Hyperlocal Site Xtraxtra.com Re-launches With Focus on Non-profits

Share this:

6077700478c816e160e9533665cf7a2fFour years after launching, Massachussetts-based xtraxtra.com has re-launched with a focus on benefiting local non-profits and charities. The partnership between the hyperlocal website and non-profit organizations allows it to reward them for bringing in more traffic to the site, while simultaneously generating sponsorship  and advertising revenue.

At its relaunch, Xtraxtra already has partners with number of non-profit organizations. The donations in the pool will periodically be given to the registered organizations based on the amount of points they have accrued through site activity by sharing through social media, posting and commenting on stories, according to the company.

“We engaged with some experienced local media folks and they worked with us to identify a strategy that would be true to the original vision, while trying something new that just feels really right,” Paul Rooney, Xtraxtra’s founder told Street Fight. “Staying informed about your community and helping your community go hand-in-hand. Our hope is that this will be good for the non-profits, by telling their stories and helping them raise resources, and in turn good for local coverage.”

The new direction comes after previous experimentation with citizen journalism, and now focuses on non-profits getting their stories told and driving donations. The company, which provides community news, encourages readers to visit and post their own news and announcements on the site, while allowing users to generate a donation for a local charity with their traffic.

The site’s efforts to create a new way to reach out to its community of users and help non-profits follows discussions on the best way to produce locally-centered news.

Xtraxtra.com’s platform is available to non-profits and citizen journalists statewide, and currently has two live sites for the Medford and Framingham areas in Massachusetts, with plans for future Massachusetts-area sites in the coming months.

Myriah Towner is an intern at Street Fight.

Tags: