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When you chip in to promote a petition on Change.org, you are paying to make that petition more visible to potential supporters. Promotion is a one-time contribution that helps a petition reach more people through Change.org's website and email channels. This is different from becoming a Change.org member, which is a separate, recurring monthly contribution.
What promoting a petition does
Promoting a petition on Change.org works like a sponsored advertisement. When you contribute to promote a petition:
● The petition is shown to more people who may be interested in the cause
● Your contribution goes to Change.org to fund the promotion, not to the petition starter
● The petition appears on the Change.org website and in email communications to potential supporters
Important: Promoting a petition guarantees more views, not more signatures. People who see the petition still make their own choice about whether to sign.
Promotion is not the same as membership
Promoting a petition and becoming a Change.org member are two different things:
● Promoting a petition: A one-time contribution to boost a specific petition's visibility. You pay once, and that specific petition gets shown to more people.
● Becoming a member: A recurring monthly contribution to support the Change.org platform. Monthly charges continue until you cancel your membership.
After you promote a petition, Change.org may offer you the option to become a monthly member. If you want to make a one-time contribution and not a recurring membership, be sure to review your selection before confirming. Look for the option to decline membership or skip the membership offer if you only want to promote the petition.
How to promote your own petition
If you started a petition and want to promote it to reach more people:
- Navigate to your Change.org profile page by clicking on your profile icon. You will see tabs for petitions you have started and signed.
- Click the Started tab and select the petition you want to promote. This opens your petition dashboard.
- From the left-hand menu, click Share petition. On the Share petition page, click the Promote petition button.
- Choose how much you want to contribute. Each amount shows how many people will see your petition. For example, $2 may provide 18 petition views, while $30 may provide 545 views.
- Complete your payment. Your petition will begin appearing to more potential supporters.
How to promote a petition you signed
If you signed someone else's petition and want to help it reach more people:
- After signing a petition, you may see a prompt asking if you want to chip in. You can also return to the petition page later and look for the promotion option.
- Click the "Take the next step" or "Yes, I'll chip in" button if you want to promote the petition.
- If you do not want to contribute money, click No, I'll share instead to share the petition with your network at no cost.
How to disable promotion on your petition
If you started a petition and do not want others to be able to promote it, contact Change.org support to request that the promotion feature be deactivated on your specific petition.
Refunds for promotions
If you promoted a petition and want a refund, you can request one by contacting Change.org support. Refunds are available for contributions made within the last 3 months. Provide the last 4 digits of the card used, the date and amount of the charge, and the name on the card to help locate your payment. In case you used Paypal, provide your Paypal information instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
I chipped in to promote a petition but now I am being charged monthly. Why?
After promoting a petition, Change.org offers the option to become a monthly member. If you are seeing recurring charges, you may have opted into membership during the promotion process. To stop monthly charges, cancel your membership by going to your account settings and selecting the membership or contributions section. See Cancel your Change.org membership for step-by-step instructions.
I paid to promote a petition but did not get many signatures. Can I get a refund?
Promotion guarantees that more people will see the petition, not that more people will sign it. Whether someone signs is their personal choice. However, if you are unhappy with your promotion contribution, you can contact support to request a refund within 3 months of the charge.
How do I stop getting asked to promote petitions after I sign?
The prompt to promote a petition appears after signing as an optional way to support the cause. You can always decline by clicking "No, I'll share instead" or closing the page. There is no setting to permanently disable these prompts.
Can I donate money directly to the petition starter or cause?
No. Change.org is not a crowdfunding platform and does not facilitate direct donations to petition starters or causes. All promotion contributions go to Change.org. If you want to donate directly to a cause, look for official fundraising campaigns on platforms like GoFundMe.