grassroots elements complement digital operations by fostering offline spillover, where online signatories are prompted to participate in local protests, rallies, or direct actions against targeted firms.[46] Ekō's model emphasizes empowering individuals to initiate community-driven petitions that bridge virtual coordination with real-world mobilization, though empirical studies indicate variable success in converting digital participation to sustained local organizing.[2] This hybrid strategy aligns with broader digitally-native advocacy trends, prioritizing scalable online actions over traditional hierarchical structures.[47]Financial Model
Primary Funding Sources
Ekō (formerly SumOfUs) derives the majority of its funding from individual donors, with foundations comprising a substantial supplementary portion. According to its financial disclosures for fiscal years 2021–2023, individual contributions accounted for 67.4% ($5,919,338) in 2023, 67.6% ($6,871,845) in 2022, and 78.5% ($7,297,046) in 2021, often in small amounts averaging around $17 per donation in recent years.[7] [48] The organization emphasizes that these grassroots donations form the core of its support base, enabling rapid response to campaigns without reliance on corporate or governmental funding, which it explicitly rejects to maintain independence from entities it targets.[7] Foundational grants represent 21–30% of total income in the same period, totaling $1.98 million in 2021, $3.05 million in 2022, and $2.37 million in 2023.[7] Key providers include the Tides Foundation, which has issued multiple six-figure grants; the Open Society Foundations, with which Ekō maintains partnerships; the David and Lucile Packard Foundation; the Sunrise Project; the Park Foundation; and others such as Luminate, Reset, Mighty Earth, and the Hull Family Foundation.[9] [49] [48] These entities, often aligned with progressive philanthropic networks, support Ekō's focus on corporate accountability and environmental advocacy, though their ideological leanings—such as Open Society's emphasis on open societies and Tides' role as a fiscal sponsor for left-leaning causes—have drawn scrutiny for potential influence on organizational priorities.[9]| Year | Total Income | Individuals (%) | Foundations (%) | Other (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | $8,775,984 | 67.4 | 27.1 | 5.5 |
| 2022 | $10,166,378 | 67.6 | 30.0 | 2.4 |
| 2021 | $9,300,233 | 78.5 | 21.3 | 0.2 |
Revenue, Budget, and Donor Base
Ekō, formerly known as SumOfUs, derives its revenue primarily from grants, contributions, and individual donations, with total revenue reaching $10.2 million in 2022 before declining to $8.7 million in 2023.[8] Expenses in those years totaled $11.1 million and $10.4 million, respectively, resulting in operating deficits of $0.8 million and $1.7 million.[8] Historical data shows steady growth in revenue from $5.8 million in 2019 to $9.3 million in 2021, driven largely by unrestricted and restricted contributions exceeding $9.3 million in the latter year.[8] [25] The organization's budget allocates the majority to campaign activities, accounting for 67% of spending in 2023, 79% in 2022, and 76% in 2021, with the remainder divided between management operations (13-21%) and fundraising (7-11%).[7] As a 501(c)(4) social welfare entity, Ekō maintains no corporate or governmental funding, emphasizing independence from such influences.[7] [8]| Fiscal Year | Revenue | Expenses |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | $5,788,722 | $5,785,935 |
| 2020 | $7,110,840 | $6,605,040 |
| 2021 | $9,300,233 | $8,481,977 |
| 2022 | $10,225,772 | $11,050,514 |
| 2023 | $8,714,918 | $10,365,880 |