Targeting the Root Causes of Poverty: Trees For Life Uses Web Technology to Share It's Story, Raise Funds, and Manage Relationships
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Trees for Life develops models that empower people in poor countries around the world to improve their living conditions and inspire hope. What started as a tree-planting project in India has grown into a global people-to-people initiative that addresses the root causes of poverty, hunger, and disease.
Through planting trees (over 40 million to date), establishing schools and libraries, digging water wells, building fuel-efficient stoves, and sharing knowledge, Trees for Life helps community leaders in developing countries work with dignity to help themselves and teach others to do the same.
The Challenge
Trees for Life had a website that could only be updated by programmers, and they stored donor and volunteer information in a database with limited functionality. The organization recognized that it needed a low-cost tool for non-technical staff to easily edit and update website content, while retaining the ability to control what gets posted.
They wanted to be able to send information captured from website users directly into a system that improved relationship management, integrated with email, and produced reports. The organization also planned to open an online marketplace that allowed visitors to make purchases to support its mission. Additionally, Trees for Life hoped to share the story of its work with online multimedia.
The Solution
ifPeople developed a website for Trees for Life, using the Plone Content Management System (CMS). Plone provides a WYSYWIG ("What You See Is What You Get") editor that is as easy to use as popular word processing programs, complete with the ability to specify roles and control group permissions. Content managers can add text and upload documents, images, and multimedia to the website with just a few clicks.
We integrated the Salesforce.com CRM tool, and customized it to meet Trees for Life's specific needs for managing and leveraging relationships. Using GetPaid, a Plone-based e-commerce platform that processes online credit card payments and manages orders, ifPeople's developers built a store that generates revenue for the organization.
The Outcome
Since Plone and GetPaid are open source solutions and Salesforce.com donates licesnses to nonprofits, Trees for Life avoids paying the exorbitant monthly fees required by Kintera, Convio, Get Active, and the other options the team originally researched.
Now, Trees for Life staff can update the site regularly and reach out to its stakeholders more effectively with targeted email campaigns. ifPeople provided an affordable integrated set of solutions, suitable for budget-conscious nonprofits who recognize the role that web technology can play in furthering an organization's mission.
