Carbondale, Colorado (PRWEB) March 03, 2014
In February 2010, Carbondale mother Janine Cuthbertson launched http://CarbondaleMomsforMoms.com, a hyper-local online community for moms to discuss, interact and engage with each other. “After organizing a Haiti Relief Effort with outdated technology,” she says, “I just knew there had to be a better way for mothers to communicate. Motherhood can feel isolating and mothers seek to connect with one another.” This was the inspiration that sparked Janine to create Moms for Moms Communities, and this month she celebrates the company's 4th anniversary.
Mom members expressed tremendous gratitude after the launch. “Carbondale Moms for Moms is the glue that holds us together,” describes local mother Sarah Murray. “I wanted to give this gift of connection to all mothers up and down the Roaring Fork Valley,” remembers Janine. Within a few months she launched the Aspen, Basalt, Glenwood, and Rifle sites that now have a combined membership of 2,287 mothers. Staying true to her hyper-local philosophy, Janine found a mother in each Roaring Fork Valley community to become the Community Owner of their local site. “I launched http://RifleMomsforMoms.com to share my passion and love of motherhood,” says Community Owner Leanne Worton. “It is such a blessing to see moms connect both online and in person; and knowing that I am having a positive impact on their lives and making our community a stronger, better place to live, work, and play.”
Now, four years later, Moms for Moms (MfM) sites are both a portal for practical information and a conduit to bring together local moms over topics of interest to them. Especially helpful to new moms, or moms new to the area, MfM encourages exchange of advice about everything kid and family related in their regions, from local pediatricians or reliable babysitters to the best hiking trails or ski school programs for kids. Because the content is user-generated by local moms, each site provides information highly relevant to mothers of children in all age groups in their communities.
No doubt, Janine has turned her passion of connecting mothers into a viable business model for moms across the country. She reports, “The top three motivations for why Community Owners run MfM sites are ‘connecting mothers,’ ‘creating community,’ and ‘promoting valuable causes and events.’ While we all wish we could run our MfM sites on a volunteer basis, contributing to our families’ incomes is a must,” explains Janine. Studies show moms control 85% of household spending. A local advertising model is viable because MfM members create a valuable niche market that businesses are eager to be in front of. As of today 730 families are members of the Carbondale site, which translates to over 50% of the local mom population.* Rachel Goodman, Community Owner of http://AspenMomsforMoms.com reports that “cultivating my site continues to be a wonderful and rewarding way to support local businesses in their efforts to reach local families.”
The sites encourage the support of local businesses. Businesses that are relevant (those that add value to moms) are welcome to advertise. “Our targeted niche advertising goes far beyond the ad placement on MfM sites. Relevant content is integrated into the site presenting information to mothers in an effective and powerful way that encourages members to engage,” explains Janine. Sami Carroll, Girls Leadership Institute Outreach Manager, recently reported “a 94% increase in workshop registrations after (our) promotion!”
Community Owners keep 100% of local revenue generated on their site, while paying a monthly licensing fee to Moms for Moms for Moms Communities, LLC., for branding, training through the Moms for Moms Academy and on-going support through the private Facebook Group for MfM Community Owners. “As an owner you are not going this alone,” says Janine. “You are connected to all the Community Owners in a collaborative and supportive environment.”
"We are building stronger communities by engaging our mothers, and when we connect, inform, support and inspire one another, that’s what Moms for Moms Communities is all about.” Janine encourages all mothers from Aspen to Rifle to join their local community site. More information about Moms for Moms for Moms Communities, and all the RFV sites and beyond, can be found at http://MomsforMomsCommunities.com. If you have any questions, feel free to contact her at janine(at)momsformomscommunities(dot)com.
Today, there are 16 Moms for Moms sites around the country with Missoula, MT., and Geelong, Australia launching in April 2014. She is looking for interested moms to take ownership of sites in communities across North America and Australia that currently don’t have one.
*Based on 2010 Census data at censusviewer.com
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