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Pitch

ClimateVoice is a user-powered service that tracks voices of NGOs from around the world & also provides platform for project implementation


Description

Summary

 

ClimateVoice.org is a user-powered platform that will offer two basic services:

1. Tracks voices of NGOs and environmental justice activist from around the world by crowdsourcing information. Users create topics for current causes and demonstrations. Users worldwide then curate specific content on these issues from various sources (news, blogs, videos, photos and social media) - often from on-the-ground sources. ClimateVoice.org gives both active participants and visitors front-row seats to current events that are happening worldwide, allowing even more people to become engaged spectators. It also gives room for project exchange and collaboration whereby people or organizations from different countries can exchange ideas and implement same in their communities around the world.

2. Provides a new way to fund creative environmental projects just like kickstarter or Indiegogo. But the basic difference is that ClimateVoice.org will be focused on environmental and climate change mitigation projects. We want to give environmental activist the platform to exchange ideas and at the same time have the resources to implement same in their various local communities. Project creators set a funding goal and deadline. If people like a project, they can pledge money to make it happen in any location of their choice around the world. 

The platform will help to raise awareness especially about the many issues that go unnoticed by amplifying the participants' voices. It will also help to quicken and organize the dissemination of assorted projects, information and current news.

 


Category of the action

Adaptation


What actions do you propose?

 

1. Creating an out-of-the-box solution is the only medium to save our planet. ClimateVoice.org is all about giving NGOs, environmental justice activist, and all concern individuals a platform to voice out, share their views and idea, collaborate on creative projects, and implement together. Here users can create topics for current causes and demonstrations. Users worldwide can share their innovative projects and results, curate specific content on these issues from various sources (news, blogs, videos, photos and social media) - often from on-the-ground sources. ClimateVoice will give both active participants and visitors front-row seats to current events that are happening worldwide in mitigating and adapting to climate change, allowing even more people to become engaged spectators.

2. The Second objective of the platform is to allow NGOs, environmental justice activist, and all concern individuals to raise money for any idea they would love to replicate in their communities or countries. The site's structure will allow users to create a page for their funding campaign, set up an account with PayPal, and make a list of "perks" for different levels of donation, then create a social media-based publicity effort. Users can publicize the projects themselves through Facebook, Twitter and similar platforms. The site will levy a 4% fee for successful campaigns. For campaigns that fail to raise their target amount, users will have the option of either refunding all money to their contributors at no charge or keeping all money raised but with a 9% fee. Unlike similar sites such as Kickstarter, and Indiegogo, ClimateVoice will disburse the funds immediately, when the contributions are collected through the user's PayPal accounts. ClimateVoice will also offer direct credit card payment acceptance through its portal. The funds will be disbursed up to two weeks after the conclusion of a campaign. 


Who will take these actions?

 

ClimateVoice.org will be structured as a global hybrid organization based incorporating both for-profit and non-profit strategies and will be made up of an interdisciplinary team of emerging talents in the areas of environment, urbanism, architecture, art, design, science, technology, education, and sustainability. This team will spend time making ClimateVoice.org better every day by inviting and involving  NGOs and activists from around the world, answering questions from backers and creators, and finding new projects to share.

We believe that creative projects make for a better world, and we’re thrilled to help support new ones. With our experience with models such as kickstarter we know that building a community of backers around an idea is an amazing way to make something new.


Where will these actions be taken?

 

Since ClimateVoice.org will be structured as a global hybrid organization based, working on climate change mitigation and adaption, and inspiring people to take action that matters, we will work with several partners to make sure that the organization will operate from a location such as the Silicon Valley in order to foster its growth. We face three major potential barriers.

 

There are barriers that such environment can help us to overcome:

 Firstly, securing enough dollars for marketing at the appropriate scale and Secondly, securing funding for and retaining enough human resources/personnel for sales and marketing. Finally, we need investment from a mission driven investor.

 

We can overcome these barriers in a variety of ways if established in such location. First, we will use pro bono services for social media and for marketing. To retain quality personnel, we will use creative solutions using incentives for a portion of sales or equity. To find a mission-driven investor, we participate in gust, Angellist, Toniic, which are all aggregators of mission driven investors.


What are other key benefits?

 

Giving people the platform to express themselves and share best practices, and backing a project for replication is a new contribution to the field and is more than just giving someone money. It’s supporting their dream to create something that they want to see exist in the world. At ClimateVoice.org people can rally around their organizations, friends’ projects, support people they admire, and others can simply come to ClimateVoice.org to be inspired by new ideas.

 

 

 

 

 


What are the proposal’s costs?

 

We propose an investment of $8,000 in administrative, travel, and research expenses to write and put the business plan in place. We will require an additional $2,000 to $5,000 for incorporation and legal expenses, plus $200,000 in seed venture financing to launch the project in Silicon Valley or any suitable location around the world.


Time line

 

Phase 1 Incorporation: Finalize business plan, incorporate, file with the U.S. SEC, build

Project website: January—March, 2014

Phase 2 Venture Financing: $200,000 for opening operating station and to jump-start operations: February—September, 2014

Phase 3 Construction of operating station: October—December, 2014

Phase 4 Optimize ClimateVoice.org: November, 2014

Phase 5 Subscribe users to ClimateVoice.org services: December, 2014

 

Six-Month Tasks

Task 1

Mobile apps and making the site compatible for mobile usage and the iPad

Task 2

Better and more flexible widget for embedding purposes

Task 3

Toolbar for people to implement on their own sites, personalized for the causes that they follow on ClimateVoice

12-Month Tasks

Task 1

Business model (customizing the app for other orgs or businesses for a fee)

Task 2

Bigger improvements on UI (more features)

Task 3

Better way to organize the topics by the languages they're available in

 


Related proposals

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References

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