Fandom Forward
| File:Harry Potter Alliance Logo.jpg | |
| Abbreviation | HPA |
|---|---|
| Type | Charity |
| Location | |
| Leader | Andrew Slack |
| Website | http://thehpalliance.org/ |
The Harry Potter Alliance is an organisation based around the Harry Potter Fandom designed to raise funds towards charitable causes through campaigns and events related to the series. It was founded by comedian Andrew Slack to highlight the crisis in Sudan and social inequities.[1] They have received recognition from many popular figures in the Harry Potter World and earned a $250,000 grant from the Chase Community Giving foundation.[2]
Campaigns
In January 2010, The Harry Potter Alliance hosted a live webcast to raise funds for Haiti. Many fans are encouraged to promote the webcast before it begins and donate items to be auctioned off. Several that they were auctioning were things such as a Full Access Leakycon 2011 Registration and a guest spot on a PotterCast Broadcast. Many wizard rock bands and leaders in the Harry Potter community took part in this. [3] In only the first two weeks, they raised $US123,754.41. [4]
In June 2010, The Harry Potter Alliances beside Savetheinternet.com joined together to campaign for Net Neutrality. They launched a viral video consisting of many well-known figures speaking out for the cause, several of the people who took part were John Green, Hank Green, Wil Wheaton, Maureen Johnson and Adam Savage.[5] In this video they all urged the Federal Communications Commission to preserve Net Neutrality.
Notable Discoveries
JK Rowling discovered this group, and according to Time she said "It's incredible, it's humbling, and it's uplifting to see people going out there and doing that in the name of your character," [6] She soon after featured the organisation on her website.
Emerson Spartz, founder of MuggleNet, has embraced the Harry Potter Alliance. "As readers we get very emotional when werewolves and house elves are being discriminated against," he describes. "The Harry Potter Alliance shows how those feelings can relate to real problems that we can solve." [7]