About 38 Degrees
38 Degrees members work together to bring about real change in the UK by taking action on the issues that we all care about.
WHO ARE 38 DEGREES?
38 Degrees is the angle at which an avalanche happens.
We are a community of UK citizens who act together to create an avalanche for change. We work together in our hundreds of thousands to defend fairness, protect rights, promote peace, preserve the planet and deepen democracy.
38 Degrees is independent of all political parties. We are funded by donations from thousands of 38 Degrees members, and do not accept money from political parties, government or big business. Our independence means that we can campaign on issues that 38 Degrees members feel passionately about and that we decide on together. We are driven by issues and outcomes, and judge all politicians by the same standards regardless of what party they belong to.
Change happens when enough of us come together. Join 38 Degrees and be part of the avalanche for change.
WHAT WE DO
38 Degrees launched in 2009 and there are now over 800,000 of us working together for change. Anyone can become a member of 38 Degrees - it’s free and you can join just by signing a petition, or taking another actions.
We come together from across the UK to influence the institutions, like the government or big business, who make decisions that affect us all. Together, we take action to hold powerful people and organisations to account.
38 Degrees members set the 38 Degrees campaigns agenda together. We make decisions in various different ways. Members often take part in votes to choose which campaigns to make our highest priorities. 38 Degrees members can also suggest campaigns on the 38 Degrees website, as well as by sharing ideas on the Facebook page, blog, or by tweeting their idea to @38_degrees. Staff and volunteers in the 38 Degrees office then work together to identify the issues most important to members.
38 Degrees members use a variety of different tactics to bring about change, like signing petitions, emailing our MPs, phoning our MPs and chipping in to fund newspaper ads about our campaigns. We also get together to get our voices heard face-to-face, for instance by meeting up locally to hand petitions to our local MPs, or hosting celebrations when we have a campaign breakthrough.
38 Degrees members have contributed to some incredible, people-powered victories since we started working together to make change happen. We helped stop the government’s plans to sell off our ancient national forests. We stopped plans for a massive mega-dairy in Lincolnshire. We helped stop Donald Trump’s plans to build a golf course at the expense of families in Menie, Scotland, who were at risk of eviction.
38 Degrees members also helped convince the government to sign up to the EU Directive on human trafficking, helping prevent trafficking in the future as well as ensuring victims are properly looked after.
HOW WE ARE FUNDED
38 Degrees is people-powered - we don't take money from government or big business, so we rely on donations from thousands of 38 Degrees members from all over the UK to make change happen.
We ask members to donate to support work or to fund a specific campaign or a specific action (e.g. to pay for the costs of organising a demonstration or putting up adverts). 38 Degrees has also received some money from charitable trusts and foundations.
If you'd like to chip in, the easiest way is to make a donation online. Or you could send a cheque to our office.
WHO RUNS 38 DEGREES?
38 Degrees has a small staff team and our office is run by staff and volunteers with the help of our board. However it’s all 38 Degrees members who set the agenda. We work together to choose the campaigns and help pick the tactics we use to win. The campaigns work because thousands of members choose to get involved.
38 Degrees staff and office volunteers work full-time to make sure that we’re as effective as possible. Staff and office volunteers write the emails that let members know about what 38 Degrees is getting up to, as well as making sure that the technology we use is working properly. Staff also draw on advice from other campaigning groups, experts and others to make sure we’re getting good information about the best way to make change happen.
38 Degrees is inspired by the impact of groups like MoveOn in the United States, GetUp in Australia and Avaaz around the world. These groups have used the similar model, technologies and techniques to mobilise nearly 9 million people to campaign on issues that their members care about.
It’s free to sign up and to start receiving campaign emails and if you like what we are doing, you can get involved. Change happens when enough people come together. Join 38 Degrees and be part of the avalanche for change.
