Challenge Summary
Welcome to the "Sierra Club - User Engagement Ideation Challenge". We are excited to launch this challenge to help the Sierra Club find innovative and creative ways to help increase membership engagement!
In this Idea Generation Challenge, we are looking for your help to think about innovative and creative ways to increase membership (existing and non-members) engagement with the Sierra Club using technology. We would like to explore how using modern technology, devices and the internet of things (IoT) can help engage and increase a younger generation of participation and involvement in our organization.
What would make you more engaged, interested in helping? What are possible creative technology solutions that will improve user engagement? Let us know your ideas!
Bonus!! As part of Topcoder's "Crowd for Good" initiative, we will be awarding a new Topcoder Community Badge. If you submit an idea to this challenge, you will also be awarded the "Crowd for Good" badge as part of your Topcoder profile.
Important Rule for all Ideation Challenges
You are allowed to submit your ideas at any time during this challenge. You are also allowed to submit to the final phase even if you did not submit to the checkpoint phase. All ideation submissions will be accepted (that pass screening). Note: while we are allowing this challenge to be "open" we do recommend you submit to the checkpoint so we can review and provide valuable feedback. Good luck!
Round 1
Submit your initial ideas for checkpoint feedback
Round 2
Submit your final ideas plus include any checkpoint feedback
About Sierra Club
Founded by legendary conservationist John Muir in 1892, the Sierra Club is now the United States largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization. The Sierra Club is a non-profit organization with more than two million members and supporters. Our successes range from protecting millions of acres of wilderness to helping pass the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Endangered Species Act. More recently, we have made history by leading the charge to move away from the dirty fossil fuels that cause climate disruption and toward a clean energy economy. Learn more
The Ideation Problem
How can the Sierra Club increase member engagement with technology? As a non-profit the Sierra Club needs to continue growing and engaging a younger and diverse group of members.
Goals
- Grow the member base and diversify it.
- Increase the involvement of younger age groups.
- Get them to be "sticky" within membership and climb the ladder of engagement.
What does engagement mean?
Engagement means trying to grow the membership and diversify it, trying to get younger people involved. Get sticky. The area that gets difficult is what does real engagement look like and what does the ladder of engagement look like. It is getting someone to put their hand up for the first time. Do something that they ask them to do. Once engaged at that level, then focus them and help them better understand and continue to do the work with them and see the benefits.
How can Sierra Club show a dynamic, personalized experience for their members and non-members which drives engagement?
Example: Sierra Club member or potential member signs a petition about climate change. What's next? How can we show the result of that effort and also suggest how the member could get more involved with recommended, personalized suggestions?
Guidance
- Learn More about Sierra Club (http://www.sierraclub.org/)
- http://crowdsourcing.topcoder.com/sierraclub
Some things to think about:
- How can the Sierra Club initially get in front of people?
- When someone signs up or signs a petition - what is their journey and how do you bring them back to being more involved?
- How do we keep people coming back?
- What is the return for a member to give their time, sign a petition or donate.
- How does a member see the value? Your dollars went here. Your effort produced X politically, environmentally. I signed that petition so what happens now?
Some Ideas:
- Creating green social media sites focused on change-making and the assumption that the members are as motivated as the people internally at Sierra Club.
- Figuring out who they are and how invested they are and what level of commitment they are interested in that's compelling and fun and that Sierra Club is the default for making the change happen.
- Creating social networks
We are looking for any wider considerations and ideas (within the main scope) that we perhaps have not thought about.
Deliverables Format - Make sure to follow this format in your documents:
- We are looking for ideas! - but we also need a structure to your ideas so we can understand them and make it easier when reviewing.
- Your ideas should also be realistic..and ideally solving our problems!
1) Idea
- High-level overview/statement of the idea
- One or two sentences describing your idea.
2) Name
- Application or project name and any "tagline" you would like to associate with your idea
3) The User Story
- This is critical. 2-3 paragraphs describing your idea, solution and potential technology
4) Details
- Any quick sketches, wireframes or designs/images to better explain and pitch your idea
5) Pitch
- Imagine trying to sell your idea
- Present your solution in a professional manner/package.
Important Note:
Although there is no limit to the number of submissions you can upload, you should only upload multiple submissions if each one is substantially different from your others. Within these constraints, you are free to describe any number of alternative approaches and extra features. In fact, we encourage you to do so. You can't have too many ideas.
Target Audience
- Sierra Club Members and supporters
Judging Criteria
- Feasibility of your idea.
- The creativity of your idea and ease-of-use to successfully engage users.
- Idea scenario coverage and details.
- Adherence to the requested deliverable format.
Submission & Source Files
Preview Image
Create your preview image as one (1) 1024x768 JPG or PNG file in RGB color mode at 72dpi and place a screenshot of your submission within it.
- You can take screenshot of your idea document and submit it.
- You can provide a blank image file and use it as preview image.
Submission Files
All original source files of the submitted ideas, it can be PNG, JPG, PDF, HTML, DOC, TXT, RTF, PPT, MP4 or AVI file.
Source Files
All original source files of the submitted ideas, it can be AI, PSD, PDF, HTML, DOC, TXT, RTF, PPT, MP4 or AVI file.
Final Fixes
As part of the final fixes phase, you may be asked to complete one round of minor changes to ensure your submission meets the stated requirements of this challenge.
Please read the challenge specification carefully and watch the forums for any questions or feedback concerning this challenge. It is important that you monitor any updates provided by the client or Studio Admins in the forums. Please post any questions you might have for the client in the forums.