The international advocacy organization One has chalked up some early successes with a new mobile application for iOS—the operating system for Apple’s iPhone, iPad, and some iPods.
The application, released this month, makes it easy for the organization’s supporters to call their U.S. representatives, sign petitions, and connect with other advocates and organizers in their area. During its first two weeks, the free application recorded more than 20,000 downloads.
“We think that mobile advocacy is the next step,” said Kimberly Hunter, a spokeswoman for One.
So far, the best measure of its success is downloads, but that will change with new campaigns, Ms. Hunter said. The organization plans eventually to add a competitive component to the app that will allow supporters to measure their actions against others’—and for the organization to figure out which people are its most fervent advocates.
“It allows us to monitor our supporters more completely and see how we are reaching our goals,” she said.
Over the next year, the organization plans to release the application on other mobile platforms, like Google’s Android operating system, and to offer similar applications that cater to people who live outside the United States.
One isn’t the only group that has been experimenting with mobile applications. Here are two others that have recently released new apps:
State Officials Release Free Way to Monitor Traffic
The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials this month released its own application for iPhone and other Apple devices that allows people to see real-time traffic and keep up on transportation news.
The application recorded about 300 downloads in its first week.
“We’re pretty pleased we have about 300 people who found it important enough to download,” said Tony Dorsey, media-relations manager at the organization.
The organization decided to build an app because its members—government officials who focus on transportation—are largely tech-savvy smartphone users, said David Dubov, the group’s Web business manager. The association hopes to release a similar Android app within a year.
A Guidebook App for Nonprofit Managers
Nonprofit managers travel a lot, and that’s often when they quickly need an answer to a tough question.
The publisher Jossey-Bass/Wiley has developed an iOS and Android app to make it easier to find answers for managers who aren’t sitting at their desks. The application, Nonprofit Manager’s FAQ, pulls together advice from the company’s books on nonprofit management in a question-and-answer style. Questions include “What are nine steps to building a great board?” and “How should a nonprofit approach advocacy?”
The application is free for a limited time.
