Everyday there are many political and social issue in the news. Injustice seems to be everywhere, but what can an ordinary person do? It turns out that change is possible with a little help from your fellow internet users.

When Bank of America announced a $5 debit card fee Molly Katchpole sprang into action. Molly could have written a letter or sent an email expressing her frustration, instead she went to Change.org and started a petition. The old saying that there's strength in numbers turned out to be true. After more than three-hundred thousand people signed the petition, Bank of America quickly scraped the new fee.

Once upon a time a petition started by an individual was limited by time and location. While a person in a small town might be able to gather several hundred signatures it takes a great deal of time and effort. In the end, a major company might not even care about such a small, quiet attempt to influence them.

Change.org takes the power of the petition and empowers an individual to quickly gather the support of thousands. Social networking can help spread the word and shine a spot light on wrongs that might never have been noticed.

One of the things that sets Change.org apart from other online petition sites, is the email that is sent to the target whenever some signs. The petition is alive and the results occur in real time. This is why it's important to take the time to determine the email address or addresses of targets (people) who have power over the issue. Your efforts will mean nothing if the wrong people receive the petition emails.

The target email is one of the features that make Change.org petitions more effective. Ordinarily, it would take weeks or months to gather a significant number of signatures, print the petition and deliver it to your target. A single packet, however large, can still be ignored, but daily emails that continuously fill an inbox are difficult to ignore and tend to draw attention form companies or officials trying to present a positive image.

Change.org will provide you with a number of step by step tools to help you launch a successful petition. They will help you get started by explaining the basics of exactly how an online petition works and the type of results you can expect.

Once you have a focus for your cause, review the section on how to write the petition letter and the actual petition. These pages offer vital information on how to be successful in your endeavor, as well as pointing out pitfalls you should avoid.

In a world where lack of time is the most common excuse for not taking action, Change.org makes it quick and easy to be an instrument of change. Even if you don't have a petition in mind, you can still offer your support to others and sign a petition all it takes is a click.

Change.org