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 DemocracyInAction's Salsa constituent relationship management (CRM) online tools to help mobilize Sikhs and their allies to respond to urgent issues threatening the community.

TSA Targets Sikh Turbans, Labeled as Possible Threat

The Sikhs community came to the forefront of national security when the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) released new guidelines that labled Sikh turbans as a threat requiring "additional screening" procedures. With no united way to respond to this threat, the Sikh communities were caught off guard. Fearing that with over 43,000 TSA screeners, many of whom lack training in the Sikh religion, Sikhs were at risk of being summarily treated as threats because of their religiously mandated headgear, the members of the faith group was outraged. With no community consultation, and no meetings to share the specifics of what Sikhs should know or do about the new guideline, fear and a feeling of helplessness could have been the only response.

DemocracyInAction Offers the Right Solution for the Sikh Coalition

The community needed an online petition immediately.  Rising out of this sense of urgency, the Sikh Coalition was formed to unite the faith group, but they were new to online advocacy.  Since they required a tool that is user-friendly, low cost, and could be quickly implemented, the Coalition turned to DemocracyInAction (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: Salsa CRM. 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

Encouraged by the strength of the Coalition's TSA petition empowered by DIA's CRM platform, the organization took further advantage of Salsa's robust communications tools. Over time, 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 the organization as an effective human rights activist at the national level.