Change.org

Change.org is a for-profit social enterprise and online petition platform that has become the largest of its kind globally. Founded in 2007 by Ben Rattray, the company gives ordinary people a free, accessible tool to launch campaigns targeting corporations, governments, and institutions. By May 2026, the platform reported 583 million users across 22 languages, making it a dominant force in digital activism. Petitions cover everything from criminal justice reform and environmental protection to animal welfare and corporate accountability, with occasional high-profile victories like forcing Bank of America to drop a $5 debit card fee in 2012 or gathering 19 million signatures for justice after George Floyd's murder in 2020.

The company operates on a freemium model: creating and signing petitions is free, but revenue comes from promoted petitions and subscription services like Change.org Premium. This model has drawn criticism for potentially favoring well-funded campaigns over grassroots ones. Still, Change.org has been recognized by Fast Company, Forbes, and the TIME100 Most Influential Companies list, and founder Ben Rattray was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. As of 2026, the platform is exploring an IPO and testing blockchain-based petition verification to combat fraud.[edit]

Change.org's mission is to empower people everywhere to create the change they want to see. The platform aims to democratize advocacy by providing free tools for anyone to start a petition and rally support, targeting decision-makers to achieve tangible outcomes. It operates as a social impact business, balancing profit with purpose.[edit]

Ben Rattray got the idea for Change.org in 2006 while studying at Stanford. Frustrated by how hard it was for ordinary people to organize for causes they cared about, he and his then-girlfriend Stephanie Newman launched the site on February 7, 2007, initially funding it with $25,000 in credit card debt. The platform started as a social network for activists, similar to MySpace but focused on social issues. It didn't gain much traction until 2010, when Rattray pivoted to focus exclusively on petition campaigns. That shift changed everything.

In 2012, a petition from a customer outraged by Bank of America's proposed $5 debit card fee gathered over 300,000 signatures and forced the bank to back down. That victory put Change.org on the map. User numbers exploded: 10 million in 2012, 50 million in 2014, 150 million in 2016. The company acquired rival iPetitions in 2016 and launched a Premium subscription tier in 2018. The COVID-19 pandemic and Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 brought an additional 100 million users in a single year, making Change.org a household name in digital activism. By 2024, the platform had 500 million users, and in 2026 it reached 583 million, ranking 10th among all organizations by web popularity.[edit]