GOLD2022

HP ALLIANCE INC

We turn fans into heroes.

aka The Harry Potter Alliance   |   Binghamton, NY   |  http://thehpalliance.org/

Mission

The Harry Potter Alliance turns fans into heroes. We use the power of story and popular culture to make activism accessible and sustainable. Through experiential training and real life campaigns, we develop compassionate, skillful leaders who learn to approach our world’s problems with joy, creativity, and commitment to equity.

Ruling year info

2009

Managing Director

Katie Bowers

Main address

PO Box 241

Binghamton, NY 13903 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

20-8045792

NTEE code info

Alliance/Advocacy Organizations (R01)

Alliance/Advocacy Organizations (O01)

Alliance/Advocacy Organizations (W01)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Communication

Blog

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

For many people, activism is not accessible or sustainable.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Accio Books!

An international book drive hosted by the Harry Potter Alliance where members donate books to a target area, usually the continental US and their local communities.

Population(s) Served
Adults

Leading or joining an HPA chapter means being part of something truly unique and special: a real-life Dumbledore’s Army that spans 25 countries, speaks over a dozen languages, shares a passion for multiple fandoms, and fights multiple forms of worldsuck.

Population(s) Served
Adults

The Harry Potter Alliance’s Wizard Activist School brings you the skills you need to organize your own Dumbledore’s Army.

Population(s) Served
Adults

Fandom Forward helps you bring fan activism to your favorite fandoms with free toolkits and activities to use in your chapters, with your friends, in your classrooms, or at your libraries.

Population(s) Served
Adults

#DAFightsBack is our answer to the need for joyful connection and resistance in dark days. We're focusing on actions that connect and bond activists in new ways and help us respond to each challenge with energy, imagination, and - most importantly - love.

Population(s) Served
Adults

The Granger Leadership Academy is a retreat for leaders, organizers, and activists that is unlike anything else in the world. We’re using over a decade of expertise harnessing pop culture for social good to create a life-changing experience for leaders of all ages.

Population(s) Served
Adults

The Harry Potter Alliance has been training new and experienced leaders alike for over a decade, and you won’t find training quite like ours anywhere else. We’d love to be a part of your group’s journey!

Population(s) Served
Adults

Where we work

Videos

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

We strive to make activism accessible, sustainable, and joyful through story-based advocacy and leadership development.

The HPA organizes Harry Potter and pop culture fans to make a difference through activism, leadership, and service. Through the power of story, we help fans understand complex social justice issues and find meaningful, exciting ways to take action.

The HPA currently employs three full-time employees and one part-time employee. In addition, the HPA has over 80 active volunteers.

Our model works. Our reach has extended to 250 chapters in 35 countries. Over five years of study, we have found that our Chapter Organizers consistently report being more knowledgeable, passionate, and committed to the social justice causes we introduce them to. In 2018, 100% of attendees of our most intensive training expressed that following the conference they felt confident in their identity and abilities as activists. We have influenced legislation on marriage equality and net neutrality, organized thousands of fans to successfully compel Warner Bros to make all Harry Potter-brand chocolate fair trade, and much more. Our methodology has most recently been featured in USA Today, Rolling Stone, and Yahoo Entertainment. The HPA is in the process of completing a new, comprehensive 3-year strategic plan, including developing a new action hub that will make it easier (and more fun!) to make frequent and meaningful impact on everything from gender equity to racial justice.

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We shared information about our current feedback practices.

  • Who are the people you serve with your mission?

    Fans. More specifically, our primary audience is Millennial and Gen Z people who are active in fandom spaces, over 80% of whom are young and over 50% of whom are LGBTQ+

  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals

  • What significant change resulted from feedback?

    We changed our name from "The Harry Potter Alliance" to "Fandom Forward" as a direct result of informal and formal feedback, via social media, in-person and phone conversations, surveys, and town halls.

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

    We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback

Financials

HP ALLIANCE INC
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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Build relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.

  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

HP ALLIANCE INC

Board of directors
as of 07/11/2022
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board co-chair

Sabrina Cartan

Potomac Productions

Term: 2020 - 2023


Board co-chair

Maggie Brevig

Network

Term: 2020 - 2023

Anna Dardick

Daniel Etcovich

Porshea Patterson-Hurst

Maddi Porter

K. Alexandra Mills

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes
  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 7/11/2022
info Candid has made improvements to the race and ethnicity options.

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Female, Not transgender (cisgender)
Sexual orientation
Gay, lesbian, bisexual, or other sexual orientations in the LGBTQIA+ community
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

 

Sexual orientation

Disability

Equity strategies

Last updated: 07/11/2022

GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more

Data
  • We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
  • We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
  • We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
  • We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
  • We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
  • We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
  • We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
Policies and processes
  • We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
  • We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
  • We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
  • We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
  • We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.