Kiwi innovators take collaborative democracy tool worldwide

11th March 2014

Kiwi social innovators taking collaborative democracy tool to the world

Wellington-based social enterprise Loomio is today launching an international crowdfunding campaign to make their collaborative decision-making software accessible globally.

“The world needs a better way to make decisions together. So we’re asking the world to help us build a new tool for truly inclusive decision-making - Loomio 1.0,” said Loomio co-founder Alanna Krause.

“Real democracy is about collaboration, and it needs to include everyone. Loomio 1.0 will be mobile so people in developing nations without computers can access it, accessible so people of all abilities can use it, and we’re making it easy to host your own instance so you can take complete control of your data and privacy.”

Loomio is a simple online tool for collaborative decision-making, built by a diverse team at the Enspiral social impact hub in Wellington. The organisation is driven by a social mission: To make it easy for anyone, anywhere, to participate in decisions that affect them.

Over the last 18 months the Loomio team has built a prototype that’s now being used by thousands of people around the world in groups as diverse as schools, businesses, social change movements, community organisations, and NGOs. Last year, Wellington City Council used Loomio to collaborate with citizens on policy development.

“We’re delighted by the great things people are already doing with the prototype. We know its potential, and we know its limitations. So now we need to step up and build the real thing - a truly inclusive platform that’s totally mobile and accessible to everyone” said Krause.

The organisation is using an open-source platform called CrowdtiltOpen to run their campaign, which allows fundraisers to build their own page. Loomio is aiming to raise over US$100,000.

“We are aiming high with this campaign - With our goal of US$100,000 we can build a great mobile tool. But if we exceed US$250,000, we are pre-approved for an additional 40% matched-funding grant from Callaghan Innovation,” said Krause.

“This would allow us to build an SMS-based decision-making framework for parts of the world where even mobile internet is out of reach, as well as launching a collaboration training program in schools around New Zealand.”

“Loomio is a values-driven social enterprise, and it’s important to us that money should never be a barrier to meaningful participation in decision-making. We’re embracing the gift economy, so that we can give something amazing back to the world.”

Loomio has already been translated into more than a dozen languages by volunteers around the globe. Within the past two weeks, Loomio users have started translating the software into Ukrainian, in response to requests from civic activists there.

“We're feeling more urgency than ever to get Loomio out into the world. We’re crowdfunding so we can make it available where it’s needed most.”

Loomio Crowdfunding page: love.loomio.org
www.loomio.org

ENDS

© Scoop Media