There’s a ton of apps and social platforms for nonprofits and do-gooders to sift through these days. Not only can it be overwhelming to determine which ones are useful, sometimes it’s a challenge to decide “is it really worth my time?” Here are three apps that are worth checking out and keeping an eye on.
The Extraordinaries
The co-founders of The Extraordinaries, Jacob Colker and Ben Rigby, have been an integral part of the 
nonprofit community for a few years. I remember when they first came up with the idea to offer an Iphone and web app that allows you to micro-volunteer on-demand and on-the-spot. Two years later, The Extraordinaries has blossomed into a powerful mobile app that has helped over 200 organizations ranging from the environmental Campaign 1Sky to KaBoom!, which organizes volunteers to help build playgrounds. Micro-volunteers have completed over 300,000 tasks such as tagging photos from Haiti to help find missing people.
Have a favorite cause, organization, or interest? The Extraordinaries allows you to do something meaningful for it in just a few minutes by either posting a micro-volunteer ask or by donating some of your free time to help a cause you believe in whether your waiting at the bus stop or sitting in your office cubicle.
The Extraordinaries also launched Tweetnotes which allows organizations to capture a crowd tweeting your events such as conferences, webinars, online debates. etc. TweetNotes creates a summary of the "best" tweets by asking your crowd to vote for each one. Furthermore, it can track multiple search terms, so if people aren't tweeting the hashtag that you prefer and they've started using a different hashtag or a regular phrase, you can collect all of these into the same TweetNotes.
IfWeRanTheWorld
IfWeRanTheWorld.com is a social platform (in beta) that harnesses people’s desire to change the world and turns them into tangible, do-able “microactions” that anyone and everyone can do. It was founded by Cindy Gallop, who headed up one of the largest ad agencies in the world.
The site helps to empower ordinary people to think about how they can make a difference if they had the power to run the world. Users start by answering the question, ‘'If you ran the world, what would you do?' Of course the key is to make it tangible and realistic as possible. When you answer the question, you have three choices: you can start an action platform of your own to make it happen. You'll see the other action platforms (in yellow) related to your answer that other people have started, that you could join instead. And you'll see all the micro-actions (color-coded) related to your answer that you could pick up instantly and do.
Vote IQ
Vote IQ (also in beta) is a new political social networking site that was unveiled last week at the PDF conference. The social network connects voters and politicians as well as candidates running for office and interest groups. Voters will also be able to use Vote IQ’s tools to form groups to extend their social reach and host debates.
“This is an opportunity to empower voters to control the future of this country,” said
CEO and founder Jim Tisch, especially after a recent study indicated that 85% of Americans don’t trust government leaders.
VoteIQ features include:
- Matching technology to connect voters with candidates who share similar views
- Profiles of over 70K politicians
- Interactions between politicians and voters
- Moderated debates between representatives from multiple parties
Currently the beta site is available to people living in major swing states: California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Washington with future plans to roll out the platform to more states.
Looking for more social action networks spurring social good? Check out Care2's Petition Site that allows people to start online petitions around issues they care about and Care2's Cause Channel.
Top Three Platforms Your Nonprofit Should Use
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