The 7 Top Websites for Civic Engagement

1 Nov 2012 | By Karin Meytahl

The guide for proactive good-doers

With the US Presidential Elections around the corner, many reflect on social issues and political dilemmas. White voting is one super essential way to be involved, there are many other ways to take action for a cause that’s close to your heart – year round. We scoured the web and culled the most effective websites that enable individuals to be proactive and make a difference.

1.
THUNDERCLAP
WHAT The first ever crowdspeaking platform.
IN DETAIL Thunderclap allows a singular cause or message to be shared en masse through social media. In order for a cause to make the cut on Thunderclap, it needs to have a certain number of supporters by a specified date. If the deadline is met, Thunderclap will automatically broadcast the cause in one fell swoop.

2.
ACT.LY
WHAT A petition website especially made for Twitter.
IN DETAIL Act.ly enables the Twitterati to create petitions literally at the click of a button. Fill in the target’s Twitter handle, type in the petition – and, presto, a petition is created. Start spreading it and hope for the retweets to follow.

3.
CAUSES
WHAT The mega power of civic – and other – engagement.
IN DETAIL Definitely among the strongest and most popular websites in the field, Causes allows users to create communities that take action or support specific nonprofits – by signing petitions, pledging to take actions and facilitating donations.

4.
CITIZINVESTOR
WHAT A crowdfunding and petition-running platform for municipal projects.
IN DETAIL Citizinvestor allows city dwellers a chance to shape their town’s reality. The crowdfunding platform strives to breathe a new life into dust-collecting municipal plans with the help of citizens, who can now fund the projects they care about. The website also gives voice to individuals who care, allowing users to start petitions – calling for municipalities to attend to various matters.

5.
AVAAZ
WHAT A web-based organizer of social and political activities.
IN DETAIL Avaaz is a global community, with thousands of volunteers that do everything activists do: from petitions and media campaigns to lobbying and organizing protests, Avvazers show they really care about what they’re fighting for.

6.
CHANGE.ORG
WHAT A sleek, popular online petition platform.
IN DETAIL Boasting over 20 million users worldwide, Change.org allows users to create petitions and sign them, using the power and accessiblity of the web to make a real difference.

7.
CARE 2’S PETITION SITE
WHAT An effective, well-trafficked petition site.
IN DETAIL A user-friendly tool to create petitions, Care2’s Petition Site is home to petitions in a variety of categories – from animal welfare to human rights.

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FOUNDING EDITOR

KARIN MEYTAHL

Karin is a web expert, developing digital products that make good deeds shine. Among other topics, she writes about happiness, education, and volunteering.

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