{{Short description|Global advocacy organization}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2023}} {{Infobox organization | logo = | key_people = {{ublist|Taren Stinebrickner-Kauffman (founder and former ED)|Hannah Lownsbrough (former ED)|Emma Ruby-Sachs (Executive Director since 2020)}} | name = SumOfUs | focus = Advocacy | type = NGO 501(c)(4) | method = Online campaigning | founded = 2011 | region_served = Worldwide | website = {{URL|https://www.eko.org}} }} '''SumOfUs''' is a global non-profit advocacy organization and online community that campaigns to hold corporations accountable on issues such as climate change, workers' rights, discrimination, human rights, animal rights, corruption, and corporate power grab.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://voqal.org/watchdog-sumofus-wilmar-adopts/ |title=After pressure from global corporate watchdog SumOfUs, Wilmar adopts industry-leading anti-deforestation policies. |publisher=Voqal.org |date=2014-02-28 |access-date=2016-03-03}}</ref> The organization renamed itself to '''Ekō''' in 2023.<ref>{{cite tweet|user=Eko_Movement|number=162155410602344448|title=We have a new name! 📣 Welcome to the global community of Ekō}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Corfield |first=Gareth |date=2023-03-21 |title=TikTok faces backlash from Left and Right-wing US politicians over Chinese ownership |language=en-GB |work=The Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2023/03/21/tiktok-faces-backlash-left-right-wing-us-politicians-chinese/ |access-date=2023-03-24 |issn=0307-1235}}</ref>
== Founding == Australian-American activist Taren Stinebrickner-Kauffman is the founder of SumOfUs and was its executive director from 2011 to 2016. In November 2016, Hannah Lownsbrough replaced Stinebricker-Kauffman as the executive director of SumOfUs. In January 2020, Emma Ruby-Sachs, the daughter of activist Clayton Ruby,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Fitterman |first=Lisa |date=2022-08-04 |title=Eloquent civil rights lawyer Clayton Ruby followed his powerful moral compass |language=en-CA |work=The Globe and Mail |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-eloquent-civil-rights-lawyer-clayton-ruby-followed-his-powerful-moral/ |access-date=2023-03-24}}</ref> took over as the organization's new executive director.<ref>{{Cite web |website=Ekō, formerly known as SumofUs via YouTube|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ce_ttHKo3V0 |title=Coffee Meet Up with our New Executive Director Emma Ruby-Sachs |date=2023-01-28 |access-date=2023-03-23 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.eko.org/about/board/ |title=Our Board |website=Ekō, formerly known as SumofUs |access-date=2023-03-23 |language=en}}</ref>
== History == SumOfUs was launched in 2011 with campaigns targeting Google's links to the US Chamber of Commerce,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://googlequitthechamber.org/ |title=Google needs to quit the US Chamber of Commerce |publisher=Googlequitthechamber.org |access-date=2016-03-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111130214007/http://googlequitthechamber.org/ |archive-date=2011-11-30 |url-status=live }}</ref> a campaign to thank Starbucks for supporting same-sex marriage in the United States,<ref>{{cite web |author=SumOfUs |url=http://sumofus.org/campaigns/thank-starbucks/ |title=Thank Starbucks for standing up for gay rights |publisher=SumOfUs |access-date=2016-03-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322224436/http://sumofus.org/campaigns/thank-starbucks/ |archive-date=2012-03-22 }}</ref> and calling on Apple to force its suppliers to treat their workers more ethically.<ref>{{cite web |author=SumOfUs |url=http://sumofus.org/share/april-2012-campaigns-update/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120507145558/http://sumofus.org/share/april-2012-campaigns-update/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=2012-05-07 |title=April 2012 Campaigns Update |publisher=SumOfUs |date=2012-04-28 |access-date=2016-03-03 }}</ref>
The organization says that since its launch, it has expanded to have five million members.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=https://www.huckmag.com/perspectives/activism-2/why-i-do-what-i-do-activism-2/sum-us/|title=Sum of Us - Five Million Strong|first=Alex|date=2014-08-27|website=Huck Magazine|author=King|access-date=2016-03-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140902234414/http://www.huckmagazine.com/perspectives/activism-2/why-i-do-what-i-do-activism-2/sum-us/|archive-date=2014-09-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://fivemillion.sumofus.org/map.html |title=5M SumOfUs |publisher=Fivemillion.sumofus.org |access-date=2016-03-03}}</ref>
SumOfUs has staff in the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, France, Lithuania, Colombia and the Netherlands.
== Notable campaigns and reports == In December 2013, after pressure from SumOfUs members, major UK retailer Asos committed to stop selling Angora sourced from China after an undercover investigation revealed rabbits being plucked live for their fur. Other major UK retailers including Next, Primark, New Look and Ted Baker, and the entirety of Philip Green's Arcadia group which includes TopShop reported they had instructed suppliers to suspend sourcing of products using Angora fibre.<ref>{{cite news |title=Clothing retailers stop sale of angora wool from China |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-25414201 |access-date=10 November 2025 |agency=BBC}}</ref> Inditex which owns the Zara stores subsequently elected to stop releasing collections that used Angora.<ref>{{cite web |title=Zara Bans Angora And Gains Good Karma By Doing Something Great With The Leftover Knits |url=https://www.marieclaire.co.uk/news/fashion-news/zara-angora-ban-115411 |website=Marie Claire UK |access-date=10 November 2025}}</ref>
In February 2014, SumOfUs demanded in a petition that "the cereal maker [Kellogg's] get tough with Wilmar or end its supply and distribution joint venture with the company".<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-02-14/kellogg-to-stop-using-deforested-palm-oil-by-2016-amid-pressure|title=Kellogg to Stop Buying Deforested Palm Oil Amid Pressure|first=Duane D.|last=Stanford|date=February 14, 2014|work=Bloomberg|access-date=18 February 2017}}</ref> Kellogg's subsequently committed to buy only sustainably sourced palm oil.
In 2015, SumOfUs helped to push airline companies such as Delta to stop shipping hunting trophies,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/03/travel/cecil-lion-poaching-hunting-delta-airlines.html|title=After Killing of Cecil the Lion, Delta Joins Airline Ban on Game Trophies|last=Graham|first=Adam H.|date=August 3, 2015|work=The New York Times|access-date=21 March 2016}}</ref> lobbied Canadian officials to charge Nestle responsible water rates for drawing water from public lands,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://theprovince.com/news/government+criticized+water+rates+flip+flop/11519206/story.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117234735/http://www.theprovince.com/news/government+criticized+water+rates+flip+flop/11519206/story.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 17, 2015|title=B.C. government criticized for water-rates 'flip-flop'|first=Dan|last=Fumano|work=The Province|date=November 16, 2015}}</ref> and helped get Standard Chartered Bank to cancel its financing of Adani's giant Australian coal mine.<ref name="Mashable" />
In January 2024, Ekō's released a report that assessed the impact of popular social media platforms on young users. The report documented over 33 million posts on Instagram and TikTok directing "problematic content directed at young users", including content promoting misogyny, suicide, and eating disorders.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Corbett |first=Jessica |date=2024-01-31 |title=Study Finds Over 33 Million Instagram, TikTok Posts Promoting Harmful Content to Kids |url=https://www.commondreams.org/news/children-and-social-media |access-date=2024-02-01 |website=Common Dreams |language=en}}</ref>
Following Israel's 9-day siege on Gaza in 2021, 140,000 Ekō members contacted one of the world's biggest sports brands, PUMA, to withdraw their sponsorship of the Israel Football Association. They met with the CEO of PUMA to get their message across. PUMA ended its relationship with the Israel Football Federation last year, months after the current Israeli invasion.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Olympics and FIFA: Ban Israel from international sports now. |url=https://action.eko.org/a/olympics-and-fifa-ban-israel-from-international-sports-now |access-date=2026-04-08 |website=Ekō}}</ref> Boycott movements also led a long-running campaign calling for Puma to end its sponsorship of Israel's national soccer team, which began in 2018. While the German sports brand terminated its sponsorship deal in December.<ref name="12 Nations">{{cite news |last1=Syed |first1=Armani |title=12 Nations Call on FIFA to Ban Israel from World Soccer Competitions |url=https://time.com/6692731/fifa-israel-football-ban-letter-middle-east-nations/ |agency=Time |date=8 Feb 2024}}</ref>
== Methodology == SumOfUs uses digital technology to organize and communicate globally, connecting consumers, workers and investors from around the world.<ref name=":0" />
One of SumOfUs' primary functions is to amplify other corporate accountability organizations' campaigns by launching rapid-response campaigns.{{cn|date=February 2017}}
The online campaigning NGO operates using lean start-up methodology, by adapting the "minimum viable product"<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/sumofus-online-petition-site-passes-25-million-members/2014/01/08/8800b348-7878-11e3-af7f-13bf0e9965f6_story.html|title=SumOfUs: Online petition site passes 2.5 million members|last=Tsukayama|first=Hayley|date=January 8, 2014|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=18 February 2017}}</ref> model to the online campaigning field. SumOfUs mirrors corporations' global perspective and power base – and transcends national boundaries to take advantage of transnational companies' vulnerabilities.<ref name=":1" />
== Financial contributors == SumOfUs is a registered 501(c)(4) social welfare nonprofit. Around 85% of SumOfUs funds come from small donations from its members.<ref name="Mashable">{{Cite web|url=https://mashable.com/2015/11/29/corporate-activism-crowdfunding/|title=How online activist groups are raising millions to keep corporations in line|last=Liacas|first=Tom|website=Mashable|date=29 November 2015 |language=en|access-date=2019-07-05}}</ref> SumOfUs publishes the source of revenues every year on its web site.<ref>{{cite web |author=SumOfUs |url=http://sumofus.org/faq/#financial |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150120060454/http://sumofus.org/faq/#financial |url-status=dead |archive-date=2015-01-20 |title=Frequently Asked Questions |publisher=SumOfUs |date=2015-10-07 |access-date=2016-03-03 }}</ref> According to the Form 990 SumOfUs filed for 2016, $631,515 was contributed by a single anonymous person.<ref>{{cite web|author=SumOfUs |url=https://www.sumofus.org/images/funding/2016_990_SumOfUs.pdf |title=Funding |publisher=SumOfUs |date=2017-10-31 |access-date=2017-10-31}}</ref> According to the Form 990 SumOfUs filed for 2015, $595,000 was contributed by two anonymous donors.<ref>{{cite web|author=SumOfUs |url=https://www.sumofus.org/images/funding/2015_990_SumOfUs.pdf |title=Funding |publisher=SumOfUs |date=2016-11-03 |access-date=2016-11-03}}</ref>
== See also == * Internet activism
== References == {{reflist}}
Category:Consumer rights organizations Category:Internet-based activism Category:Internet properties established in 2011 Category:Anti-corporate activism