Do the following goals - that address strategic effectiveness ("doing the right things") and operational efficiency ("doing the things right ") - apply to your organization?

If so, then please read on!

When this site was conceived a few years ago, many of the calendars were in PDF / Word format containing a long textual listing. Many are still that way. Some sites have attempted to improve the presentation to make it more user friendly, but for the end-user/ participants, there is still the challenge of visiting & negotiating various sites with different formats, features, ratings etc.

Both the complexity and time aspects become major deterrents - especially for new participants - the very people you want to reach out to the most! Organizations also face the challenges of providing status updates, cancellations, rsvps/reservations, providing clarifications to participants etc.

Active-Days can make a real difference to organizations by providing a well-designed resource / system that addresses the above strategic and operational needs. One that is easy-to-use, widely accessible, with an array of useful features. And one, that is constantly refined based on user feedback and usage patterns.

Active-Days can help your organization conserve your publicity and IT efforts / dollars - enabling you to focus your time & funds on the important elements of planning/ conducting engaging events and ultimately on your mission of caring for the parks / open space / wilderness / wildlife.

Of course, as with any new approach, there are sure to be some concerns / questions.

One that arises (sometimes subconsciously) is that of competition! There is a natural apprehension that a portal site like this will increase competition for participants among similar organizations. At the other end, some may worry that there may be too many participants. These are valid concerns.

PROVEN MODEL

However, a look at the age-old tested model of directories / yellow pages shows the tremendous shared benefit (to the providers and consumers) of presenting the variety of offerings in one convenient place. Consider the effective model of various book publishers presenting their offerings in a bookshop - either physical or online like Amazon. This allows the authors & publishers to focus on the their core tasks/goals (that they love!) while Amazon takes care of spreading the word to the public in a unified, easily accessible, user friendly marketplace.

Presenting the offerings together makes it significantly more convenient for the participants / "consumers" - ensuring a much larger and increasing base that results in a win-win situation for everyone concerned.

Slice of the Pie - more slices - but larger individually -
and together forming a larger pie!

The other potential concern (perhaps unstated) is the "Not-Invented-Here" syndrome!  

[Here's a definition from the web - NIH syndrome refers to the tendency of both individuals and entire organizations to reject suitable external solutions in favor of internally-developed solutions. Closely related to the "let's re-invent the wheel" syndrome, NIHS can be defined as a situation where an external solution is rejected only because it was not internally developed. NIHS can be seen in intensities ranging from a mild reluctance to accept new ideas all the way up to a raging software xenophobia.]

Again this is a natural response. Of course, well run organizations and experienced leaders know that the focus should be on achieving targeted results while taking advantage of available resources and innovations that positively impact the organization's work. Here is a good article about dealing with NIHS from a Harvard University publication.

PREVIEW OF FEATURES & BENEFITS

In addition to streamlined / easy event entry (with maximum reuse of information that has been entered once!) - and a customizable online event listing (webpage) for your site - here are some special features that will help you manage, publish and promote events - and achieve the overall goal of fostering increased engagement and awareness of our natural treasures / environment.

RSVPs

To manage sign-ups, there is a highly transparent, user-managed RSVP system - that also helps participants coordinate carpools on their own. As the sign-up numbers are easily viewable online (immediately reflecting any cancels) RSVP deadlines can be set as late as a few hours before the event. Since participants only enter their info once, entering RSVPs and updating them online is a snap!

Communications

In addition to RSVPs and Discussion forums in the Community area, there is a system of direct, private messaging between participants - and with Leaders too!  This allows event leaders to remain easily accessible to participants without making their personal contact information public all over the internet.

Generating and maintaining Enthusiasm / Momentum

Besides the user-friendly & effective search / browse features, Active-Days was also designed to enable participants / leaders / event coordinators to easily enter comments, tips, ratings / reviews, photos, trip reports etc. These help to create a sense of energy and momentum - for the events, the organizations and for the environment.

We are hopeful that organizations will see the benefit of this common, interconnected, full featured platform that serves their goals as well as the enthusiasts/participants!

Look forward to hearing your comments and suggestions. Please feel free to contact me to explore how Active-Days can support your efforts to foster a love and appreciation of our parks and wilderness among a greater number and variety of participants.

Auri Biswas

Founder Director
Auri -at- Active-Days.org

I was able to leverage a unique combination of skills, education and background experience -

I made a conscious, deliberate, autonomous choice to take a break from helping billion dollar companies (and forgo the benefits that go with that!) to help small businesses, non-profits & individuals.  And to give myself a chance to make a unique contribution in certain areas that, I believe, enhance the well-being of our selves, our communities and our planet.  If you are interested / keen on these same things, let's talk!

[ ** Planning and Directing major, strategic projects aimed at business / product / technology innovation; Envisioning / scoping / developing enterprise-wide architectures / systems that enable business process innovation, improvement and integration; for some of the world's best known companies.
You can view more details at Art-of-Innovation.com ]

Active-Days  -  Supporting Organizations, Participants, and Nature!

► Search or Browse a Calendar of Interesting, Active Events

► Look up Relevant Information here & from Quality Sites/Orgs

► Connect with other Participants & Enthusiasts & HAVE FUN!

It's your one-stop portal / connection that makes it easy to navigate & explore a complex variety of information in a productive, pleasant setting!

Currently in Beta - V 0.90. Thank you for your feedback & support!