Grassroots.org

Many artists desire to make a difference with their art, whether the distinction is to create a new and unique style, to make a social statement, or to merely shock people into the subjective world of the artist’s ideas. At Bravery Project, Inc., we propose to make a difference as well by creating a symbiotic relationship between our organization and the nonprofits working with domestic abuse survivors. We help by utilizing creative portrait and artworks as a catalyst for education, motivation, community, and hope through stories of survival.

Many online hosting companies are vying for your business. As a nonprofit business owner familiar with web design and hosting services, learning about Grassroots.org was nothing short of amazing.

The best way for business to grow is by word of mouth; that’s how I discovered Grassroots.org. Upon viewing their mission to serve 10,000 nonprofits with $10,000 worth of free services on an annual basis, I thought, “It sounds wonderful, but what’s the catch?” I knew that most free hosting companies offer basic website services, with design templates and sometimes a domain name for a year. However, features like CGI coding, bandwidth, unlimited member signup, and online commerce are usually restricted to encourage free customers to upgrade to a paid service. Though this makes perfect sense from a business standpoint, Grassroots.org offers these features free of charge to nonprofits.

Grassroots.org provides a superior free package with everything a web designer needs: 100GB of bandwidth, database, private CGI bin, basic shopping cart, full email features, and more—all in addition to 24-hour technical support and free domain registration or transfer for one year. If you don’t know how to build a website, they partner with Doodlekit.com who offers a basic web template package. You may also opt to use one of the volunteer services that Grassroots.org offers to help with web design, graphic design, or search engine optimization.

So what did I do with my website, Braveryproject.org? As an artist, I opted to build my own website from scratch using the Tierra.net service. Using the Webby feature, I have complete creative control over my entire site. I made my own images, slideshows, wrote the code (primarily CSS), and built a sustainable site. With any other free hosting service, I would have only been able to address the most basic and immediate website needs, because like most nonprofit organizations, times are very lean. With the free hosting package, affording extra features is no longer a luxury!

Aside from the Grassroots.org mission to “serve as a catalyst for positive social change by leveraging modern technologies and best business practices,” I am impressed with the customer service they provide through volunteers. Questions and technical snags were easily remedied by the technical phone support I received. Each person was ready and helpful, unlike many customer service experiences, pleasantly consistent. I built and managed a website for, National Advocacy and Training Network, another nonprofit through Grassroots.org and can claim that Moniker.com, Tierra.net, Doodlekit.com (Grassroots.org’s service partners) have all been consistent in their support and service. Grassroots.org proves they do their homework and monitor the services their customers are receiving. Furthermore, they notify hosting clients of upcoming grants to help them build their business--quite impressive.

The buzz Bravery Project is receiving with our website can partially be claimed by Grassroots.org because of the hosting package they offer to 501(c)3 nonprofits. It enables the organization to grow a stronger online presence. I may be gushing a lot about this service, but you don’t have to believe me-- take a look for yourself. When you find out, I am sure you will spread the word!