CaringBridge
Encyclopedia
CaringBridge is a charitable 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
offering free personalized websites to people facing a serious medical condition or hospitalization, undergoing medical treatment and/or recovering from a significant accident, illness, injury or procedurehttp://www.caringbridge.org/about. Its functionality is similar to a blog
. The service allows family members and friends to receive consistent information via a single website, and eliminates the need to place and receive numerous telephone calls. Visitors who are provided the personal Website
address (or URL
) and password, if required, can read updates on the patient's condition and post their own messages of support and encouragement to the family.
to exchange information about a patient's medical condition or disease
on an ongoing basis. The websites are designed to become conduits between patients, their families, friends, neighbors and colleagues. When visiting an individual’s website, visitors can post messages of support during a significant medical condition, crisis or event.
or text message notifying them that an update is posted. Guests can also leave messages for the patient or family in an online guestbook on that site.
Website authors can share journaling and website tasks with a co-author. Co-authors can add journal entries, post photos and change website settings, allowing multiple people to be directly involved in communicating about a health journey.
CaringBridge earned the right to display the TRUSTe
and HON Code
privacy seals because of its privacy policy and business practices.
when a close friend suffered a life-threatening pregnancy. To keep family and friends informed about the critical situation, Mehring created a website.
The site allowed family members to communicate information to a wide circle of people without disturbing the mother’s need for rest or placing additional demands on hospital staff.
.
Charity Navigator
, the nation’s largest and most-utilized evaluator of charities gives CaringBridge its top 4-star rating year after year for its ability to efficiently manage and grow its finances. According to Charity Navigator, only 13 percent of the charities they rate have received at least three consecutive 4-star evaluations, indicating that CaringBridge consistently executes its mission in a fiscally responsible way, and outperforms most other charities in America.
CaringBridge is listed as an accredited Better Business Bureau
(BBB) charity.
CaringBridge meets all standards of the Charities Review Council. The Council’s Accountability Standards consist of 27 standards, which address charity performance in four critical areas: public disclosure, governance, financial activity and fundraising. Adherence to the Council’s Accountability Standards is an indication that a charity has taken steps to align its policies and procedures with commonly accepted accountability standards.
Nonprofit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
offering free personalized websites to people facing a serious medical condition or hospitalization, undergoing medical treatment and/or recovering from a significant accident, illness, injury or procedurehttp://www.caringbridge.org/about. Its functionality is similar to a blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
. The service allows family members and friends to receive consistent information via a single website, and eliminates the need to place and receive numerous telephone calls. Visitors who are provided the personal Website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
address (or URL
Uniform Resource Locator
In computing, a uniform resource locator or universal resource locator is a specific character string that constitutes a reference to an Internet resource....
) and password, if required, can read updates on the patient's condition and post their own messages of support and encouragement to the family.
Purpose
CaringBridge sites make it easier for patients, caregivers, families and friendsFriends
Friends is an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994 to May 6, 2004. The series revolves around a group of friends in Manhattan. The series was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
to exchange information about a patient's medical condition or disease
Disease
A disease is an abnormal condition affecting the body of an organism. It is often construed to be a medical condition associated with specific symptoms and signs. It may be caused by external factors, such as infectious disease, or it may be caused by internal dysfunctions, such as autoimmune...
on an ongoing basis. The websites are designed to become conduits between patients, their families, friends, neighbors and colleagues. When visiting an individual’s website, visitors can post messages of support during a significant medical condition, crisis or event.
How it works
Anyone can set up a site for him/herself, a friend or family member. Sites can be accessed on CaringBridge.org, a mobile site m.caringbridge.org, or with an iPhone or Android app. The creator enters basic information about the patient or situation, posts photos, and writes about the current condition. As the situation changes, the creator posts updates to that information. When those updates are made, anyone who registered on that website can receive an e-mailE-mail
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
or text message notifying them that an update is posted. Guests can also leave messages for the patient or family in an online guestbook on that site.
Website authors can share journaling and website tasks with a co-author. Co-authors can add journal entries, post photos and change website settings, allowing multiple people to be directly involved in communicating about a health journey.
Privacy
CaringBridge is a space for personal and private conversations. CaringBridge does not share or sell user information to anyone for any reason. In addition to the standard security features, site authors can choose additional levels of security on their site, including adding a password or creating an approved visitor list. The only way to receive a CaringBridge site name is by requesting it from the person who created the site.CaringBridge earned the right to display the TRUSTe
TRUSTe
TRUSTe is a company based in San Francisco, California, best known for its online privacy seals. TRUSTe operates the world’s largest privacy seal program, certifying more than 3,500 websites, including leading online portals and brands like Yahoo, Facebook, Microsoft, Apple Inc., IBM, Oracle...
and HON Code
Health On the Net Foundation
Health On the Net Foundation is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1995 under the auspices of the Geneva Ministry of Health and based in Geneva, Switzerland. This came about following the gathering of 60 of the world's foremost experts on telemedicine to discuss the growing concerns over the...
privacy seals because of its privacy policy and business practices.
Usage
Each day, over half-a-million people connect through CaringBridge. In total, those websites have received nearly two billion visits from caring family and friends.History
CaringBridge was started in 1997 by Sona MehringSona Mehring
Sona Mehring is the Founder and CEO of nonprofit 501 organization CaringBridge. She created the first CaringBridge Website in 1997. Based upon the idea of keeping friends and family informed when someone is facing a serious health event, Mehring's vision was to create a free service that would not...
when a close friend suffered a life-threatening pregnancy. To keep family and friends informed about the critical situation, Mehring created a website.
The site allowed family members to communicate information to a wide circle of people without disturbing the mother’s need for rest or placing additional demands on hospital staff.
Affiliations
CaringBridge is a member of the National Health CouncilNational Health Council
The National Health Council is a nonprofit association of health organizations.Its members are national health-related organizations, including leading patient advocacy groups such as the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, the American Diabetes Association, and the...
.
Charity Navigator
Charity Navigator
Charity Navigator is an independent, non-profit organization that evaluates American charities. Its stated goal is "to advance a more efficient and responsive philanthropic marketplace by evaluating the financial health of America's largest charities."-About:...
, the nation’s largest and most-utilized evaluator of charities gives CaringBridge its top 4-star rating year after year for its ability to efficiently manage and grow its finances. According to Charity Navigator, only 13 percent of the charities they rate have received at least three consecutive 4-star evaluations, indicating that CaringBridge consistently executes its mission in a fiscally responsible way, and outperforms most other charities in America.
CaringBridge is listed as an accredited Better Business Bureau
Better Business Bureau
The Better Business Bureau , founded in 1912, is a corporation consisting of several private business franchises of local BBB organizations based in the United States and Canada, which work through their parent corporation, the Council of Better Business Bureaus .The Better Business Bureau, through...
(BBB) charity.
CaringBridge meets all standards of the Charities Review Council. The Council’s Accountability Standards consist of 27 standards, which address charity performance in four critical areas: public disclosure, governance, financial activity and fundraising. Adherence to the Council’s Accountability Standards is an indication that a charity has taken steps to align its policies and procedures with commonly accepted accountability standards.
External links
- Official website of CaringBridge
- NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams "Making A Difference" story on CaringBridge
- Fisher House information about CaringBridge
- WCCO News "Made in Minnesota: CaringBridge's Local Roots"
- Social Media Club "Cancer Blogs Strike Back: How social media educates, supports, and heals one post at a time"
- Coping with Cancer "Providing Free Websites for People with Cancer to Connect with Their Loved Ones"
- Twin Cities Business "CaringBridge Comes of Age in an Age of Social Media"