Online Engagement

The Web and e-mail are important tools to build support for the causes of progressive organizations and foundations.  We work with our clients to create the online tools they need to raise funds, promote programs, launch and sustain advocacy campaigns and advance causes.   Because the online world is constantly evolving, our process engages the latest techniques and best practices to ensure a truly supportive environment for both the organization and its constituents.

Web site Design and Development:

All of the Web sites created by Douglas Gould and Co. are developed based upon a thorough understanding of the intended audience for the site and the goals of our client in creating it. Here are a few recent examples of our work:

Keep Arts in Schools
The Keep Arts In Schools Web site was created to support the work of The Ford Foundation arts education and integration initiative.  Since its launch in 2005, the Web site’s audience has tripled and its content has expanded to support a national conversation on arts education and arts integration issues.  Douglas Gould and Company manages this Web site, arming advocates with the tools and resources they need to be more effective in their work and in their communications to keep arts education in public schools. Since the launch of the Web site in 2005, unique visits have tripled and a typical visit averages over 3 minutes.  The number of hits in a month has averaged 110,000 since August 2007 with an average of 5,000 visits and 3,000 unique visitors.

FairMedicare
To commemorate the 40th anniversary of Medicare and respond to the changes to Medicare prescription drug coverage (Medicare part D), we developed an “engagement site” for the Center for Medicare Advocacy (CMA).  FairMedicare.org provides a consumer-oriented platform for CMA to cultivate the relationships it has with Medicare beneficiaries and their caregivers. Visitors to the site can make a donation to the organization, take action on the latest campaign, listen to a Podcast, sign a petition, read the latest news, contact decision makers and share their stories regarding access to quality healthcare for all.  The Web site won a merit award from the 2005 World Wide Web Health Awards. 

Pathways to Higher Education
Marginalized young people across the world do not have access to colleges and universities.  The Ford Foundation’s Pathways initiative works in 65 institutions in 22 countries to transform admission policies, classroom practices, curricula, daily operations and institutional climate so that a greater number of students from marginalized groups enroll in college and earn undergraduate degrees. Douglas Gould and Company created a Web site to increase overall awareness of the initiative as well as give participants a place to share and learn from each other. 

Americans for UNFPA - One Woman Can
Americans for UNFPA’s mission is to support the work of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), an international development agency providing health care and promoting the rights of women around the world. Douglas Gould and Company designed and implemented One Woman Can, an advocacy campaign to support the growth of the organization’s constituency base as well as their legislative efforts.  The central concept of One Woman Can is that every woman, no matter what her status, can do something to help ensure the health, dignity, and well-being of women around the world.

Americans for UNFPA - Lifelines
In addition to One Woman Can, Douglas Gould and Company also created a unique online community, Lifelines, where women can share their life experiences and learn from the experience of others. The community gives users the ability to build their own story as a Lifeline, then compare their lives to other women’s all over the world.  The community includes Lifelines for “statistical women” from the places where UNFPA works to help bring to light the reality of the lives of women in disadvantaged countries. 

Worldwide Orphans Foundation
The Worldwide Orphans Foundation (WWO) and its programs address the needs of the most vulnerable children in orphanages located in Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, China, Ecuador, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Serbia and Viet Nam through direct service programs like health care and education. In preparation for the fall gala fundraiser in October 2007, and as a first step in increasing public awareness, Douglas Gould and Company re-designed its Web site to engage visitors, increase its e-mail database and reveal the intimacy, depth and impact of its work.

Center for the Advancement of Women
The Center for the Advancement of Women (CFAW) researches issues to expose women’s concerns, change the way women are seen and treated, and shape public attitudes to improve women’s lives.  Douglas Gould and Company re-designed the Center’s Web site to become action-oriented.  We incorporated a new online advocacy component where visitors can take action and share their opinions or stories.  The site was built on a content management system that addressed the needs of CFAW’s internal capacity. 

Ann Coulter Does Not Speak for Me
As part of our work with the Center for the Advancement of Women, we developed and launched a viral campaign, “Ann Coulter Does Not Speak for Me”, a spin-the-wheel type Flash animation game that let users see quotes from Ann Coulter on various issues related to women.  The campaign attracted online activists to the site, and then encouraged them to sign a petition.  In addition to engaging CFAW’s existing e-mail list, Douglas Gould and Company helped secure ad placements on blogs as well as links from peer organizations that drove an active audience to the campaign and the petition.

Other notable clients:
SKILL Center
Westchester County Board of Legislators
Keeping Track of New York City's Children
Community College Central
Religion and Pluralism Project
Time Out From Testing (2004)