The power of the people: in many topics, Wikipedia is officially more accurate than most encyclopedias. They even say that if you asked 100 people the weight of a cow, the average answer would be more accurate than a butcher’s guess. The masses have changed laws, sparked revolutions and, of course, started memes. But can we use the power of the people to help the people?

Thanks to the recent popularity of corporate social responsibility initiatives, the masses can unite under an organized head – like an international brand such as American Express- to rapidly make a difference. Lately, a few of these initiates have proved successful, benefiting the brand and the world alike. Check out our favorite brands using social action networks to produce a positive impact that goes beyond their consumer base:

American Express- Members Project
American Express is donating $1 million every three months. They’ve given us the responsibility of choosing the most worthy cause. Check the website at http://www.takepart.com/membersproject/vote to choose your favorite charity in the five categories to which they’ll split the $1 million prize: Arts and Culture, Community Development, Education, Environment and Wildlife, and Health and Wellness. American Express is also encouraging donations, and they’re even giving Membership Reward points to those who offer to volunteer at the competing charities.

Pepsi-Refresh Project
You probably missed Pepsi this Superbowl. Pepsi is known for putting out at least one multi-million dollar Superbowl ad every year. For this year, Pepsi decided to place that money into something a little more worthwhile: the Pepsi Refresh Project. Pepsi’s project is a lot like American Express’s – but anyone can submit any proposal. The best ideas will receive funding. And you can tell these initiatives were crowd-sourced as they represent hyper-local causes (like a high school’s video game club). Voting ends June 30th. Check it out: http://refresheverything.com

Crispin Porter + Bogusky
This Miami and Bolder based advertising agency is known for it’s crowdsourcing attempts. They even spawned a crowdsourcing-based advertising agency, Victors and Spoils (http://victorsandspoils.com/). After spurring up some crowdsourcing controversy in which they tried to crowdsource a logo for Brammo (the problem being that crowdsourcing talent devalues the designer), CP+B may have finally mastered the art of the crowdsource: they are asking us the best way to clean up BP’s oil spill. Seems like an ambitious idea, but at least CP+B is out to make a difference. And with our help.