Michael Sheldrick returns to Redefining Society and Technology to share how Global Citizen has mobilized billions in aid and inspired millions through music, tech, and collective action. From social media activism to systemic change, this conversation explores how creativity and innovation can fuel a global movement for good.
⸻ Podcast: Redefining Society and Technology
https://redefiningsocietyandtechnologypodcast.com
Title: How to hack Global Activism with Tech, Music, and Purpose: A Conversation with Michael Sheldrick, Co-Founder of Global Citizen and Author of “From Ideas to Impact”
Guest: Michael Sheldrick
Co-Founder, Global Citizen | Author of “From Ideas to Impact” (Wiley 2024) | Professor, Columbia University | Speaker, Board Member and Forbes.com Contributor
WebSite: https://michaelsheldrick.com
On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-sheldrick-30364051/
Global Citizen: https://www.globalcitizen.org/
Host: Marco Ciappelli
Co-Founder & CMO @ITSPmagazine | Master Degree in Political Science - Sociology of Communication l Branding & Marketing Consultant | Journalist | Writer | Podcasts: Technology, Cybersecurity, Society, and Storytelling.
WebSite: https://marcociappelli.com
On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marco-ciappelli/
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⸻ Podcast Summary ⸻
Michael Sheldrick returns to Redefining Society and Technology to share how Global Citizen has mobilized billions in aid and inspired millions through music, tech, and collective action. From social media activism to systemic change, this conversation explores how creativity and innovation can fuel a global movement for good.
⸻ Article ⸻
Sometimes, the best stories are the ones that keep unfolding — and Michael Sheldrick’s journey is exactly that. When we first spoke, Global Citizen had just (almost) released their book From Ideas to Impact. This time, I invited Michael back on Redefining Society and Technology because his story didn’t stop at the last chapter.
From a high school student in Western Australia who doubted his own potential, to co-founding one of the most influential global advocacy movements — Michael’s path is a testament to what belief and purpose can spark. And when purpose is paired with music, technology, and strategic activism? That’s where the real magic happens.
In this episode, we dig into how Global Citizen took the power of pop culture and built a model for global change. Picture this: a concert ticket you don’t buy, but earn by taking action. Signing petitions, tweeting for change, amplifying causes — that’s the currency. It’s simple, smart, and deeply human.
Michael shared how artists like John Legend and Coldplay joined their mission not just to play music, but to move policy. And they did — unlocking over $40 billion in commitments, impacting a billion lives. That’s not just influence. That’s impact.
We also talked about the role of technology. AI, translation tools, Salesforce dashboards, even Substack — they’re not just part of the story, they’re the infrastructure. From grant-writing to movement-building, Global Citizen’s success is proof that the right tools in the right hands can scale change fast.
Most of all, I loved hearing how digital actions — even small ones — ripple out globally. A girl in Shanghai watching a livestream. A father in Utah supporting his daughters’ activism. The digital isn’t just real — it’s redefining what real means.
As we wrapped, Michael teased a new bonus chapter he’s releasing, The Innovator. Naturally, I asked him back when it drops. Because this conversation isn’t just about what’s been done — it’s about what comes next.
So if you’re wondering where to start, just remember Eleanor Roosevelt’s quote Michael brought back:
“The way to begin is to begin.”
Download the app. Take one action. The world is listening.
Cheers,
Marco
⸻ Keywords ⸻ Society and Technology, AI ethics, generative AI, tech innovation, digital transformation, tech, technology, Global Citizen, Michael Sheldrick, ending poverty, pop culture activism, technology for good, social impact, digital advocacy, Redefining Society, AI in nonprofits, youth engagement, music and change, activism app, social movements, John Legend, sustainable development, global action, climate change, eradicating polio, tech for humanity, podcast on technology
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Marco Ciappelli: [00:00:00] All right, everybody. Welcome back to another episode of Redefining Society and Technology. Sometimes guests are so cool and so inspiring that I invite them back — on a different show, by the way — because the first time we were talking mostly about the book with Michael Sheldrick, the co-founder of Global Citizen, a really important movement and organization that we’re going to talk about. At the time, I remember you had just published the book From Ideas to Impact, and it was interesting to see how it—
Michael Sheldrick: I think it was even before it came out.
Marco Ciappelli: Oh yeah, you’re right.
Michael Sheldrick: I think you were one of the first people I even spoke to about it — hot off the press. You got the exclusive.
Marco Ciappelli: Oh wow. Look at that. See, I forgot about that — good thing you reminded me. So this time, I wanted you to come back on Redefining Society and Technology because, obviously, what you do has a huge impact on society. You guys are achieving so much — you’re using music, you’re using entertainment, you’re using a lot of indirect ways to create movement. Judging by the results, it’s clearly working.
But also, there’s the website, the technology, everything that goes around it. I was curious what kind of tips and feedback you can give to my audience in terms of how to even move into social movements — things that are very human. More and more, we’re talking about technology because it’s part of our lives. So it’s going to be a wide conversation. But I want to start, of course, with learning a little bit about you and what Global Citizen is all about, for those who haven’t heard the first podcast.
Michael Sheldrick: Very short story — I grew up in Perth, Western Australia, one of the most isolated cities in the world. I was one of those kids who people probably didn’t think would amount to much. I certainly wasn’t good at sports — and if you know anything about Australians, we love sports. We put it on a pedestal. I could barely kick a football in the right direction. And I also wasn’t incredibly academically gifted, at least at the start.
It was only because of one teacher, at the start of high school, who really said to me, “Listen, you may not believe in yourself, but I believe in you. I think there’s more to you than meets the eye. If you put the work in, I’ll put the work in. Let’s do this together.” And I guess because of that belief, working together with him, I was able to unlock some hidden potential I didn’t even know was there.
I ended up in the top 1% of the state, got into law school, and was always aware that the reason I was there was because I had this great opportunity — this great teacher. Out of a sense of gratitude, I felt I wanted to give back.
One of the first initiatives I got involved in was fundraising for charity — building schools overseas in places like Papua New Guinea. But very quickly we realized that the need to end extreme poverty is greater than any amount of gala dinners or quiz nights.
We needed a movement. At the time, social media was emerging. And if you remember, Marco, 15 years ago — the way people now talk about AI — back then it was social media. AI for good, AI for ill — today. Back then, it was social media for good, for bad. Think Arab Spring. People were hopeful about how social media could mobilize people, bring them together, and progress society.
Global Citizen was really born in that context — combining the power of social media and popular culture.
Long story short, we developed this model where we did concerts and developed an app. People would take action by downloading the app, accrue points, and earn tickets to our festivals. That engagement — actions taken via social media — became our currency.
More than a decade and a half later, we’ve generated more than 40 million citizen actions that have helped unlock, together with our partners, more than $40 billion — impacting the lives of over a billion people through lifesaving interventions. That’s how we’ve used technology and pop culture to advance our mission.
Marco Ciappelli: I love that. And that’s why I thought after we spoke the first time that we should move the conversation into the Redefining Society and Technology podcast. Because you just summarized it — you saw an opportunity with social media.
Yes, I remember 15, 16 years ago — maybe even earlier when the conversation was, “Let’s put up a website.” Social media was a big revolution, or evolution, of the internet itself. It really connected people — for good and bad. Everything comes with good and bad, especially when we talk about technology. But you definitely used it for good.
So let’s go back to that time. Was it for you like a bet? “Let’s give this social media thing a try?” Or did you already see it as a powerful communication and aggregation tool? Could you foresee that it was going to work?
Michael Sheldrick: I think where I realized the power was when we started working with Rotary International. They have over a million clubs around the world and had long been working on eradicating polio — trying to make it the second human disease in history to be eradicated.
They were very candid — particularly in countries like Australia and the U.S., their members were aging, and they were struggling to engage younger people. When we had the rare opportunity to meet with Australian politicians, asking them if the government might contribute — because they’d stopped funding polio eradication — they made it clear. “If you want funding, you need to show there’s a constituency that cares. Especially young people.”
And where were young people? On social media.
That’s the insight we had as campaigners — and I think any good campaigner does this — you don’t wait for people to come to you. You go to where they already are.
At that time, it started with Facebook, then became Twitter. People were using these platforms not just to socialize, but to engage — to take action.
It was right after the global financial crisis. Young people might’ve been uncertain about their jobs or economic future, but they still wanted to contribute. We offered them a way to do that through social media.
In Australia, we did this concert — the “End of Polio” concert. We convinced John Legend to fly in. He spent more time flying than he did on the ground. And we didn’t sell tickets. We asked people to take action — sign a petition online, spread the word on social media — help us get tens of thousands of people behind it so we could present that to ministers and ask them to commit $50 million.
And it worked.
It probably worked in those early years because it was still novel. If you galvanized enough people, politicians were responsive. Like early days of email — before it became noise, people replied.
I remember in 2014, we were trying to get the government of Sweden to act on one of our campaigns. I got a phone call from someone in the Swedish Foreign Ministry saying, “The Foreign Minister is trying to board her plane, but she can’t reply to tweets because she’s getting so many from Global Citizens. Can you call it off?”
So we used that digital noise effectively to show leaders that young people care about these issues.
Marco Ciappelli: I love that. That’s the multiplier effect, right? In cybersecurity, we say it’s like when phishing emails became a thing — scammers didn’t need to send letters one by one anymore. They could blast out thousands. And now, with AI, they can personalize them.
You guys used that scale for good.
And speaking of good — John Legend, Miley Cyrus, Coldplay… you’ve worked with big names. Was that hard in the beginning? Getting artists to donate their time and lend their voices?
Michael Sheldrick: It was hard at first. When you’re starting something and asking people to help, a lot of folks say, “It’s a great idea — come back when you have others on board.”
You need early believers. John Legend was one of them. He’s still working with us — later this month we’re going to Lagos with him for our Move Africa initiative. That partnership’s been going for over 15 years. Same with Coldplay and others.
Artists want to engage beyond just donating money. They want to connect with their fans around shared values. And now, with climate disasters and inequality, many are asking how to go deeper — how to inspire systemic change.
Marco Ciappelli: Right. Music has always had that power. The ’60s, Vietnam protests, Live Aid in the ’80s…
I noticed on your website — you’ve gamified action. Becoming a “global citizen” means earning points by taking action. Even if you don’t have money to donate, you can still participate. That’s powerful.
Michael Sheldrick: Yeah. It’s about recognizing that people want to do good — but they also want to enjoy life. We’re not saying “sacrifice everything.” We’re saying “engage with the causes you care about while doing things you love.”
That reward system is our way of saying thank you. And over time, people go from signing petitions to becoming deeply involved.
One guy at Bridgewater Associates — before we ever met him — had been taking actions through the app for years, earning tickets.
It’s an entry point. A spark.
Marco Ciappelli: And tech makes that possible. During the pandemic, I saw how conferences quickly dropped virtual access as soon as in-person came back. But not everyone can afford to fly to San Francisco or London.
Technology breaks down barriers. People say, “It’s just digital,” but it’s real. If I take action online that helps someone across the globe — I’ve done something real.
How has tech’s evolution shaped your strategy?
Michael Sheldrick: Great question. One thing I’d highlight: today, everyone’s a content creator. The internet has made it possible for people with niche interests to find their communities.
Organizations that ignore this — especially conferences or advocacy groups — are missing a huge opportunity to engage beyond the room.
I’ve seen it firsthand. A father in Utah told me his daughters found our app. He made a deal with them: if they won tickets, he’d pay for their trip to New York. They won.
In Shanghai, I met a teacher who’s been watching our festivals online for 10 years. Now she uses them as class projects. Same impact — different access points.
And yes, tools like AI and translation tech have made us way more efficient. Grant writing used to take forever — now we can move faster and smarter.
Marco Ciappelli: And you’re using Salesforce to track impact, right?
Michael Sheldrick: Exactly. We track every commitment in Salesforce and monitor progress. That transparency builds trust. People want to know: are my actions making a difference? Now we can say, “Yes — and here’s how.”
Marco Ciappelli: You mentioned working on a bonus chapter for From Ideas to Impact — something about “The Innovator”?
Michael Sheldrick: Yes! You’re getting the exclusive again. It’s called The Innovator — a new leadership style focused on technology. It’s built on stories I’ve encountered during the book tour and will be free to download soon from my website.
Marco Ciappelli: Awesome. Let’s plan another episode for that when it’s ready. In the meantime, I’ll drop all the links in the show notes.
You once shared a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt: “The way to begin is to begin.” I love that. So for anyone listening: just begin. Download the app. Take one small action.
Thanks again, Michael. Always a pleasure.
Michael Sheldrick: Appreciate it. Thank you.