Plus Three Strengthens United Federation of Teachers' Online Member Services

Posted on 06/24/2005 @ 05:34 AM

Leading Provider of Services to Large Member Organizations Helps Union Engage Member Base

Plus Three, LP ("Plus Three" or the "Company"), a strategic marketing and technology company serving major U.S. political organizations and non-profit institutions, today announced it has been selected by the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) to service, unite, expand and mobilize its 160,000-member base. Supporting the UFT's continued commitment to provide top services to its members and implement a communications platform that is fully integrated with the organization's pre-existing technology, the updated portal improves online communications and enhances the services and information accessible to members.

The addition of the UFT — the largest union local in the world — strengthens Plus Three's strong penetration in the union arena; the company's client roster also includes the AFL-CIO, California Labor Federation and the United Farm Workers. The company is already the leading provider of technology solutions for political fundraising.

"It is our continued goal to support our members with excellent services and timely information," said Bill Stamatis, UFT Web content director. "The redesign of our site improves communications with our members, and with the parents of the children our members serve. We selected Plus Three after a careful examination determined it had the technical know-how we needed to successfully integrate new features with our IBM iSeries and tailor it all for our members' needs."

Members of the UFT who visit the portal will experience a seamless transition to the new site that is more secure and convenient, and easy to use. Features and benefits include:

• Enhanced Member Services — Members can request information, submit member forms, enroll in the union, manage health care benefits and register for courses via the UFT portal, enhancing the value of the site for members. In addition, members experience greater control of their personal data for increased security.
• Web Publishing — A new Content Management System (CMS) enables the UFT to securely and remotely publish content to its site with easy-to-use workflow previewing and vetting controls. The CMS increases the value of the UFT site to its members by allowing timely, topical information to be quickly disseminated, and by targeting content to specific member groups.
• Course Registration — The new course registration system allows members to register for courses online using secure credit card processing. The system provides real-time information about available seats and sections, allowing the UFT to share the most up-to-date information with its members. The new system is fully integrated with the UFT's existing member management system.
• Online Communications — A modern email communication system allows UFT staff to deliver specific and accurate information to targeted groups, while easing the burden of managing lists of email addresses. Fully integrated with the website and the UFT's existing systems, the new system connects the union to its members using the most cost effective and responsive tools.

"Maintaining relationships with members is as critical for unions as it is for political organizations and candidates," said Juan Proaño, president and co-founder of Plus Three. "The company's unparalleled expertise in creating strategic, member-focused Web sites ensures that our customers are able to effectively build and support large memberships with online tools. Our innovative platform and comprehensive feature-set ensures that our customers are providing the best possible services to their members and recreating the networking value of a one-on-one relationship in an online community."

Plus Three is the leading provider of online marketing and fundraising services to large member organizations such as advocacy, non-profit, unions and political groups. Since its inception, the Company has been tapped by leading Democratic organizations and candidates to support their election efforts with highly targeted online campaigns. Online fundraising took on added significance during the recent Democratic Party primary, as candidates capitalized on the medium to build widespread communities and attract donations. Evidence of the increasing vitality and importance of the Web as a campaign fundraising tool, Plus Three raised over $185 million online through systems it developed since the start of 2004 in support of progressive campaigns and causes, and helped the DNC match the RNC for the first time ever.