CivNet

Connect, organize, and act on shared problems.

Other | United States of America | Access to Information |

http://civnet.co

Overview

CivNet is a new online network that helps people make an impact on social and political issues. It helps people understand what’s going on in their community, connect with others who care about similar issues, find opportunities to get involved, and organize to take action. At the same time, CivNet helps organizations better engage the public. CivNet provides unique data on which issues people care about, how people within those issue networks are connected, and what types of civic and political actions people are taking. What makes CivNet unique is its action-orientation. Other social networks are good for sharing photos of cats and complaining about politics, but CivNet helps people and organizations actually get things done.

CivNet launched its beta platform in December of 2015 for a local pilot in Albuquerque, NM. Already, CivNet has 822 beta users who login for an average of 250 sessions per week and average 8 minutes per session. Those beta users have created 75 of their own community action plans, posted 133 opportunities to get involved and taken 258 actions to make a difference in their community. In addition, the May open rate for CivNet email notifications was 48.3%, almost double the standard rate for social good organizations. CivNet has multiple contract leads including the Global Ties Albuquerque and the Kettering Foundation.

Beyond CivNet’s initial success, research shows great potential for CivNet. The aggregate market of people engaging online in civic and political activities is 50.6 million. Yet, an analysis of the competition shows that no civic platforms have been able to take a significant chunk of this market. The biggest player, NextDoor, has less than 10% of the market. This leads us to believe that platforms like Facebook and Twitter dominate most of the market. Yet, none of these platforms are ¬action-oriented and therefore fail to meet the primary need of this market: to make social change. If CivNet is successful in meeting this need, annual revenue is projected to exceed $153 million between data analysis, premium account services, fees for user transactions, and sponsorship. Customers for these services would include foundations, non-profits, governmental bodies, and political campaigns.

CivNet has raised $55,000 in seed investment and is looking for $300,000 in additional seed investment to help CivNet continue its progress and expand over the next year.