Access Fund Announces New Advocacy Tool
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Boulder, CO, July 15, 2009 The Access Fund announced today the launch of a new online grassroots advocacy tool that makes it easier and faster for activists to help influence public policy that affects climbing access.
While “action alerts” are nothing new to Access Fund supporters, the days of drafting their own letters, cutting and pasting drafted letters, and digging around to find the correct decision makers are over.
The Access Fund’s new technology enables supporters to quickly and easily respond to urgent action alerts online by sending a preformatted letter or customizing their own letter, which is then automatically sent to the correct decision makers based on the state where the issue is located and the supporter’s zip code. The tool is powered by a dynamic database of elected officials and media outlets, which assures that it is always up to date.
Individual supporters can increase the impact of a campaign by forwarding the issue to their friends and climbing partners using the software’s “Spread the Word” functionality, empowering activists to help mobilize the climbing community around issues that could impact climbing access. The software allows supporters to track the results of the advocacy campaigns in which they have participated.
“We are extremely excited about this new technology,” says Access Fund Policy Director Jason Keith. “It is critical that policy makers hear our voices before a vote. And this new capability will empower the climbing community to have real influence over public policy decisions, as well as support the work that we are doing in Washington, DC.”
Supporters can stay informed on current action alerts by visiting www.accessfund.org/action, placing the Access Fund RSS feed on their home page, or becoming a fan of the Access Fund’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/accessfund.
About the Access Fund Since 1991, the Access Fund has been the only national advocacy organization that keeps climbing areas open and conserves the climbing environment. The Access Fund supports and represents over 1.6 million climbers nationwide in all forms of climbing: rock climbing, ice climbing, mountaineering, and bouldering. Five core programs support the mission on national and local levels: climbing management policy, stewardship and conservation, local support and mobilization, land acquisition and protection, and education. For more information visit www.accessfund.org.
