Wild Apricot Offers Five Simple Ways to Use the Internet to Answer President Obama's Call to Action
Smart Website Software Helps You Become an Agent of Change
Toronto, ON (PRWEB) January 22, 2009
The inauguration of President Barack Obama has ushered in a new spirit of hope, and with it the call for a new era of responsibility in America and around the world. President Obama's election was due, in part, to his ability to mobilize grassroots support by leveraging social networking and other "Web 2.0" tools available through the Internet. Now, in taking office, President Obama has set out a vision for the future built around a call to duty and citizen mobilization to help face the challenges ahead. The Internet will play an even more important role as people work together to answer this call to action.
Wild Apricot (www. wildapricot. com)] is helping more than 11,000 non-profit and community organizations take advantage of the Internet through its website and membership management software. Groups as diverse as neighbourhood watch associations, citizen advocacy groups, grassroots charities, youth clubs and entrepreneurial associations are mobilizing online, recruiting new volunteers, raising funds, energizing their community members, promoting causes and sharing their passion.
How are they doing it? Here are five simple ideas from Wild Apricot on how to become an agent of change:
1. Mobilize your community: start a website around issues of mutual concern - add discussion forums, blogs, community listings and interactive features. In Worthington, Ohio, the Partners for Citizenship & Character (PCC) (http://pcc. memberlodge. org/) is using their website to join parents, students, educators, business and community leaders to work together to encourage the qualities of citizenship and character.
2. Think Global - Act Local: organize your community to promote environmental stewardship. North Carolina's Yadkin Riverkeeper website (http://yadkinriverkeeper. camp9.org/) is helping support the organization's mission to create a clean and healthy river that sustains life.
3. Build an online network: tough economic times require new ways of doing things - Wild Apricot helps like-minded people share their passion and build online networks for success. The Tampa, Florida-based organization e-BlackWomenNetwork (http://www. e-blackwomennetwork. com/) helps women of color with home-based businesses move from start-up to success.
4. Connect with like-minded individuals: use your website to promote events and link your members to each other through social networks. Future Women Leaders (http://www. futurewomenleaders. net/) uses their website to support leadership training and development for women in the San Francisco area. Visitors can connect with other women through the website's networking feature that lists members on Twitter, Facebook and other social networks.
5. Volunteer and Support Others: use the Internet to seek out volunteer opportunities in your community by searching online for causes you're passionate about. Many charities and non-profits advertising ways to get involved on their website: The Red River Valley Down Syndrome Society (http://redriverdss. camp7.org/) in northeast Texas uses it website to recruit new "buddies" for its programming and fundraising, along with events and education initiatives.
About Wild Apricot
Wild Apricot is web-based membership website software designed for charities and non-profits, associations and clubs. More than 11,000 organizations have already registered to use Wild Apricot service - integrated website content management, membership database, member self-service portal and event registration, e-mail communication, blogs and forums, and online payments. With pricing ranging from $25 to $200 per month and with a product designed for non-technical users, Wild Apricot can help even the smallest member-based organizations, groups and communities.
Contact:
Dmitry Buterin, Wild Apricot
416-410-4059
Colin Trethewey, Loud Frogs PR
613-220-2654
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