Change.org: Leveraging Social Media for Change

For the last eight months, we have written an awful lot about Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+. We have written about the statistics that make these platforms a force for change. We have written about strategies to capitalize on the power of these platforms. Today we are looking a much smaller platform than these others, but one that leverages the power of social media for good. It is called change.org and it’s the world’s platform for change.

One of the beauties of social media is that it allows a savvy small organization to compete with the largest businesses. Change.org is about helping every day people transform their communities – locally, nationally and globally. From small town campaigns to invoke investigations to large groups lobbying for change in big business, change.org uses the power of numbers and social media to inspire change.

Change.org is not a small platform at all. There are nearly 70 million people taking action in nearly 200 countries. How does it work? Anyone can start a petition. It’s amazingly easy to do. Just navigate to change.org and click on “Start a Petition.” Answer a few questions, click publish and you are on your way to change.

After your petition is done, it will circulate in the change.org world, but that is only the beginning. Now it is your job, to gather friends, family, community members, and social media users to sign your petition and share it. It is powerful to get a signature on a petition, but it is so much more powerful when some one signs it and shares it with their community. As more people share your cause, the community grows and change is inspired.

I strongly believe that a single person can make a difference in this world. I also believe that social media gives one person an opportunity and platform to reach the masses. Change.org empowers people who want to make a difference. Change.org gives people the tools they need to seek change. But this platform doesn’t change anything. It is the people.