In February 2021 Friendship Force International launched its online member platform my.friendshipforce.org. “Launching an online member experience for our members in more than 60 countries globally is a significant step in our adoption of new technology to help facilitate our mission of peace through friendship”, said CEO & President Jeremi Snook.”Over the years, as connecting with each other through apps and social media has become more commonplace in everyday life, Friendship Force has quietly fallen behind. However, the adoption of these newer technologies going forward will allow our members a richer Friendship Force experience while ensuring better data protection and online security”.
As the first online member experience for Friendship Force, my.friendshipforce.org lays the groundwork for members and clubs to connect in the future. The platform addresses the need for better data security, it houses all the organization’s news and information in one place, and the allocation of a new member identification number ensures that all transactions are safer. With a multilingual display and functionality, the platform has been purpose-built from the ground up in English, French, German, Indonesian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. The organization hopes to expand in 2024 with other languages, allowing even more of its members to more easily engage.
The platform also allows the 350 clubs around the world to manage the information they want to share with their members, by way of a club profile page, with announcements and events features. “This is part of a long-term strategy to give club leaders more direct control in the management and promotion of their club’s information”, Snook explained. A number of additional features are being added for members in the next twelve months, including a global calendar for conferences and special events, a new payment gateway and help center for members, and a full catalog of Friendship Force’s virtual and in-person cultural experiences.
With much of the global membership already embracing my.friendshipforce.org, Snook has another new task ahead of him, with the launch of a brand new website. The site is designed with a mission-centered approach to marketing Friendship Force in mind, with a geo-sensitive multilingual interface, an intentional effort to focus on our mission of peace through friendship, and a clear call-to-action for visitors allowing them to create a free account and be connected with a club, if one exists nearby, or to establish one in their community. Another departure from the current Friendship Force website is the ability to onboard prospective new members in a more personal and intentional way via a series of welcoming, informative emails.
Snook noted that the enhancement of both the website and the adoption of the member platform will make it easier to do what members joined Friendship Force for in the first place: “connecting with others globally, expanding our minds, and making new friends”.