USI's e-campaigning website goes live!

national | miscellaneous | news report Monday January 27, 2003 17:57 by Noel Hogan - USI dep_president at usi dot ie Grattan Street, Dublin 01 435 3400

NEW WEBSITE ALLOWS PUBLIC TO SAY 'FECK FEES' TO POLITICIANS

from www.usi.ie

27th January 2003

The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) today launched a revolutionary new e-lobbying system with Internet company 54 Degrees. By accessing the site www.fightfees.com, students and their families can directly lobby any politician in the country as well as gaining access to information on politician clinic times and USI campaigns calling for the abolition of fees.

Colm Jordan, President, USI said: "Judging from calls received in our office, there is a groundswell of public anger at the proposed re-introduction of fees. The beauty of this site is that it allows constituents to voice this opposition to their local politicians and Government ministers in a straightforward and user-friendly manner. Students or members of their family simply access the site and fill in a message which is delivered directly to the politician.
This initiative is being launched at a vital time with our huge national demonstration taking place on February 5th and Minister Dempsey's report on improving access to third level education already overdue.
Users can be sure that any message sent to a politician is guaranteed to be delivered within seconds. The site also provides a wealth of information on politician's contact details and clinic times and how the 'fight fees' campaign is developing."

Eugene Flynn, MD of 54 Degrees Ltd., said: " We are delighted to launch this online campaign today with USI. We have provided them with the power to run a sophisticated advocacy campaign. 54 Degrees Advocacy is a revolutionary web based software application for grassroots advocacy making it easier for Advocacy Groups to organise members & campaign supporters for rapid response on important issues.
Supporters can quickly inform themselves about the issues of the campaign, are connected directly with Decision Makers and can voice their support and send an email to friends in a matter of minutes. Supporters also help spread the word using an integrated email tool to send a message to friends about the campaign. USI can easily manage the online campaign, monitor progress reports, create campaign updates and issue personalised email action alerts to supporters as the campaign develops. Politicians will receive direct communication from genuine concerned constituents and the web site will provide a useful resource for information as the campaign unfolds.
The Internet is an essential tool for advocacy driven organisations because it enables rapid mobilisation of advocates with high efficiency and impact.
54 Degrees is a Dublin based Web Design Company providing creative, technical and consultancy services to a diverse client base. Online Advocacy is one of the services that they provide to Non Profit and membership based organisations. They also provide Internet Fundraising and Content Management solutions.