Category Archives: Meet ioby

Big news: Together, we’ve raised $6 million for community-led change

The work that neighborhood leaders do with ioby is sometimes tough to quantify.

Our work is about fighting against climate change, and creating more inclusive and equitable communities. It’s about making bringing our neighbors together and building stronger relationships between us. It’s about reinvesting in our democracy, and reimagining how we get things done together. And at the end of the day, our work is about people.

But along the way some numbers are helpful. We need to rally a certain number of neighbors to lend a hand to build a new fence for the community garden. And we need to raise a certain amount of money to buy the wood for that fence, and maybe some seeds too.

Today, we’re beyond proud to share that together we’ve raised over $6 million for community-led change since ioby got started. Nearly 2,000 leaders have rallied tens of thousands of our friends, neighbors, and families to get good done from hundreds of small towns and big cities across the nation.

Continue reading Big news: Together, we’ve raised $6 million for community-led change

Meet Dawn, our new Cleveland Action Strategist!

As our beloved colleague Indigo moves on from her role at ioby, we’re excited to welcome Dawn Arrington as our new Cleveland Action Strategist! She brings her own big shoes to the role, and has no shortage of big ideas for her city. Service is in Dawn’s DNA and she’s ready to get to work.

“My mom, my step dad, my father, his twin brother, my uncle, and several cousins all served in the military in one capacity or another,” she says. “I don’t think everyone needs to serve that way, but I do believe that we all have a duty as residents of a place to maintain and contribute to it. That was instilled in me at an early age.” It’s an ethic that she’s stuck to throughout her life. Continue reading Meet Dawn, our new Cleveland Action Strategist!

Tactical urbanism, the Memphis way

“Memphians don’t always do well with rules,” explains lawyer and city planner Tommy Pacello. Memphis-raised, he left for college and was drawn back to join the Mayor’s Innovation Delivery Team, an effort funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies to generate neighborhood economic vitality and reduce gun violence among youth. “The city’s got this grit and soul and texture to it that comes from being a river town, I think. It’s part of our DNA as Memphians.”

But that grit and that soul, in a city that faces its share of systemic challenges, haven’t always found creative outlets. “For many years,” says Pacello, “we had lived in an environment where people felt somewhat stifled. Felt they had to wait on other people to do things for us, to find the silver bullet.” For a community to see itself as dependent on slow-moving government, or on anyone, for positive change, safety, and cohesiveness, is deeply demoralizing. Something had to give.

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What makes ioby different?

We’re ioby, as in “?-oh-?.” We know, it’s not a traditional name, so we don’t mind when people ask what it stands for (in our backyards, by the way). We also stand for a bunch of other things, like trusting our neighbors to know what’s best for their neighborhood, and helping them lead the charge to bring positive change to the places we live. And we’re pretty different from most of the other crowdfunding sites out there. Here are just a few ways we stand out.

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Cheers to $5 million worth of neighborhood change

You might have noticed that we say “neighbors” a lot here at ioby, often interchangeably with “residents.” To us, “neighbors” means experts; it means the people who know their community best because they live in it, work in it, and play in it. They know how the block was, how it is now, and how it could be to better serve everyone in the neighborhood. They are our guiding stars and the people who shape what we do. After all, who better to turn to than the experts?

Today, we’re excited to announce that the work of all our expert change makers led up to something pretty big this month: with a median donation of just $35, 1,600 leaders rallied thousands of their friends, neighbors, and families to give over $5 million to community-led change since ioby got started. Continue reading Cheers to $5 million worth of neighborhood change

Meet our City Action Strategists

ioby works nationwide; through the magic of the internet and good old-fashioned phones, we are able to provide support to anyone in the United States with a great idea to bring more good to their neighborhood. We also have staff on the ground in Pittsburgh, Memphis, Detroit, and Cleveland–our City Action Strategists. They’re especially tuned into the cities they live in, are experts at supporting neighbors organize and fundraise online, and help residents turn great ideas into great community projects. Get to know our team!

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Meet our Leader Success Strategists!

Fundraising can be daunting, but it shouldn’t have to be! At ioby, we support neighborhood leaders from start to finish–from building your team to getting your project done, and everything in between. Get to know Dominique, one of our Leader Success Strategists who will help you plan and fundraise for your project!

Continue reading Meet our Leader Success Strategists!