In 1969, even with my hair in a mega-fro and wearing an embroidered and beaded denim work shirt (or maybe because of that) I was hired as the fundraiser to raise the seed money and help launch a new U.S. citizens’ movement called ‘Common Cause’.

My professional colleagues thought I was nuts. Asking $15 a head from citizens to join an organization intending to reform government and end the Vietnam war made absolutely no sense they said. Had never been done.

Soon I partnered up with Tom, who had just escaped from Georgetown University and was in one of his ‘let’s save the world’ policy moods. (His inventory of beaded shirts was limited and his hair was short, main street American, as I recall.]

Well, it worked. Within a year 500,000 folks joined and paid their $15 dues. All because they believed in our mission/slogan: ‘Everyone’s Organized But the People’. They wanted to flip the middle digit at the Establishment.

45 years later that’s the powerful belief — and remedy — to those who care about free societies and still adhere to the belief that each of us can make a difference despite the indifference of governments.

That was also when, as a fundraiser and organizer I quickly understood the power of music festivals and music itself. T’was 1969, the year of the Woodstock Music & Art Festival.

Woodstock provided me evidence of the remarkable power of music to change the world and move people to action. And my opinion hasn’t changed since.

More about the power of music and music festivals in a moment.

First some words on this past weekend’s 3rd Annual Global Citizen Festival that rocked New York City’s Central Park last Saturday and made some fundraising history.

Bottom line:

• 65,000 ‘global citizens’ attended to listen to top music artists…global politicians and each other.
• ‘Price’ of the ticket wasn’t the usual $100-$300 for an event of this artistic caliber (JZ, Beyonce, Alicia Keyes, Carrie Underwood, Sting, the Dutch DJ Tiësto [his genre is ‘progressive trance’], No Doubt, Fun, and The Roots to name a few). Instead it was by points awarded for taking action like signing petitions, making phone calls to legislators, or otherwise participating in actions to raise hell and demand that the powers that be take essential steps to meet the mission of ‘eliminating extreme poverty’ by 2030.
• No shortage of specifics on how to do this, nor testimonials from key folks including a cameo video appearance by President Obama, and onstage appearances by India’s Prime Minister Narenda Modi, The World Bank President Jim Yong Kim and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
• Clear goals. Four pillars that need attention and support: 1) clean water; 2) safe and accessible sanitary facilities; 3) education for the very young — especially girls; and, 4) vaccinations to end the needless death of 40+ million of the very young. Not nearly enough storytelling and far too many mortality statistics, but the audience got it.
• By the end of the night the event had scored commitments totaling tens of $billions from a host of national governments, corporations, The World Bank, and the United Nations. The financial commitments and their expected impact are highlighted in Global Citizen’s morning-after report.

The folks who put it together — the Global Poverty Project — don’t think small. Clearly the big horizon of their vision has a magnetic attraction. In their own words:

“The Global Poverty Project’s mission is to grow the number and effectiveness of Global Citizens to achieve the public, business and political commitment and action to end extreme poverty by 2030. We are inspired by the incredible progress achieved by the global community in halving the percentage of people living in extreme poverty in the last 30 years. We know that the injustice of living on less than US$1.25 a day can be ended by 2030. We believe that when an organised, critical mass of individuals in society aspire to the values of Global Citizen, and when they are organised and equipped to take meaningful action, we can change the policies and practices that contribute to keeping people in extreme poverty.”

I was also impressed by the commercial partners they attracted. Not only their media partner, MSNBC, the liberal political arm of the American tv network NBC Universal, but also a gang of commercial partners.

Gotta tell you, the whole event, from the broadcast hosts — Alex Wagner, Chris Hayes and Ronan Farrow — who narrated the event, to the artists who performed free of charge and are also major donors to the causes of the concert, to the government officials (a video cameo by U.S. President Obama and a live appearance by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon) and, most importantly the audience, gives me new and renewed hope.

Now, back to the power of music and music festivals.

For those with short or no memories and who are quick to dismiss these massive, but short/instant, events as not helpful in the long-term, I say “nonsense”.

Bob Geldof’s Live Aid concerts in ’85 did more to raise awareness of the Ethiopian famine (and bring relief) than any news broadcasts. Same with Kenny Rogers and Michael Jackson’s Hands Across America five years later on the issues of hunger and homelessness. And the venerable Willie Nelson’s Farm Aid concerts that to this day continue to raise awareness of the plight of the family farmer in the U.S. up against massive corporate agribusiness.

The fundraising purists, most probably those who call themselves ‘professional fundraisers’, will say “this isn’t fundraising, it’s event marketing” or even worse.

Of course these sorts of mega-events don’t fit in with most fundraisers’ job descriptions. But, I sure hope they fit in with their understanding of how the world works today and how it will work increasingly in the future.

Any fundraiser with a pulse needs to understand how, in today’s world, issues are raised on the public and therefore governmental agendas … and how change can come about quickly. If you don’t get that you really need to change jobs. Quickly, please.

As Michael Lang, the co-creator of Woodstock notes: “Woodstock channeled the energy if a generation.”

One critical element we’ve missed over the last 15 years are the protest singer/songwriters and artists. Too much precious look at me, too little notice and attention to needs of the larger community.

I’m now seeing clearly that the energy of the current generation — both artists and audiences — is thankfully back and in full swing. But in a far different and nuanced manner than most of us are accustomed to. Stuck-in-the-past fundraisers ignore this change and trend at their peril. And peril to their organizations.

Although the musical artists of this generation aren’t as explicit and specifically demanding as Dylan, Phil Ochs, Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, Sam Cooke, Mick Softley, Tom Paxton, Joe McDonald, Kris Kristofferson, Arlo Guthrie, Gordon Lightfoot or John Prine — all of whom spoke up and helped mobilize the activists of the 60’s and 70’s — today’s artists, in their own way, are now encouraging the Millennials to step up, sound off, raise hell and demand change.

None of the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s movements would have succeeded without the musical artists softening up the ‘clay’ of public opinion so the messages of the fundraisers could penetrate the indifference.

Same is true today.

If only for this reason, today’s fundraisers should so appreciate the voices and help of today’s artists. Their message: “Raise your voices and use the magnifying power of social media so together we’ll shake these governments down ‘til they do the right thing”.

The best way to raise big money quickly — and in the billions — is from governments and multi-lateral organizations. And huge sums are needed to solve today’s problems. Far more than nonprofits alone can muster.

I say “Brilliant. Go for it! Rock on!”

Before the world dies.

Roger

P.S. OK. I can’t resist. All Agitator readers over 50 will love the following. All under that age should listen too. For inspiration. Here’re the best 40 protest songs of the last generation. Be inspired and proud of what you do.

P.P.S. Following up on another mega event — The Ice Bucket Challenge — I want to call your attention to Tony Martignetti’s interview on October 3rd with the Executive Director of ALS on how they’re coping with all that success. You won’t want to miss that.