The FreedomCommons is a first of it's kind online grassroots advocacy and mobilization application. Paragonn partnered with IJM to create an application that would:
1. Provide a way for users to petition the U.S. government on behalf of IJM advocacy initiatives.
2. Provide online tools that would allow for the organization and mobilization of grassroots advocacy groups.
3. The FreedomCommons would also need to fully integrated with IJM's CRM, Blackbaud Illuminate.
The FreedomCommons was an ambitious project, breaking new ground in the realm of online advocacy. To this end, we needed a CMS (Content Management System) that would provide us with a lot of flexibility, the Drupal CMS was chosen. Drupal, coupled with the very popular Organic Groups module, provided the perfect foundation for online grassroots group building. The final piece of the puzzle, was adding an API programming layer, which tapped into Blackbaud Illuminate's built in advocacy software, allowing for online petitions. The final product, FreedomCommons.IJM.org, is a powerful online advocacy tool.