On August 6, 2020, nearly 400 people joined us for our first Virtual Fast Pitch and, while we weren’t sure what to expect, it exceeded our hopes in so many ways!

Ozomatli opened the show with their signature energy, before the 10 Systems Change Accelerator leaders shared 3-minute stories of their work at the forefront of movements addressing mass incarceration, the environment and food sourcing, city planning & urban mobility, immigration, and housing & homelessness. We set a modest goal of raising $20,000 on the night — the audience surpassed our hopes and to collectively raise $130,000!

But most importantly, we gathered to listen as a community— to direct our attention, our care, and our love to the presenters who shared personal stories of their years-long efforts to address unjust systems. Brenda Ueland speaks of listening as an act of love, keeping us connected to each other. It's more important than ever that we employ this radical act of love—listening—to strengthen our community bonds and as we co-create a liberated future.

Thank you to everyone who joined us on the day - if you missed it, you can watch the replay (video is below) and learn about the 10 presenting organizations. Click on each presenter’s name below to re-watch their Fast Pitch video and share their work widely!

We invite you to continue rippling out the critical work of these leaders within your spheres of influence. Sign up for their mailing lists, follow them on social media, join their upcoming actions, and donate to ensure that they can sustain and grow their critical work.

Donate by texting FASTPITCH2020 to 707070, or visit svpla.org/give. You’ll be able to choose to donate to a specific organization, or to the SVP Collective Fund which evenly distributes donations between the 10 organizations and SVPLA.

A special thank you to the incredible vendors who supported Virtual Fast Pitch - CG Media Solution for event video production; Change You Want To See videography for the beautiful pitch videos; Veticahel graphic design; and Whit Hazen, boutique floral studio.