Global Response, founded in 1990, has around 6,000 members in 100 countries.

How many letters do you generate?

Since members do not forward their letters to us, we cannot know how many write on any given action. We also do not know how many people visit our website or receive notifications from ally organizations, then write letters without being members. Reports from the grassroots groups we support is that actual hardcopy letters/faxes number between 1,000 and 2,000, depending on the campaign, and emails probably double that.

Absolutely! In our first 101 campaigns, we had 44 victories yielding an overall success rate of 43%! For a complete list of victories and accompanying analysis see our Victories page.

Global Response receives requests from local grassroots and indigenous groups around the world who need international support to win their battles to stop environmental destruction. While we receive far more requests than we can respond to but we try to consider each one fairly. The Program Director together with an advisory panel studies the requests and chooses campaigns based on a number of criteria. Get more information on how to request a campaign.

1. We act at the request of local grassroots groups who feel an international campaign is necessary to get the attention of decision makers.
   
2. For the most part our members write personal letters and send them by regular mail or fax. Personal letters have much greater impact than form letters or emails.
   
3. A significant number of our letter writers are teens and children who learn about environmental issues and are motivated to take action.
   
4. We are often the first international organization to respond. Our letter campaigns increase local organizers’ chances of success, increase their visibility and credibility, and help them leverage technical, legal and financial support from other international organizations.
   
5. Global Response works on all types of environmental issues, from nuclear waste to deforestation to sea turtle habitat protection.
   
6. We have members in 100 countries so officials receive letters from citizens all around the world.
   
7. Our campaigns are very well researched and carefully mapped out, and we focus our entire energy on a single situation or location. That leads to a greater chance of success and complements efforts by other groups that are focused more broadly.

In order to make letter writing easier, we do start on letter for you. Go to the Write a Letter link on any Current Action page.

Personal letters have a much greater impact than emails or form letters. They show that the writer is knowledgeable and concerned enough to take the extra time to send an individual message. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. says that politicians view each personal letter as representing 6,000 citizens who hold the same opinion as the letter-writer.

• Students, teachers/classrooms = $30

• Regular Memberships = $50

• Sustaining Member = $200

• Major Donor = $500

You will receive hardcopy Action Alerts for each campaign (Global Response Actions for adults, Eco-Club Actions for youth, and Young Environmentalists Actions for students in grades 3-6). You can also request additional materials such as our free 5-minute video, brochures, teacher’s packets, stickers and buttons, etc. You can also join our Quick Response Network (QRN) to receive Global Response Action Alerts and other emergency alerts via email, if you prefer.

Best of all, you will get the satisfaction of knowing that you are taking action as a part of a global community whose members work together to protect our planet. We rely on the donations of current members to sustain our work. Visit our donate page to see how!

What is the Youth Environmental Action Program?

Global Response feels it is very important to involve children in our letter-writing campaigns. In several cases, we learned that children’s letters made the biggest impact on decision makers. Writing letters also makes an impact on the children themselves. In the words of Lindsey Monicon of Michigan: “I am only 12 years old but I think that I can make a big change just as anyone older than me can.”

Global Response produces Eco Club Actions (ECA’s) for youth and Young Environmentalist Actions (YEA’s) for children grades 3-6. Like the standard Action Alerts, these publications give important background for the current campaign and ask children to write polite letters to business or government officials. They also give accurate scientific, cultural and geographic information in an accessible and kid-friendly format, and are therefore ideal for use in the classroom. Colorado teacher Debbie Rabideau calls her YEA subscription “the best $25 I’ve ever spent for my class.” Global Response Youth members can be found in over thirty different countries and all across the United States, and we are excited to have more young people everywhere join our collaborative efforts.

What are your costs?

Global Response makes a few dollars go a long way - and their impacts are felt around the world. We are working hard to increase our income so that we can provide international citizen support to more communities that are struggling to protect vital ecosystems. Please see our most recent Annual Report for details on our expenditures and income.

Where does your money come from?

Our income comes from member donations, business gifts, events, grants, and other sources. See our Annual Reports for details.

Are donations tax-exempt?

Yes. Global Response is a 501c(3) non-profit organization in the United States.

1. You can send a check to Global Response at PO Box 7490, Boulder, CO 80306 or call us with your credit card information at 303-444-0306.
   
2. You can donate online.
   
3. You can help us by donating in many creative ways including appreciated assets (stocks, mutual funds, etc). Please visit our donation page.