Purposeful Action: Cultivating Democracy One Click at a Time
By Christopher Daish
Published April 2013
Published April 2013
Recently, I grabbed coffee with New York City based philanthropist and innovator James Slezak near his SoHo office. I listened intently to his views on the world and his very active part in its welfare. As a high school friend of James in Australia, I knew then that his lofty ambitions had no ceiling. James Slezak has long been an activist; since the fifth grade, sustainability has been a burning concern of his.
James Slezak explains that “we have the technology to solve the renewable energy and carbon emissions problem, but we need to increase our efforts a hundred fold.” He cites the necessity to “accelerate deployment of the available technology.” A Cornell Physics grad, Slezak had his groundbreaking work on superconductivity published in peer-reviewed journals such as Scienceand Nature. From 2007 to 2010, Slezak worked as a consultant for McKinsey & Company developing green stimulus proposals for both the Australian and US governments.
In 2009, Slezak teamed up with long-term friend and high school colleague Jeremy Heimans, Co-founder and CEO of Purpose (224 Center Street, 6th Floor), a New York City based for-profit company with a social mission that deploys the collective power of millions of members worldwide to tackle some of the world’s biggest problems. Purpose provides consulting services to companies such as Google and Audi and charities such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Purpose boasts a staff of 60 young idealists that bring to play an eclectic bunch of skills and talents, unified by the urgent need for “large-scale, purposeful action.” Recently, they expanded to London and Rio de Janeiro, with offices in other South American cities planned. Slezak’s interest in the welfare of the earth has translated into his position as Partner and Head of Sustainability and New Economic Practice. Their strategy is divided into three parts, professional political organizing, marketing and branding, and management consultancy.
On a daily basis, it faces many obstacles and entrenched ways of thinking, large organizations such as the fossil fuel lobbyists, and cultural obstacles such as xenophobia and racism. Slezak cites the importance of taking a collaborative approach with “grass roots organizations in their early stages that can’t afford to cut big checks. Purpose imparts and shares skills necessary to make the sort of impact” these idealistic start-ups desire.
The company was the result of some of the most successful experiments in mass digital participation. Avaaz, co-founded by Heimans, is considered the fastest-growing online movement in history with in excess of 15 million members spread over 190 countries operating in 30 languages. Slezak sheds light on how large groups of online members equate to power. He explains, “Clicking is relevant because it lowers barriers to entry: these people donate, attend charity events, and invite friends, some even step us as leaders and organize groups.” It is through “movement entrepreneurship,” a termed coined by Heimans, that they aggregate and attract individual social protest. Dr. Martin Luther King and Barack Obama are historical examples that utilized this model. Although Purpose did not work directly with either political party in the recent presidential election, the efforts of their sister organization unPAC, combated the influence of the smattering of billionaires and special interest groups that usurp democracy.
Moving forward as technology creates new forms of political participation and social interaction, Purpose continues to influence the political process and enact change through the sheer volume of supporters online and on the ground. The extent of this influence is dictated by meaningful participation. To be a part of this process and have your voice heard visit:http://www.purpose.com
