Platform-wide impact metrics

Change.org's Impact page presents these platform-level proof points (source):

577,106,114 people taking action
114,177 victories in 196 countries
A petition on Change.org achieves victory nearly every hour

The homepage adds activity metrics (source):

2,000+ petitions created daily
500,000+ signatures collected daily
1,000+ government officials notified daily

How the platform produces outcomes

Change.org's official-side mechanics convert signatures into pressure on decision-makers (source):

5 signatures: search visibility on Change.org unlocks
10 signatures: assigned decision-maker is notified by Change.org
100 signatures within 30 days (local petitions targeting elected officials): outreach emails to the named decision-maker are triggered
100+ signatures with 60%+ local concentration: constituent count appears publicly under the decision-maker's name on the petition page

The Impact page outcomes below show how these mechanics compound across very different scales.

Victory highlights from the Impact page

8th grader changes school calendar; gets a call from the NYC Mayor — 23,006 signatures
FDA approves the first needle-free emergency epinephrine treatment — 40,530 signatures
Amazon announces major reduction in plastic packaging — 784,405 signatures
Maulik Pancholy's empathy and anti-bullying assembly reinstated — 9,746 signatures

Detailed impact stories

Water beads campaign

Ashley Haugen started a petition after her daughter was harmed by water beads. The campaign reached 100,370 signatures, gained national media attention, and helped pressure the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Amazon, Target, Walmart, and Etsy agreed to stop selling water beads as toys.

Prop 57 justice campaign

Julia Sanchez's campaign reached 22,308 signatures and became a rallying point for families seeking changes in sentencing law. Families connected through the campaign, talked to media, met with lawmakers, and supported one another.

Santa Susana cleanup campaign

Melissa Bumstead's petition reached 762,963 signatures. The campaign turned a local environmental concern into a national conversation; Bumstead later founded Parents Against Santa Susana Field Lab.

Virgilio Aguilar Mendez campaign

Mariana Blanco's petition grew to over 500,000 signatures — reaching 610,850 on the page reviewed. Prosecutors later dropped all charges against Virgilio Aguilar Mendez.

Outcomes across the scale range

Petitions with vastly different signature counts achieve real outcomes. The variable that matters most is matching the petition to the right decision-maker with the right local proof:

150 signatures: Sunbury, Pennsylvania city council joined Penn State's Local Climate Action Plan
570 signatures: a Georgia school board authorized metal detectors
23,006 signatures: 8th grader's school-calendar petition led to a call from the NYC mayor
40,530 signatures: FDA approval of the first needle-free emergency epinephrine treatment
100,370 signatures: water beads pulled from major retailer toy aisles
600,000+ signatures: 2024 release of Virgilio Aguilar Mendez from prison
784,403 signatures: Amazon's plastic-packaging reduction announcement

Source: Change.org Impact and Do Online Petitions Work?.

How Change.org frames impact

Across the platform, impact is the combination of:

Signature growth
Public visibility
Media attention
Engagement with decision-makers
Documented victories on the Impact page

For the workflow that produces those outcomes, see What Happens After the Signatures.

Change.org Impact, Victories, and Proof Points