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About Us - FAQCheck below for the latest frequently asked questions.
Why do we need GetUp?Political parties and institutional politics have too often failed to inspire people or offer meaningful opportunities for participation, yet despite years of economic good times, many Australians remain deeply concerned about the political direction of our country. It has not been a good decade for Australia's progressives - those of us who share a commitment to the values of social justice, cultural diversity, ecological sustainability and economic fairness.With its Senate majority, the Coalition Government now has more power than any government in a generation: the other political parties aren't providing a strong opposition and the media is influenced by a handful of conservative voices. GetUp.org.au is providing Australians with the tools to fight back, and take innovative and effective action on important issues facing our country. GetUp members are building a ground-up movement of real people who are putting the participation back into our democracy. What do GetUp.org.au members do?GetUp.org.au members take action. By signing up for updates, GetUp.org.au members receive emails alerting them to new campaigns and providing ways of affecting positive change. Whether it is sending an email to a member of parliament, engaging with the media, attending an event or helping to get a television ad on the air, GetUp members are always only ever asked to take targeted, coordinated and strategic action.Who runs GetUp?GetUp has a core team of staff and volunteers in Sydney, who conduct research on new campaigns, develop the website, prepare GetUp email updates and raise awareness of our campaigns in the media.GetUp is led by Executive Director Brett Solomon, who has been working on social justice and development issues for more than ten years. In that time he founded the International Youth Parliament with Oxfam and worked as the Campaign Coordinator at Amnesty International Australia. GetUp was founded by Jeremy Heimans and David Madden, two young Australian graduates of Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government who have worked at the intersection of technology, new media and politics in the United States. David and Jeremy are now co-founders of Avaaz.org, a new global online political community inspired by the success of GetUp and the US group MoveOn.org. GetUp has a board that advises the staff. The board includes GetUp's co-founders, company director Don Mercer, community organiser Amanda Tattersall, and environmental leader Cate Faehrmann. GetUp will soon announce additional board members to replace entrepreneur Evan Thornley and union leader Bill Shorten who recently stepped down as they are now pursuing their own party-related political activities. Ultimately, the real work and impact of GetUp is achieved through our members, who make the calls, send the emails and supply the financial support. How can I volunteer or work at GetUp?GetUp has volunteers and interns in our Sydney office assisting with a range of tasks such as research, administration, website work, and event coordination. If you're interested, please send us a short email at volunteer@getup.org.auexplaining how you think you could help and attach a brief resume. Who funds GetUp?GetUp receives no government or political party funding. Instead we're largely supported by thousands of individuals who may not have a lot of time or money, but who care about the issues and want to have a say. We also receive support from organisations, unions and community groups. With a secure online credit card transaction you can instantly donate to our campaigns, or designate an amount to chip in automatically on a regular basis.When you donate to GetUp, you're joining thousands of everyday Australians who are working together to make progressive voices, values and priorities heard again. If you would like to donate to GetUp, click here. ~ Our first annual report includes a presentation of our activities and impact in 2005-6, as well as our audited financial statements. Download it here in PDF format (1.5 MB) How does GetUp decide what issues to campaign on?GetUp identifies campaigns based on the interests and input of our members, and we welcome your feedback and ideas to help shape GetUp's direction. All GetUp campaigns are focused around shared progressive values such as social justice, economic fairness and environmental sustainability. Because there are many important issues facing our country at any given time, GetUp looks for opportunities to focus national attention and action where our contribution will be most effective.Can I suggest an issue to campaign on?Yes, we welcome the ideas and suggestions of GetUp members to help shape our actions on important national issues. We receive a large volume of emails, so to help us consider your suggestion, please write to campaigns@getup.org.au and tell us briefly:- In one or two lines, what is your campaign about (what problem are you seeking to address)? - What is the desired political outcome (what, specifically, are you trying to achieve)? - Who has the power to make change happen, or at least influence the political result (should we be targeting dissenting MPs, the media, the Prime Minister)? - What's the campaign's message (i.e. Fund our ABC, or No child belongs in detention)? - What should the campaign ask GetUp members to do (sign a petition, call talkback radio, attend a rally, email their Federal MP)? - Is there a target audience for this campaign (university students, mums and dads, Australians affected by drought)? - What is the timing of this issue (why should we run a campaign about this now, or later)? What has GetUp achieved?In its first year, GetUp campaigned on a variety of important national issues, and we've played a central role in three political success stories so far this year:$88 million increased funding for the ABC: GetUp led a national campaign, with Friends of the ABC and the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance to increase funding for the ABC in advance of this year's budget, launching a national petition which attracted more than 75,000 signatures and national media attention. The result was the ABC's "best budget result in more than 20 years", according to ABC Chairman Donald McDonald. RU486 conscience vote: GetUp and Reproductive Choice Australia led a push for a conscience vote on the abortion drug RU486, organising 15,000 of our members to sign a petition and/or individually write or call their local MPs and urge them to take the drug out of the hands of the Health Minister, and put it back under the care and regulation of independent health professionals. Migration Bill: GetUp, A Just Australia and ChilOut coordinated a cross-party effort to protest the Government's recent attempt to re-instate its policy of detaining children under an expansion of the so-called Pacific Solution. GetUp aired a national television ad narrated by Jack Thompson, and coordinated an unprecedented cross-party line-up of MPs and senators, including moderate Liberals, the ALP, the Greens and the Democrats, to receive a petition of tens of thousands protesting these proposed changes. The petition surged to more than a whopping 100,000 signatories, and in response GetUp created a skywriting message above Parliament House urging senators to "VOTE NO". That very day John Howard withdrew the Bill, admitting it would have been defeated. Does being a GetUp member mean I endorse all your specific campaigns?No. For each campaign we operate, GetUp will send out a message alerting members to the issue at hand and an opportunity to take action, but we respect every member's choice to "opt-in" on campaigns as you see fit.How do I contact GetUp for an interiew for a media story?Please contact us by phone at (02) 9264 4037 or on 0407 419 320 (strictly media calls only), or by email at media@getup.org.auAre you a non-profit organization?Yes, GetUp is registered as a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee. Our ABN number is 99114027986.Are donations to GetUp tax-deductible?Under the current laws, similar to other political campaigning organisations, donations to GetUp are not tax-deductible as we wish to remain independent of government funds for our advocacy and campaign work.Are you affiliated with any political parties?No. GetUp has no affiliations with any political parties.GetUp brings together progressive people from all political backgrounds and parties, but is independent of all parties. It is GetUp's political independence that allows us to work with and critique all political parties without fear or favour. How did you get my email address?GetUp is committed to protecting your privacy, and will only add your email to our database if you've opted in to receive updates. The most common method of signing up is through the GetUpdates section on our website. Another common way people subscribe is by checking the tick-box to receive GetUp Updates when participating in a GetUp action (such as a petition).If you do not remember subscribing, it is possible that someone else subscribed you using your email address. At the bottom of every email we send, there is a link to unsubscribe. If you feel you have been added in error, or would like to stop receiving GetUp updates, you can also click here to unsubscribe. Please email us if you have any problems or concerns. Are there other ways to donate instead of using a credit card on the website?Yes, you can send a cheque to:GetUp Ltd PO Box A105 Sydney South, NSW, 1235 * GetUp.org.au online members have no legal or other obligations to GetUp Ltd and may choose to participate or not in GetUp campaigns as they see fit. Why might I not be able to sign a petition?There are a few reasons why you may have difficulty signing a petition. Generally, we do not allow people to sign petitions twice with the same email address. . We realise this may cause some problems for partners that share an email address, but it is essential to ensure the maximum integrity in our petitions, with no duplication of names.You also may also have difficulty signing a petition if you leave the check box to subscribe ticked, and if you have previously unsubscribed from GetUp. We prevent this from happening so that those who have sought to remove themselves from our list are not accidentally added again. If you would like to re-subscribe, you should send us an email at info@getup.org.au with your email address. The videos are not showing. How can I see them?GetUp videos are generally hosted on YouTube. Tips on on how you can view YouTube video are located on their site - click here.Occassionally we use our own flash-based video player. If you are having any difficulties, make sure you have the latest version of Flash installed - you can check the version you have and download it here. My donation is not being processed? It says it has been declined.Obviously there are a range of reasons why this may be the case. You may actually have a problem with your account or your bank. Alternatively, you may have incorrectly entered your details, so double check them and try again. Also, make sure that if you have selected "Other amount", that you have entered an amount (funny how many people don't!). If you continue to have problems, do not hesitate to email us at donations@getup.org.au or call us on (02) 9264 4037.There doesn't seem to be enough space for my credit card number?Enter your card number without any spaces or dashes - just the number.Is the donation page secure? My browser brings up a warning message.Our donation system is secure and our security security is authenticated by Thwate, a trust verification service. Occasionally, some very sensitive or newer browsers may bring up error messages indicating that aspects of the page are not secure. Please be assured that these are NOT related to the donation form itself, but tend to be videos or images related to the campaign. We are working to minimise the error messages, but in the meantime if you have any concerns whatsoever send us an email or make your donation by cheque or over the phone.What is your donations policy?If we are unable to use your contribution for the purpose you specify, either because of oversubscription or for another unforeseen reason, it is our policy to use your contribution for other campaign advertising, public relations, advocacy or organising activities. |
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