Today we are excited to announce the launch of Changemakers on Change.org! For the past three months, more than 100,000 Change.org members have participated in nominating and voting for the leaders who they feel best personify a Changemaker, resulting in a remarkable network of people.

For those of you who haven’t been following along at home, the goal of the Changemakers network is to promote a selection of some of the most prominent voices in social change across all sectors – politics, activism, nonprofits, academics, business, and entertainment- and highlight the work those individuals are doing on the most important issues of the day.

As you’ll see when exploring the Changemakers site, we have a remarkable group of people involved. They range from actors like Mia Farrow and Fran Drescher, to environmental champions such as Robert Kennedy Jr. and Bill McKibben, to elected officials like Representatives John Lewis and George Miller and Senator John Kerry – and the list goes on.

This announcement is just the beginning, and your role now begins. We need your help in supporting the work of each Changemaker, engaging with them on the issues they’re focused on, and helping to spread the word. To start, you can keep up with their activity by going to each Changemaker’s individual profile and clicking the “follow” button. Or, you can start by reading each of their first posts on Change.org, and finding out what makes each Changemaker tick.

Although we plan to keep the Changemakers network relatively small, we are always open to your suggestions for who should be included, and will be inviting additional people to join the network over time – including a number of those already nominated. If you have someone in mind, feel free to nominate them as soon as we open up nominations again.

Thanks to everyone for participating in the voting process and for your continued dedication to so many important causes. As we enter 2010, I know that the rapidly growing Change.org community will continue to have a positive impact on the world and that together we will continue to create real change.

We’re a pretty eclectic bunch over here at Change.org. Some of us write haiku, others enjoy communicating in emoticons – but one thing that brings us all together is our desire to make the world a better place. So naturally, when we find others who share this desire and want to join our team, we get pretty excited. And when we find five such people? Perhaps we can say it best in haiku and emoticon:

New editors rock/ They are talented and smart/ Now let’s make some change … or, more simply, !

With that in mind, and without further ado, I would like to introduce you to our amazing new editorial team:

Te-Ping Chen is Change.org’s Editor for the existing Criminal Justice, Global Health and Social Entrepreneurship causes – and for the forthcoming Global Poverty cause. She was most recently a staff reporter for the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. Her writing has appeared in outlets that include the Nation Magazine, the American Prospect, the South China Morning Post magazine, Le Soir, and Slate.com. She is a U.S. Truman Scholar whose work has shared awards from the Overseas Press Club and Investigative Reporters and Editors. Prior to her work in journalism, she worked as an organizer with labor and electoral reform campaigns in Rhode Island.

Michael Jones is Change.org’s Editor for the existing Gay Rights, War and Peace and Genocide causes – and the forthcoming Human Rights cause, and also a proud sketch comedy writer. He is the former Communications Director for the Human Rights Program at Harvard Law School, as well as the former Director of Communications for Pax Christi USA, a national Catholic peace and justice organization. He has previously worked as a member of the field staff for Senator Paul Wellstone’s 2002 re-election campaign, and has been active in anti-death penalty work and organizations promoting the arts. He serves on the board of The Photomedia Center, and is a sketch writer with the “Ruckus” at Improv Boston.

Josie Raymond is Change.org’s Editor for the existing End Homelessness, Poverty in America and Health Care causes – and for the forthcoming Domestic Abuse cause. She is a graduate of Columbia University and Columbia’s journalism school, and for the past 18 months was an Editor at AOL helping with its new strategy of creating niche-based communities like ShelterPop.com. Before AOL, Josie was researching and writing for places like Radar, GOOD, Time Out NY and Mental Floss.

Cameron Scott is Change.org’s Editor for the existing Animals, Global Warming and Sustainable Food causes – and for the forthcoming Environment cause. Most recently, he was Green Communities Manager at SFGate (San Francisco Chronicle), where he continues to write The Thin Green Line blog. He’s also worked at Mother Jones. A one-time teacher of English Comp, he’s a sworn enemy of the dangling modifier, the passive voice and un-grammar in general.

Alex DiBranco is Change.org’s Editor for the Women’s Rights, Human Trafficking, Immigration and Education causes, and is passionate about feminism, queer issues, atheism/secular humanism, full rights for everyone who crosses our borders (voluntarily or not), and critiquing America’s flawed educational system. She has interned and written for The Nation, Political Research Associates (a think-tank that monitors the right-wing), and the Center for American Progress. Alex is now based in New York City and writes poetry on the sly.

If you think they all look impressive on paper, just wait until you read their posts. They’ll blow you away with their writing prowess and unique points of view on the world around us. Furthermore, with our 13-member team now in place, we can continue to grow and expand the Change.org universe, adding new blogs and features to the site in order to reach our (and your!) ultimate goal of making this world a happier, healthier, more just place to live.

It’s a new year and a new decade, and there’s no better time to take a look toward the future of social change. What will be the defining moments of 2010, and what victories might we be celebrating come 2020?

Will this be the decade that the world finally sees a vaccine for HIV or a cure for Alzheimer’s Disease?

Might this be the decade where foreign policy analysts start to draw the connections between terrorism and human trafficking?

Or maybe the 2010s will be the decade that fully embraces civil rights for LGBT people, from marriage to anti-discrimination laws?

Above all, one thing seems for certain: the 2010s will be the decade where social action not only changes the status quo, but creates a renewed sense of optimism that communities of concerned people can indeed make history.

As we start this decade, people have never had so much power to shape conversations and take action on the issues they are most passionate about. That’s why we at Change.org think that in the next 10 years we have the collective potential not only to meet the many challenges we face, but to make an impact that will last for generations to come.

For predictions from across Change.org’s network of causes, see the summaries below.

In a few hours, it’ll be out with the old and in with the new as we welcome the start of a new year, filled with new opportunities to create change. But, before we put on our party hats and launch into a rousing chorus of Auld Lang Syne, we wanted to take a look back at some of the best (and worst) of 2009 across all of our causes.

Gay Rights – Top 5 Straight Allies in Congress
There are three openly gay members of Congress, and for the most part the three of them do a heck of a job championing equal rights. But who are the biggest straight allies inside Washington? Gay Rights blogger Michael Jones breaks down the five leading straight members of Congress who fought for gay rights in 2009. From championing repeals of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and the Defense of Marriage Act, to standing up for employment non-discrimination legislation, these folks are true equality heroes. (Read more)

Genocide – 2009 Most Wanted List
Though the past two decades have seen great efforts to end the culture of impunity for perpetrators of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, the world is still full of plenty of human rights abusers. Stop Genocide blogger Michelle looks back on 2009 and breaks down the countries that were some of the worst offenders. Let’s call it a Most Wanted List, but on a much more global level. You’ve got Sri Lanka, Burma, and even a few surprise players who make up this exclusive club of nations whose membership has shown a real disregard for human life in 2009. (Read more)

Women’s Rights – Top 5 Pop Culture WTF Moments for Women in 2009
Sometimes, all you can say is WTF. Women’s Rights blogger Roxy MtJoy wrote about just 5 ways in which pop culture managed to denigrate women, yet again. We can only hope that 2010 sees a lot less of Carrie Prejean, Chris Brown and FOX “hits” like More to Love. (Read more)

2009 was a year in which the Change.org community emerged as a powerful force for social change.

Our rapidly growing community of more than 1 million activists won dozens of campaigns over the past year, successfully pressuring multi-billion dollar companies to adopt more responsible and non-discriminatory practices, convincing federal departments to change outdated policies, and impacting legislative decisions on the local, state and national level.

As 2009 comes to a close, we wanted to take a brief look back at 10 victories we’ve had together – both to celebrate our achievements and to use these successes as guideposts for victorious campaigns to come on Change.org in 2010.

1. Change.org Members Dismantle Food Labeling Ploy
The food industry launched a new nutrition labeling scheme this fall called Smart Choices, hoping to sell more highly processed foods such as Froot Loops by marking them as “healthy” based on their fortified nutrients. This would have been an easily dismissible marketing tactic except that researchers associated with several prominent nonprofits – including the American Diabetes and Dietetic Associations and the Tufts School of Nutrition – were members of the Smart Choices board and giving the program false legitimacy. Thousands of Change.org members responded by calling on these three nonprofits to disassociate themselves from the marketing scheme. Two days later all three organizations responded by publicly denouncing the Smart Choices initiative, dealing a significant blow to the program’s claim to legitimacy. Within a few weeks the deceptive multi-million dollar initiative was suspended, giving the public a rare and important victory over the sort of deceptive food marketing that has contributed to America’s obesity epidemic.

2. Rockstar Energy Drink Gives $100,000 to LGBT Organizations
Want your energy drinks homophobic free? Change.org members made that easier after it was revealed that Rockstar Energy Drink had an intimate connection to the homophobic radio show host Michael Savage, whose son and wife run the energy drink business. Following intense pressure from Change.org members and a few weeks of negotiation, Rockstar not only publicly disavowed Michael Savage’s anti-gay statements (of which there are many), but also committed to expand their LGBT-friendly corporate policies and pledged to support the broader gay community by donating $100,000 to LGBT organizations. A hat trick, if you will.

3. Department of Labor Releases Confidential Slave Labor Report
In 2005, The Department of Labor (DOL) was mandated by Congress to issue a report on the countries and companies using slave and child labor across the world. Yet since that time DOL had made the document confidential and resisted its release, fearing negative reaction from trading partners. After we exposed this resistance on Change.org, in partnership with the anti-slavery organization Polaris Project, more than 6,000 Change.org members called on DOL to end their resistance and comply with Congress’s intentions. Within a few weeks of launching this campaign the full confidential list was publicly released, providing a wealth of information that is now being used by NGOs worldwide in the fight against slave labor.

4. Diners Club International Ends Partnership with Mail-Order Bride Company
In a story that we initially couldn’t believe was true, we wrote earlier this year about a partnership between the credit card company Diners Club International (owned by Discover) and Vietnam Brides International, which enabled card holders in Asia to buy women on credit. Mail-order brides are particularly vulnerable to human trafficking and exploitation, and Change.org’s human trafficking community rapidly responded to the story by demanding that Diners Club end their policy of treating women as commodities to be bought and solid. After thousands of letters, hundreds of tweets and 48 hours, Diners Club responded to the campaign, apologized, and canceled their partnership with Vietnam Brides International. Success!

5. Colorado Mayor Agrees to Improve Services for the Homeless
Earlier this month, Change.org blogger Diane Nilan reported on how the main homeless shelter in Grand Junction, Colorado would not house families during the day, despite the freezing cold weather. As a result, children were wandering the streets seeking a safe, warm place to avoid the snow until the shelter re-opened each night. Change.org members responded by emailing Grand Junction mayor Bruce Hill, calling on the city to find a way to provide services during the day for homeless children. A few days afterward the city responded, acknowledged the oversight, and reported that it had secured a warm location for children and families during the day. As the rate of homelessness skyrockets across the country, this is a heartening example of the power we have to improve the lives of others if we’re willing to fight on their behalf.

The eleven-day COP15 climate change conference had its fair share of high and low points. Those of us watching at home were skyrocketed from the high of hearing Kofi Annan’s bold call to action in his opening speech to the low of seeing protestors beaten and arrested by Danish police. While our televisions and newspapers sheltered most of us from the brunt of the emotional roller coaster (and the cold) in Copenhagen, two Change.org bloggers weathered both to bring us live updates from halfway around the world.

After returning home and resting up, Mike Smith and Mike Gaworecki took a few minutes to give us a behind-the-scenes look at their personal experience in Denmark:

Change.org: Why did you go to Copenhagen? What were you hoping to contribute through your coverage of the conference and do you think you were successful?

Mike G: I went to Copenhagen to do two things: to report back what was happening at the UN climate summit to audiences in the US and elsewhere and to represent the voices of the millions of people around the world who wanted world leaders to sign a bold and ambitious deal that would effectively tackle the climate crisis. When it comes to coverage, I was specifically hoping to galvanize online activists to take rapid response measures when the need arose, and just to generally get the environmental message out about what was happening. I think we were pretty successful. The outcome was much less than desirable [but] I think that message has really traveled far, despite the best attempts by world leaders to claim otherwise.

Here at Change.org, we like winning. A lot.

While we all have pretty competitive personalities, our desire to win goes beyond that: when we win, not only do we get to put another link in our “Victories” section, we also know that we’ve made the world just a little bit better.

Recently, we’ve had a couple of great victories, one of which came with a story that I just had to share:

Earlier this month, Mike Jones (our Gay Rights editor) noticed that normally LGBT-friendly Pepsi sponsored a down-right unfriendly concert in Uganda – the same Uganda poised to enact laws criminalizing homosexuality. So, naturally, he started a petition demanding Pepsi explain why it was promoting a concert with Jamaican artist Beenie Man, whose musical talent is vastly eclipsed by his homophobia.

Shortly after posting the petition on Twitter, Mike received notification that Pepsi was “following” him. Amused, he tweeted @Pepsi, asking them how they could support such a concert. In a direct message, a Pepsi representative explained how happy they were to get in touch with Mike, and how they wanted to send their statement to him right away. Only 539 signatures and one tweet later, Pepsi had apologized and committed to paying greater attention to which artists their subsidiaries promote, and we very possibly had our quickest victory ever.

Lesson learned: Behold, the power of Twitter.

We’ve also had a two other victories over the past few weeks that are most certainly worth celebrating:

• Immigration: Dream Act student released from detention thanks to petition started by her supporters
• Human Trafficking: Congress agreed to fund crucial services for victims of human trafficking

Of course none of these victories would be possible without you, dedicated Change.org activists who sign and promote these petitions, helping spread the word. For that, we want to say thank you. But remember, there are still many things that need changing, and they are most certainly not going to change themselves. So what are you waiting for?

(Photo credit: dbking)

This is part 1 of Change.org’s 2009 Holiday Gift Guide, focused on empowering people everywhere to shop for social change this holiday season. You can also see part 2: How to Shop Ethically and Sustainably; part 3: How to Give Volunteer Time and Donations as Gifts; part 4: How to Use Cause-Specific Giving Guides; and part 5: How to Find Additional Resources to Shop for Change.

We all have one among our friends and family – that person who seems to have everything and is totally impossible to buy gifts for. So how do you shop for the friend who has it all? Give a gift that benefits more than just the recipient. Dog-obsessed Aunt Trudy would love some free-range dog chews, and dad’s corny sense of humor will be tickled by Steven Coblert’s Wriststrong bracelets that support returning American troops. Even your moody little sister will melt when she tastes Dagoba organic chocolate. And we’ve got these gifts and more, here.

As with everything you buy, we strongly suggest you be a conscious consumer and do your own research on the companies and organizations in this guide that you choose to support financially. Here are some creative ideas for gifts that create change:

This is part 2 of Change.org’s 2009 Holiday Gift Guide, focused on empowering people everywhere to shop for social change this holiday season. You can also see part 1: How to Find Gifts that Create Change; part 3: How to Give Volunteer Time and Donations as Gifts; part 4: How to Use Cause-Specific Giving Guides; and part 5: How to Find Additional Resources to Shop for Change.

Too often, the holiday season is about spending too much money on stuff we don’t really need – stuff that pollutes the planet, exploits the people who make it, or hurts animals. But the great news is that you can get holiday gifts and supplies that actually help instead of hurt. From local and sustainable holiday meals to sweatshop-free t-shirts to vegan groceries, we’ve got the places to shop for a better holiday season. And whether it’s visiting an independent bookstore or supporting an end to child hunger, you can make a difference with your dollars.

As with everything you buy, we strongly suggest you be a conscious consumer and do your own research on the companies and organizations in this guide that you choose to support financially. Here are some great places to start your search:

This is part 3 of Change.org’s 2009 Holiday Gift Guide, focused on empowering people everywhere to shop for social change this holiday season. You can also see part 1: How to Find Gifts that Create Change; part 2: How to Shop Ethically and Sustainably; part 4: How to Use Cause-Specific Giving Guides; and part 5: How to Find Additional Resources to Shop for Change.

The holiday season doesn’t have to be just about buying stuff and giving gifts; it can be about giving back as well. If you need a break from all the commercial activity and shopping pressure, take a deep breath and a few minutes to financially support your favorite charity. You can even give charitable donations as holiday gifts. Wouldn’t Cousin Caitlin be thrilled that you supported an organization that’s fighting for her marriage to be legally recognized? And your ex-Peace Corps buddy would love an irrigation system in Sierra Leone in his name. But if cash is tight this season, remember than a number of local organizations need volunteers to sort donations and help out with festivities. Consider a donation of volunteer time as a gift – for a loved one or yourself.

As with everything you buy, we strongly suggest you be a conscious consumer and do your own research on the companies and organizations in this guide that you choose to support financially. If you’re looking for places to volunteer or donate this holiday season, here are some suggestions.