FOUR YEARS GO - A Campaign to Change the Course of History
Free and accessible Citizen Media solutions that provide effective tools for global transformation and inspire heroic action.
About You
About You
First Name
Marilyn
Last Name
Levin
Twitter URL
twitter.com/fouryearsgo
Facebook URL
facebook.com/fouryearsgo.com
About Your Organization
Organization Name
FOUR YEARS GO / 4YG Media
Organization Website
Organization Country
United States, CA
Country where this project is creating social impact
Is your organization a
Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization
How long has your organization been operating?
1‐5 years
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Innovation
Entry Form title
FOUR YEARS GO - A Campaign to Change the Course of History
Select the stage that best applies to your solution
Start-Up (a pilot that has just begun operating)
How long have you been in operation?
Operating for 1‐5 years
THE NEED: Describe the need for your solution and the size/dynamic of the community (ies) you will engage
FOUR YEARS GO is expanding from a non-profit program into a for-profit hybrid media company to address the dramatic interconnected global crises being faced by the human family at this time in history.
Escalating economic, social and environmental crises, point to the fact that our current way of living is unsustainable.
Millions of people are already moving toward new sustainable and equitable lifestyles, and sounding the alarm about global and local crises. However billions are not aware that we are living in a moment of “great transition” and that how they respond is critical to the outcome. Without a story that we can understand, and something we can do about it, we have no coherent way of making sense of the social, economic and environmental events we see happening, and we tend to respond with fear, denial and/or the apathy that comes from feeling powerless.
4YG Media will ensure that the “story” of this great transition reaches the masses in a way that enables them to respond effectively. We use media to illuminate heroic stories of transformation, inspire courageous and collaborative action that accelerates the positive tipping points.
THE SOLUTION: Please explain what your solution offers and how it is innovative. How will you put your solution into the hands of users or beneficiaries? Be specific!
4YG emerges from The Pacahama Alliance with a senior team and important media assets developed by Weiden & Kennedy and communicated throughout the world by Lynne Twist and a team of FOUR YEARS. GO change agents.
4YG’s business is to maximize the value of assets contributed by The Pachamama Alliance by creating, incubating, accelerating and investing in impactful viable businesses that contribute directly to the fulfillment of its mission.
4YG has plans to:
• Launch and Incubate Businesses based on the FOUR YEARS. GO assets, including
o MyStand, a major social media network to support the FOUR YEARS. GO campaign.
o Campaign Network Solutions, offering cloud-based social media network solutions for NGOs.
o 4YG Company, a business-focused “Seal of Approval” initiative.
o World Leadership Challenge, a program that engages mass audiences in the key issues of our times, by telling the dramatic stories already unfolding at world gatherings (Davos, TED, CGI, Rio+20) in the context of the emergencies confronting the World.
• Accelerate businesses consistent with the 4YG mission, such as
o The Financial Literacy Program, a social justice, for-profit program to heighten the understanding of finance among economically disadvantaged people that drives a combination of rights protection and responsible action.
• Form 4YG Venture Investments, which will
o work with key institutional investment partner(s) to drive sustainability and CSR programs in venture funded organizations and
o make new investments in businesses in support of 4YG social mission.
THE MODEL: Walk us through a specific example of how your solution makes a difference through use of information technology and media
MyStand does for Campaigns what Zynga did for Games.
MyStand is a social media service that drives the FOUR YEARS.GO campaign to new levels by inviting millions of individuals to participate in growing and accelerating FOUR YEARS.GO. MyStand integrates effectively with all important social media sites (including Facebook and Twitter) and any email campaign service.
The fundamental elements of MyStand are designed to enable leaders of large networks to convene a powerful conversation about the critical moment in history and engage their network members in the FOUR YEARS. GO campaign. Functionality includes systems to tell important heroic stories, invitation systems so that all members can motivate their personal networks and action and fundraising campaign tools to enable support for important causes.
MyStand has important Network relationships with the members of the Transformation Leadership Council and over one thousand NGOs, which it will build into the MyStand Network.
MyStand further plans include accelerated growth through mainstream initiatives in sports, education, entertainment, churches and other large network-type organizations, associations and communities. 4YG’s acceleration initiative with the Financial Literacy Project, founded by important social justice advocate and National Football Foundation Hall of Fame quarterback Donald McPherson, will be important to MyStand’s mainstream marketing programs.
MyStand, currently in alpha, launches in support of the FOUR YEARS. GO campaign in October, 2011.
THE MARKETPLACE: Who are your peers and competitors? What challenges could these players pose to your success or growth?
The audience for this media is enormous and growing. Hundreds of millions are already concerned for the issues 4YG is addressing. Billions more are ready to learn. 110,000 worldwide NGOs with membership of more than 100M and global reach of billions are are a major market segment.
Social Impact
This Entry is about (Issues)
FOUNDING STORY: We want to hear about your “Aha!” moment. Share the story of where and when the founder(s) saw this solution’s potential to change the world.
Lynne Twist, revered global activist and Co-Founder of the Pachamama Alliance took Dan Wieden, Founder of Wieden & Kennedy- the largest advertising agency in the world, on a trip to the Amazon rain forest to meet with Indigenous leaders. After being deeply impacted and transformed by this experience he worked with Lynne and others to create a global communications, commitment and media campaign to change humanities direction in time to avert catastrophic global consequences.
Specify both the depth and scale of your solution’s social impact to date
Engaging 1400 NGO's from 125 different countries, business and governmental leaders and hundreds of thousands of individuals in expanding and amplifying global efforts to change the direction of the human family. The creation of a plethora of media assessts in service of this global transformation. The formation of powerful partnership alliances with leading luminaries in global transformation.
What is your projected impact within the next 1-5 years? Is your idea replicable? If so, how?
The audience for this media is enormous and growing. Hundreds of millions are already concerned for the issues 4YG is addressing. Billions more are ready to learn.
Each of these business initiatives will be launched by 4YG with the expectation that they will quickly achieve scale, justifying independent, high quality management and significant external financing. For example, 4YG is in the process of launching MyStand (October 2011) and expects to have Senior Management in place at launch and to secure venture funding for the MyStand organization during 2011. The other 4YG businesses will continue to develop under the wing of 4YG Media, moving toward launching as independent businesses during 2012.
Winning entries present a strong plan for how they will achieve and mark growth. Identify your six-month milestone for growing your impact
Six-Month Tasks
Task 1
Launch Mystand - a compelling, integrated social media platform driving global transformation efforts
Task 2
Launch 4YG Business - the Globally resepcted “Seal of Approval” for Environmental Sustainability/Corporate Responsibility
Task 3
Launch Campaign Network Solutions - a Social Media Service that greatly expands the capacity of NGO's to run effective campaigns
Now think bigger! Identify your 12-month impact milestone
12-Month Tasks
Task 1
Bring Tens of millions of people to active participation in MyStand
Task 2
Launch World Leadership Challenge- leverages the activities of worldwide gatherings of expert leaders already achieving impact
Task 3
Raise funding for a large number of causes aligned with our mission
How many people have been impacted by your project?
More than 10,000
How many people could be impacted by your project in the next three years?
More than 10,000
Sustainability
Explain how your company, program, service or product is structured
Hybrid model
What barriers have hindered the success of your project to date? How do you plan to overcome these and other challenges as you grow your solution?
It has taken a while to come to strategic clarity about the most viable model for success. But after months of research and experimentaion, we are clear we have a viable pathway forward and the right partners for success.
How do you see the information-technology and media sectors shifting over the next decade? How will your solution adapt to and/or drive that changing environment?
Media will become increasingly interactive, global, accessible and influencial. We are set up to innovate at a dramatically rapid pace. We expect to lead the way with IT and Media solutions that meet the evolving needs of all entities working for rapid global transformation.
Failure is not always an option. If your solution fails to gain traction in the next two years, what other applications of the idea could you explore?
Our inititives will ongoingly provide us with key leverage and tipping points to pursue if our current path doesn't lead to success. We are working closely with Globally based NGO's, Luminaries and thought leaders. We have what we need to continue to innovate.
Expand on your selections, explaining how you will sustain funding
4YG will earn its revenue from services and investment. Our overall financing plan:
Raise initial Capital for 4YG Media ($500K), by 10/31/2011 to support early planning and development requirements of 4YG and its initiatives.
• Partner with key Aligned Institutional partner(s) to invest in start-up and sustainability investing, including the commitment of meaningful capital to the effort (more than $50M by 3/31/2012.)
• Launch each 4YG incubated initiative separately with key entrepreneurs and partners, funding each business with separate angel financing. 4YG will work with each business to ensure further funding from aligned venture partners when needed. Note that each incubation and acceleration business will have financial requirements unique to that initiative.
Tell us about your partnerships
We are partnering with influencial individuals, Leading sector NGO's, leading edge businesses, World renowned luminaries, strategic thought leaders, media experts, venture capitalists and more.
What type of team (staff, volunteers, etc.) will ensure that you achieve the growth milestones identified in the Social Impact section?
We have a commitment to maintaining a highly qualified and diverse pool of talent in our staff and volunteer positions. It has been easy to draw the talent we have needed as people see that changing the course of human history by the end of 2014 is the biggest game on the planet and they want in! We are committed to remaining diverse in every capacity to serve our global focus.
Changemakers is a collaborative and supportive space. Please specify any community resources you would need to grow and sustain your initiative. Select all that apply
Investment, Human resources or talent, Marketing or media, Research or information, Collaboration or networking, Pro-bono help (legal, financial, etc.), Innovation or ideas, Mentorship.
Specify any resources you might offer to support other initiatives. Select all that apply
Marketing or media, Research or information, Collaboration or networking, Innovation or ideas, Mentorship.
Please elaborate on any needs or offers you have mentioned above and/or suggest categories of support that aren’t specified within the list
Summary
Define your company, program, service or product in 1-2 short sentences
Ensuring that global tranformation reaches the masses by providing the media tools needed for effective citizen participation.
Identify what is innovative about your solution in 1-2 short sentences
Free and accessible Citizen Media solutions that provide effective tools for global transformation and inspire heroic action.
 | 36 weeks agoMarilyn Levin updated this Competition Entry. |
| 36 weeks agoMarilyn Levin submitted this idea. |
