About Us

Who We Are

We love teens. They are creative, active, wired…and frustrated that our world is so messed up. DoSomething.org harnesses that awesome energy and unleashes it on causes teens care about.. Almost every week, we launch a new national campaign. The call to action is always something that has a real impact and doesn’t require money, an adult, or a car. With a goal of 5 million active members by 2015, DoSomething.org is one of the largest organizations in the U.S. for teens and social change.

Find out what's on our minds and what's going on behind the scenes by checking out our DoSomething.org blog. or taking a peek at our Culture Book.

Have you heard? Do Something is now a member-based organization:

By being a member of DoSomething.org:

  1. You make a real impact on causes you care about.
    • We help you be part a social movement with others like you.
    • We give you ideas because it can be hard to think of something specific to actually do.
    • We send you stuff like posters, stickers, banners, etc.
    • We recognize you for the good stuff you do (so that you can put it on your college app, impress a girl, or give it to your mom to hang on the fridge).
  2. You get cash. That's right. We're talking $$.
    • We give money for social change projects.
    • We award money for school.
  3. You get SWAG you can actually use.
    • Movie tickets, food, etc. (Send us your wish list!)
    • Celeb-signed goodies
  4. You have access to invite-only things.
    • We invite you to exclusive events (like the Do Something Awards, movie premieres, etc).
    • We give you the chance to meet a celebrity.

DoSomething.org:

  1. Believes in young people. Young people have the power to lead. We don't require old people!
  2. Trusts young people. We provide reliable, easy-to-access information and activation strategies, but young people decide for themselves what to do.
  3. Celebrates young people. We think all measurable contributions from young people are valuable.
  4. Respects young people. We understand that young people have diverse abilities and constraints.
  5. Values young people. Our programs and products are free. We're not after young people's money; we want their passion, time, and creativity.

The Do Something Story

DoSomething.org was started back in 1993 by Andrew Shue (of Melrose Place fame) and Michael Sanchez. Their one goal was to make community service as popular, cool, and most importantly, normal as watching TV or playing sports—something so ingrained in young people that they wouldn't think twice about helping others or volunteering. Shue approached Aaron Spelling, the executive producer of Melrose Place, and asked for 30 seconds of air-time during the show to tell the world about Do Something. Spelling agreed and Do Something was officially launched!

Do Something has always been all about social change, but back then it had multiple offices around the country and a slightly broader mission than it has now. After the success of Melrose Place ended, Do Something went through a quiet period until 2003 when Nancy Lublin, the founder of Dress for Success, came on board as the new CEO. She revitalized and transformed Do Something by closing the individual offices (the new HQ was moved to Union Square, NYC, where it still is today), moving much of the content and projects online, and refining the goals of the organization to focus on social changers 25 and under.