Allison Fine, A. Fine Blog

What would happen if you mashed up Friendster, Change.org, Digg.com, and the Green Directory? You would get Care2, a vast one-stop shop for informing and engaging people in social change efforts. Started way back in 1998, the site boasts over six million members today. Fundamentally the mission of Care2 is to involve people in learning more about and donating to social causes, with a particular emphasis on “green lifestyle” and animal causes.

The site is an amalgam of almost every possible way that people use the web. It has news, social networking, shopping, petitions, donations to causes, and even e-cars. Care2 experienced a surge in activity and membership last year as green consumerism took off.  And no wonder - the site is easy to navigate, membership is free, there is a vast array of personal networks, services, news, and jobs to be had as well as access to green products and causes.

Nonprofit organizations can also set up shop in Care2 and get extra benefits for doing so, such as likeminded activists’ email addresses, but this comes with a fee. But then access to more than six million people may well be worth the cost. Even if your organization doesn’t shell out the money for business membership, it’s a good idea to join Care2 and start talking about your cause. Care2 is essentially a community of activists, some of whom can likely be swayed to support your cause and organization.