| Type | Non-profit |
|---|---|
| Industry | Nonprofit |
| Founded | 1993 |
| Founder(s) | Andrew Shue |
| Headquarters | 24-32 Union Square, New York, NY |
| Key people | Nancy Lublin, CEO |
| Products | Nationwide Campaigns |
| Website | dosomething.org |
Do Something (also DoSomething.org) is a non-profit organization with the goal of motivating young people to take action around social changes through national campaigns and grants for projects that make an impact. The organization's CEO is Nancy Lublin, who founded Dress for Success in 1996.
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The organization was co-founded in 1993 by American actor Andrew Shue.[1] He stated his motivation was to encourage young people to become active citizens and leaders while also making community involvement fun.[2]
Do Something strives to create a culture of volunteerism and activism through social change among young people. According to the organization's website, it is one of the largest organizations in the United States that helps young people help causes they care about. By leveraging the web, television, mobile, and pop culture, the organization seeks to inspire, empower, and celebrate a generation of young people 25 and under who recognize the need to do something, believe in their ability to get it done, and take action.[3] As the New York Times [4] stated in their article about Do Something and their use of mobile media, "teenagers become members by completing a project suggested by Do Something or one they have created themselves and uploading photos or other evidence of their efforts to the organization’s Web site."
Do Something has monthly causes sponsored by companies like Staples, Aéropostale, Pepsi and Del Monte, that address issues that concern teenagers including healthy eating, caring for pets and recycling. The youth-led web-based organization has over 300,000 members on its website, and it is estimated that through media and marketing the organization reaches over approximately 11 million young people annually.
Some past campaigns include school supplies drives, book drives, and sport equipment drives. The 2010/2011 Epic Book Drive collected thousands of books for the recovering school districts in New Orleans, Louisiana. Step Up to Bullying asks young people from coast to coast during the back-to-school season what they're doing to Step Up for a chance to be featured Do Something's interactive map and win prizes. Do Something and Aéropostale's the campaign Teens for Jeans was created in 2008 to raise awareness among teens about the one-third of homeless people who are under the age of 18.[5] People are encouraged to bring their gently worn jeans to Aéropostale, and they are then donated to over 1,000 homeless shelters in the United States and Canada. In 2011, 542,000 pairs of jeans were collected, and over one million pairs of jeans have been donated since the campaign started[6] Celebrities that have worked with the Teens for Jeans campaign include Nigel Barker,[7] Jay Sean,[8] Nikki Blonsky,[9] Chace Crawford,[10] David Archuleta, Ashley Greene and Justin Long.
Do Something clubs can be made by anyone and do any projects that matter to the members. Do Something gives its members the ideas and resources to create their own projects. Clubs have to post a minimum of two projects a year, and once signed up, members are eligible for a Club Grant and monthly prizes. Do Something sends its members three packages a year with free project resources, upcoming opportunities, and Do Something swag.
Formerly called the BR!CK Awards, the awards culminated in 1996 to recognize young people under the age of 25 who have done outstanding work in their communities and the world. The Do Something Awards include both young people involved in activism and individuals from the entertainment industry who have dedicated their time to activism and charity. The top 5 Do Something Awards receive a $10,000 community grant, while the grand prize winner receives a $100,000 grant to push its community projects forward. The Awards were broadcast for the first time in 2007. In 2011, the Do Something Awards was hosted by Jane Lynch at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, California, and was broadcast on Vh1.[11] The list of performers include Demi Lovato, Foster the People, OneRepublic featuring B.o.B. and many other celebrities such as Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Adam Lambert, Kristen Bell, Nick Cannon and Kim Kardashian.[12]