Why Orchid?

The Problem:

A daily challenge. Member based organizations face a daily challenge to recruit, manage and serve their members as individuals and as affiliate organizations. As these organizations grow, meeting these needs can become more challenging and costly. The decision to implement online systems can be complicated and overwhelming in this day of burgeoning technologies. Factor in online capabilities that allow organizations to conduct core business and advocacy via the internet and the choices become mind boggling.

The pressure is on. More and more organizations in both the private and non-profit sectors are using an online presence to meet their objectives. Websites serve as communication platforms rather than marketing tools. Individuals rely on the internet to provide critical information, gain access to services and to communicate with one another. Labor, political and advocacy organizations today represent a large market faced with these challenges.

Barriers for many. Online solutions to these problems have been adopted by many but often with a pricetag many cannot afford. For a majority -- especially at the local and district levels -- cost, the difficulty of finding the right product or service, a membership not primed to use their local website as a reliable resource, and a lack of a strategy to support locals are common barriers.

The Solution:

Provide a technological and strategic solution that is turn-key and customized to specific markets.  Many organizations belong to the same market or share basic and common needs:

• Membership Management and Commmunication
• Information Distribution
• Fundraising and Advocacy
• Training and Support

If these basic and shared needs can met be effectively and affordably with one system instead of many and build  capacity in the process, then why not?

Other industries do it. For example, in the home building market you can buy a high quality, "pre-fab" home before it is built and customize it in certain ways to fit your style and needs. Compared to a custom built option, this approach can save time and money while delivering a known quantity with high value for a happy homeowner.

The Benefits of Orchid:

Faster implementation. Known quantity. Shared resources. Lower costs.

Orchid provides the ability to create "suites" of affiliated organizations that can share content and build a brand — a social franchise.

Benefits for Member Organizations:

• Communicate Your Mission
• Support Your Affiliates
• Link to Affiliates
• Send E-mail Blasts
• Send Action Alerts
• Collect member Dues
• Recruit and Manage Volunteers
• Post News Articles
• Build a Photo Gallery
• Develop Reports
• Update Content Easily Using a Content Management System

Benefits for Individuals:

• Get Important Timely Information 
  
• Take Action
• Join Discussion Groups
• Pay Dues
• Learn About Benefits
• Register for or Post an Event

What is a Suite?

A "suite" is a group of affiliated websites built to communicate with one another as a strategic and business strategy. They can be:

• Configured to meet the needs of an organization (an association with chapters) or a market (political parties),
• Delivered quickly, effectively and affordably through an order wizard where the site configurations have already been established,
• Come complete with site map of pre-determined pages, tools and a look and feel if desired,
• As large as (100+) organizations or as small as (2-3) groups.
• Distributed publishing: Share content (documents, images, articles, events, action alerts) that is either "pushed down" from a top level organization or simply made available by members.