Salsa Helps Sikh Coalition Reach Out to New Supporters

Sikh Coalition Case Study

The Sikh Coalition is a civil rights and advocacy organization that represents the interests of the Sikh community in the United States.  The coalition was created in the aftermath of 9/11 as a response to bias and prejudice against followers of Sikhism.  The organization needed DIA's Salsa platform of online tools to help respond to urgent issues that required the involvement of Sikhs and their allies.

TSA Targets Sikh Turbans, Label as Possible Threat

The issue of Sikhs as a national security issue became especially urgent when the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) released new guidelines that warned Sikh turbans as a threat requiring "additional screening" procedures.  Naturally, the Sikh communities were caught off guard. Taking into account over 43,000 TSA screeners, many of whom lack training in the Sikh religion, and the risk that Sikhs would be summarily treated as threats because of their religiously mandated headgear, the members of the faith group  were outraged. Why? There had been no community consultation, and no meetings to share the specifics of what Sikhs should know or do about the new guideline.

DemocracyInAction Offers the Right Solution for the Sikh Coalition

The Coalition was formed out of this sense of urgency, and was new to online advocacy.  The organization needed an online petition immediately.  Since they required a tool that is user-friendly, low cost, and could be quickly implemented, the Coalition turned to DIA.  Within 24 hours, DIA set the newly formed organization up with a trial account and helped to create its first online petition.  As a result, one day later, the Sikh Coalition made national and international news, appearing in media from The New York Times to the BBC.

Great Results Thanks to Salsa

DIA helped the Sikh Coalition by providing innovative online tools that offered an easy, effective way to get the word out about potential discrimination against members of the Sikh community.

"DemocracyInAction played a great role in getting our organization to the next level. Being short of resources is something most non-profits experience. We couldn't afford to hire a tech person, which led us to a more affordable option---DIA's Salsa platform.  We are now able to propel our supporters into immediate action using communications we thought were out of reach for such a small organization. We can now instantaneously create a petition, send and analyze email blasts, or manage supporters without being overwhelmed by the technological obstacles." -Amardeep Singh, executive director for the Sikh Coalition

On the strength of the Coalition's TSA petition empowered by our Salsa platform, the organization took further advantage of robust communications tools.  Eventually, the Coalition increased support for its cause, doubled the number of email addresses in its database, raised thousands of dollars from new donors, and positioned itthemsleves  as effective human rights activists at the national level.