Not Perfectly Normal

Since 2005, the Harry Potter Alliance has striven to make activism more accessible and sustainable for fans of story. Under normal circumstances, our model has worked quite well: we’ve compelled Warner Bros. to commit to ethical cocoa sourcing for Harry Potter chocolate products, built a network of over 20,000 video creators and fans to advocate for net neutrality, leveraged the Hunger Games films to raise awareness of economic inequality and win critical victories in the fight for a fair minimum wage, and much more.

Here’s the problem: circumstances are no longer normal. To put it in Harry Potter terms: The Ministry has been infiltrated, Death Eaters are manipulating facts and controlling how they’re reported, and good-hearted witches and wizards are feeling burnt out and devoid of agency. For years, the Harry Potter Alliance has encouraged its members to think of themselves as real-world heroes, the Hermione Grangers and Albus Dumbledores of our world. But as individualistic thinking dominates our political and social rhetoric, we believe the solution to our most challenging problems resides in our ability to establish a collective narrative and build a more collaborative future. So...

Our Neville Fights Back campaign has been given an upgrade! On September 7, we launched Dumbledore’s Army Fights Back, a nimble and responsive action platform designed to channel the passion and energy of fandom into several of the most critical social issues of our time. There are two main components of this ongoing campaign: the Issue Platform, and the Operations Model. 

Why Does This Need Funding?

Launching a new action platform is one thing. Keeping it going for the long haul requires substantial resources, talented staff, and a lot of support from our volunteers and members. Dumbledore’s Army Fights Back has the potential to generate hundreds, even thousands of actions per week. Over time, this level of engagement can change the world. And that’s why we’re breaking our old model of strict campaign timelines and end dates on action. We intend to keep fighting for our platform issues until our vision becomes reality!

For every $1,500 we raise, we’ll be able to keep this campaign going for one week. If we meet our initial goal of $30,000, we'll be able to commit to 20 weeks of meaningful action on our platform issues! 

Whether you have a dollar to spare or the resources to become an official Dumbledore’s Army Sponsor, we’ve provided perk bundles to satisfy a broad range of magical philanthropists. We’ll also be releasing exclusive perks from amazing partners like Starkid, LeakyCon, Rainbow Rowell, Mark Oshiro, and more as the campaign unfolds! Be the first to find out about new perks by joining our email list.

Resistance Is Magic In the Press!

Meet the Team

Acacia Ludwig, Creative Director. Growing up in a family of artists and surrounded by the vibrant world of Chinatown, New York, Acacia strives to embody a deep and sincere love for artistic expression, good storytelling, and social justice for all people. While she has had stints in acting and modeling, Acacia’s most dedicated work is in music and design. As a musician, Acacia has had the honor to collaborate with some of the world’s greatest rock musicians while living in LA, NYC, and her current home of Woodstock, New York. As a designer, Acacia has created a countless array of logos and web sites for a variety of bands and social justice organizations. She has been working with the HPA since 2007, literally shaping the face of the organization with her artwork and attitude.

Amber Ducharme, Finance Director. Amber is a proud Hufflepuff who enjoys using her love of numbers to help make the world a better place. With ten years of experience in nonprofit accounting, Amber oversees the HPA's Finance and Human Resources Departments. She holds a B.A. in Mathematics and an M.S. in Accounting.

Janae Phillips, Director of Leadership & Education. In her ten years as a program designer and community organizer Janae has been a passionate advocate for creating more playful, engaging leadership training. She manages the HPA’s chapters program, which spans six continents, is the architect behind their immersive story-based leadership retreat, and is their lead curriculum writer. Janae holds a B.S. in Family Studies and Human Development, concentration in Leadership Studies and Practice, and an M.S. in Educational Technology.

Katie Bowers, Campaigns Director. As the Campaigns Director for the Harry Potter Alliance, Katie has organized thousands of fans across the globe to make a difference on gender equity, LGBTQ+ rights, literacy, access to education, and more. Her favorite part of working for the HPA is seeing our creative, enthusiastic members shaping their communities! A Ravenclaw hoping to do some good, Katie has been integrating her love of pop culture and social justice through organizing initiatives and experiential education since 2005.  

Matt Maggiacomo, Executive Director. In 2005, Matt accidentally fell down the rabbit hole of Harry Potter fandom and hasn’t emerged since. After spending five years touring the United States, Canada, and Europe with his wizard rock band, The Whomping Willows, Matt landed his first job at the Harry Potter Alliance in 2013. As the HPA’s first Chapters Director, Matt fostered the creation of Granger Leadership Academy and led the expansion of HPA Chapters across six continents. Matt has served as the HPA's Executive Director since January 2015. He earned a B.A. in English from UMASS-Amherst in 2001.