Nature Groupie Website Gets New Features
You may have noticed that the Nature Groupie website has a new look. We've also added a bunch of new features to help you find the perfect experience volunteering for nature. We've done some user testing, but we want to hear from you if you can't find what you need or want to provide feedback. Email Nature Groupie manager Malin Clyde. We'd like to hear from you!
1. New Ways to Search
Ever since we launched Nature Groupie, we've been hearing from volunteers who want to know "What's going on near me?" Now, Explore Experiences includes a search box to filter all volunteer events (called "experiences") by geography. You can enter a zip code or a place and bingo! The list of experiences will be filtered to only those within a 50 mile radius. You can also search by topic, date, and whether an experience happens outdoors or indoors (for example a training workshop). Give it a try and start exploring!
2. Family-Friendly Fun
We love seeing all generations of people volunteering for nature, so we want to make sure families can easily identify appropriate experiences on the new Nature Groupie website. Now you can search for Family Friendly volunteer experiences and citizen science experiences with the click of a button, right from the home page.
3. Easy Sharing
Some of us like to share our enthusiasm for volunteering outdoors by posting on social media. Our new website makes this easy! All experiences on Nature Groupie will now have a unique URL that is easily recognized by Facebook and Twitter, and anyone excited to share information about an experience on the calendar can easily click on the Facebook or Twitter icon next to an event (or story or whatever) and share it.
4. Tips for First Time Volunteers
Nature Groupie wants to make sure volunteering outdoors is accessible and welcome for everyone. Now we have tips for folks who haven't volunteered in the outdoors before. What to expect? What do you need to bring with you? What does volunteering outdoors actually look like in action? Check out First Time Volunteering and share the page with someone you know who might be new to it!
5. Get Trained
Thanks to hundreds of partners who offer trainings throughout the year, the Nature Groupie website gives you access to workshops where you can learn new stewardship skills. Now, you'll find all the experiences that incorporate training in one place: learning about plants, wildlife, stewardship skills and more. Check out Get Trained on the new site.
Special Thanks
The New Hampshire Charitable Foundation provided a generous grant to support technology upgrades for Nature Groupie. A special thanks goes out to staff and volunteers who helped test the new site, especially Myrilla Hartkopf, Alaina Rogers, Emily Lord, Ellen Snyder, Michael Nerrie, and Vidya Balasubramanyam. Website work by Tamarack Media Cooperative.