Technology Innovator Awards 2017

44 Corporate Vision / Technology Innovator Awards 2017 , Care2 is the world’s largest social network for good, a community of over 40million standing together, starting petitions and sharing stories that inspire action. We invited Eric Rardin to tell us more about the firm. Best Online Non-Profit Network 2017 Founded in 1998, Care2 helps individuals start petitions and make a difference in their community whilst helping over 2,000 non-profits and mission based brands find and connect with new supporters and customers, globally. Care2 is a certified B Corporation, harnessing the power of business as a force for good. Since inception, the firm has provided a platform for online petitions and Eric Rardin, VP of Business Development, discusses how the company supports non-profit organisations and socially conscious brands. “Care2 has been a pioneer of cause-based social networking since our inception. We provided the first central platform for online petitions, and were the first to help nonprofit organizations tap into this source of passionate supporters. Today, we’re not only the world’s largest social network for good, but also the only values-based social network in existence.” “Alongside the values that the company stands for, we are a community of over 40 million citizen activists standing together and making extraordinary impact - locally, nationally and internationally - by starting petitions and supporting each other’s campaigns. We’ve had a demonstrable positive impact on communities around the world, with new petition successes every day. Care2 supports nonprofits and socially conscious brands by connecting their causes with our members through sponsored petitions. We have helped over 2,000 nonprofits find new donors, supporters and volunteers.” Discussing what sets the firm apart from its competitors, Eric summarises how the corporation uses social networking to have an earth-friendly impact on the world. The platform aligns itself with organisations and companies who share the same values, and will not partner up with those who don’t have similar views. “As a certified B-Corporation, Care2 is committed to using the power of business to make a positive social and earth-friendly impact on the world. Unlike some petition platforms, we never partner with organizations or companies whose values don’t align with our own. Our mission attracts only the most positive, determined people to our online community. That means that nonprofits who partner with us find a community of like-minded individuals who already support their cause.” As part of its remit, the organisation uses the significant power of online petitions for good, and has a growing list of achievements and honours which it lists as it’s significant successes, as Eric is keen to point out. “The Care2 community realises the power of online petitions in a world where government can be frustratingly ineffective. Together, we have protected wolves around Denali National Park, won justice for victims of discrimination, saved dogs from euthanasia, helped get GMOs out of Hershey chocolates, stopped an old growth oak grove from destruction, shut down an abusive farm, stopped the killing of rare owls, and much more.” Currently, the company is adapting to new developments within the industry, and Eric outlines the techniques Care2 plans to employ to stay ahead of emerging developments. “Since the success of a petition often rests on receiving a critical mass of shares and signatures, we use a number of methods to drive traffic to our site. Social media has become increasingly noisy in the last few years, so it can be difficult to promote some niche issues. The key may be something as simple as creating a hashtag for people to rally around.” Aside from just being a platform to grow petitions, the organisation has also evolved to become an industry expert in emails, which Eric points out is integral to the business, as they rely heavily on email as part of their process. “Care2 as a company also rely heavily on email so much that we have become an industry expert on email best practices. It’s vital