WTA Presented Groundwire Connector Award

Washington Trails Association has been presented the first-ever Groundwire Connector Award.

At Groundwire's Fall event on November 9, Groundwire presented this Engagement Leadership award to WTA for its groundbreaking work using online tools to get people offline, outdoors, and connected to nature. Groundwire is a non-profit organization that helps other groups use online tools to engage people and organizations in building a sustainable society.

WTA Communications Director Lauren Braden accepted the award on behalf of Washington Trails Association. "One important thing we've learned as we've built out our technology infrastructure is that "engagement" is not about getting people to jump onto your bandwagon. It's not about acquiring Facebook fans or counting retweets. To foster real online engagement, you have to listen, loosen your grip a little and trust people. You want to give people a real voice in your organization, let them have some ownership of your cause and a stake in the outcome. That's when people really get engaged," she said at the event.

WTA's website reaches more than one million hikers each year. Nearly 5000 Trip Reports have been filed on the website so far this year. These personal accounts from hikers provide valuable information about current trail conditions and engages visitors directly to WTA's mission.

At WTA, we are honored to receive this award and are looking forward to partnering with Groundwire in the next year on new website projects.