A few weeks ago, we invited you to participate in PhD research about online giving by participating in a survey about Epic Change.  While the researcher is still analyzing the results, we wanted to provide you with the initial aggregated data we received to give you the chance to highlight any findings you believe may be particularly informative or interesting for us to examine further.  Aggregate data, as well as additional charts and graphs, are available in this Google Doc. As expected, by far, the most interesting responses were found in the open-ended sections of the questionnaire. We were incredibly moved and motivated by your heartfelt, thoughtful responses.  Here's a few of the key findings: SAMPLE SIZE: Nearly 220 people responded to the survey. MOTIVATIONS: In response to the multiple-choice question "What motivated you to participate in Epic Change?" The most highly rated responses were:

• "I believe in the power of positive emotions like love & gratitude."
• "I appreciate their innovative use of social media & technology."

The lowest rated responses were:

• "I feel specifically connected to a particular project because of its purpose or geography."
• "I feel directly connected to the organization's partners in Tanzania."

When responding to the open-ended question "Share why you participate in and/or follow the work of Epic Change," the most commonly provided response was a relationship to or respect for one or both of the organization's founders.  Other often-cited themes appear in the wordle below.  Specific people, projects, and programs were excluded from this analysis, as well as categories that comprised less than 1% of the data set.  Word height is presented relative to the number of survey participants whose response was reflective of each theme. IMPROVEMENTS & NEXT STEPS: When asked about desired next steps and proposed improvements to Epic Change, respondents were somewhat divided.  Some wrote comments suggesting expansion and additional projects, like:

• "Expand beyond Tanzania programs," and
• "Grow the organization."

Many others, however, requested that Epic Change remain small & focused on our efforts in Tanzania, commenting:

• "Deliver and expand on the current projects rather than spreading thin;"
• "I'd keep the original consistency in place - don't be a slave to the #techsoc sector's misguided obsession with big scale;"
• "Keep a focus that continues to build on existing projects. Don't look to expand too broad, both in terms of theme and geography;" and
• "I  personally enjoy the connection to Mama Lucy, the school, and the kids. I'd prefer to have the organization continue to work with them in various ways, rather than to see them branch out to other projects."

Other than comments suggesting scale or focus, respondents most often suggested improvements to organizational communication, with comments like:

• "Better communication and follow up. I receive very little correspondence from them. Until receiving this survey, I kind of forgot about the organization and initially couldn't even remember what Epic Change was."

In addition, several respondents suggested improved focus on organizational sustainability, saying things like:

• "Find new ways to make money. Epic Change will not survive if it doesn't take care of itself."

OVERALL EXPERIENCE: In response the question asking respondents to rate their overall experience as a member of the Epic Change community, the average rating was 5.66 (+/- 1.15) on a 7-point scale, where "7" represented an "incredible" experience and 1 represented a "terrible" experience.  Nearly 33% rated their experience a perfect 7, and nearly 55% of respondents rated their overall experience with Epic Change a six or above.  Only 2 respondents rated their overall experience below average. Zero respondents rated Epic Change below 3 on the 7-point scale.

DEMOGRAPHICS:

• Nearly 99% of respondents reported completing at least some college-level coursework.  Over 86% reported completing a bachelor's degree, nearly 40% reported completing a Master's degree or higher, 5% reported receiving professional degrees, and 5.5% reported receiving PhDs.
• Approximately 75% of respondents were female, and 25% were male.
• 23.5% of respondents reported annual income under $50K, nearly 9% reported they were not in paid employment, over 30% reported annual income of over $90K, and 67% reported annual income of over $50K.
• Respondents were nearly evenly split 50/50 between those who were over & under 40 years of age.
• Nearly 50% of respondents reported that they worked in the social change sector.  (e.g., social change consultant, social entrepreneur, nonprofit employee, etc.)

Additional charts, aggregate data and anonymized responses to open-ended questions are available in this Google Doc. Over the coming weeks and months, your thoughts and ideas will help create the future of Epic Change.  As you review this information, we hope you'll let us know if any interesting insights or ideas emerge by commenting below. We're so grateful for your open, honest feedback. Thanks!!!

Posted: April 26th, 2012 under The Foundry.
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Last week, in a tiny Tanzanian village half the world away, a secondary school built from love opened its doors for the very first time. Because of you. Imagine the possibilities their education could represent for the world we share. Perhaps Gideon will go on to discover new planets. Maybe Leah will finally find a cure. You created these possibilities. By telling your mom you love her during To Mama With Love. By opening your heart, and your home, to friends from so very far away on a miraculous journey you made possible. By singing your little hearts out with LaLaLove. By simply giving Epic Thanks for what matters most. By investing in the dreams of a woman audacious enough to believe that love would somehow be enough. She was right. Children have now started secondary school on a patch of land purchased with your love. Never doubt your heart holds the power to create Epic Change. Thanks so much. For everything. With love & so much gratitude, Stacey

Posted: February 2nd, 2012 under The Foundry.
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It was the middle of the night I'm sure, maybe even later, when we called Ann and told her yet again: we need your help. We've got one week to launch a site. We need a volunteer to build it. And you're our only hope. It was the middle of the night, as it always is, because she's got a full-time job changing lives in LA. And she's an artist too. And a digital magazine publisher. And, oh so much more. It's always them, you know, the ones with so much to do you can't see them fitting one more thing in. They manipulate the laws of time & space to make anything possible. And so she did with LaLaLove. Ann said "yes" - because this is just what Ann says. Always. It's not as if she owes me a favor, not as if we go "way back" - though maybe our souls do, if we go all the way back to that place in the primordial soup where love came to life. In the universe we now see, though, we live on opposite coasts, come from different places, and had no reason at all to even know one another. Except that a synapse of the universe fired somewhere in the form of a tweet or a talk or a blog post and serendipity decided we would be in this love-the-world thing together. She said "yes," along with countless others. Like Robbie, who poured his heart in at a time when I'm sure he wondered if his heart had any more to give. And Lulu, whose art always breathes life, humanity, tenderness, love, resonance and connection into every site she touches. And Sanjay, who missed the school's first graduation to stay home & stay up for a week with Ann to make sure, once again, that love had a platform on which to work it's magic. They said "yes" to LaLaLove and, in doing so, they said "yes" to creating a world in which it was possible for hundreds of children from 30 schools, churches and scout troops in 19 states to build a school out of love and music. The yes they whispered to the wind traveled - on the radio waves of our partners at Kids Place Live on Sirius XM - to 30 music teachers, parents and scout leaders who sang back with all the love in their hearts, and all the kids in their care, "yes." One of those music teachers was Missy O'Keefe, at Sylvia Rosenauer elementary school in Jackson, NJ. She said "yes" too. Her yes sounded like the voices of 345 children singing the words "Don't Stop Believin'." Her "yes" looked like this: To her, and to those 345 children, 148 people gave $5,700 to say "yes" to the wish carried by these tiny voices that their song would somehow be enough to build a secondary school for 500 children they haven't yet met half the world away. As it had been for Ann, Robbie, Lulu, and Sanjay, "yes" was probably not an easy answer for Missy, nor for the people who gave their support. When they learned they'd raised the most of all the schools who participated, the vice president of her PTA wrote us this note:

My name is Jackie Capasso and I'm the vice president of the PTA at Rosenauer elementary school. We entered the LaLaLove contest and since then our school has not been the same. But first I must give you a little background of our school. We are the smallest elementary school in our area with about 345 kids from kindergarten to 5th. We are also considered to be of the lowest income in our area. We are like a family here and the fact that we have come so far in so many ways including this contest is amazing. Our children are so excited they watch their video and sing it all day long. They know what it's like to go without and the fact that they know they are helping to build another school in Tanzania just gives them such pride.

Students at their local high school said "yes" by holding a bake sale to support them. A local yoga teacher said "yes" with a benefit yoga class. To these children who "know what it's like to go without," who raised their voices to ask the universe for a gift to give away, the universe said "yes." You shall be heard. During LaLaLove, 697 people gave $27,740 to say a resounding "yes" to hundreds of children who raised their voices in love in hopes that they could build a school out of song. And now, in a tiny Tanzanian village, that school is being built. Out of music. Out of gratitude. Out of love. View photos of the secondary school under construction. Each brick will echo the song of hundreds of children singing "I love you." Each child who enters will faintly hear their voices filling the walls with music and love. All because Ann and so many others said "yes" - when "no" would have been a whole lot easier. Their voices all echo and amplify one remarkable woman who dared to say "yes" to the dream of building a school that would transform her village, and her country. Even when she had only chickens to build it. This is what happens when we dare to say "yes" - even (especially) when yes seems impossible. Yes begets yes. No begets nothing. This November, during LaLaLove and Epic Thanks, so many people said "yes" to Mama Lucy's dream of building a secondary school that we are able to invest over $65,000 USD - and the school will be open in January so that Leah, Gideon & their classmates can continue their education without interruption. To Ann, Robbie, Lulu, Sanjay, Missy, and to all, my gratitude is endless. Not only for the time, energy, love and resources you gave, but for the possibilities you've created for the world we share. Thank you for saying "yes."

Posted: December 9th, 2011 under The Foundry.
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