Online petitions can be a very effective way of gathering support for a cause you care about and
drawing attention to that cause. Many of our petition hosts have gathered tens and even hundreds of
thousands of signatures on their petitions—petition recipients have had to stand up and take notice!
To be truly effective in creating change, however, you need to be actively involved in promoting
your petition. You should send out emails to all your friends and colleagues, and you should promote
your petition on discussion groups and other websites where users might be interested in your cause.
For more tips on creating a successful petition, see iPetitions’ Guide to
Successful Petitions.
To see petitons that have been successful in the past, visit our Success
Stories page.
Why would I want an online petition instead of a paper petition?
First, because an online petition gives you instant access to hundreds of millions of Internet users
around the world. You get your own URL; it's like instantly becoming a global activist. How are you
going to do that with a paper petition? Have you ever stood on a street corner and tried to collect
signatures? You probably got a few hundred signatures at most—and very achy legs.
Second, because an online petition allows you to use the power of viral marketing to attract
signatures. Every visitor to your petition can email a friend or post a message on Facebook or
Twitter about the petition; that friend can share your petition with another friend who can share it
with another friend and so on. In no time, your petition will have been advertised to thousands of
people—and all for free.
Third, because an online petition allows you to perform a statistical analysis of your database and
gives you instant information on who signed up, where they live, their gender, their profession, and
so on. Such demographic information can be very convincing: try telling a corporation that 80% of
people who signed a petition to boycott its products has an income of above $50,000 a year. That'll
get them listening!
Can iPetitions petitions be used for government referendums?
Not at the moment. But an iPetitions petition can still have an effect on governments and
policymakers. Many of our petitions are directed at individuals or institutions within governments.
Although they are not legally binding, they still carry the weight of public opinion. In fact, many
politicians and political candidates have used iPetitions in the past.
How do I find out more about iPetitions?
To know more about our site, visit our About page.
Does iPetitions endorse or support the petitions on its site?
The vast majority of our petitions are hosted by individuals or organizations that are unaffiliated
with iPetitions. We only provide software services to these petition hosts and do not support or
endorse the petitions. In rare cases, when we consider a cause to be particularly urgent or vital,
iPetitions may create its own petitions. In such cases, we will clearly list ourselves as the
sponsors.
Petition Signers
Will my information be kept private?
We take your privacy very seriously at iPetitions. You can read about our privacy policy here. If you believe that your information is being misused, we urge you
to contact us immediately with all the relevant information.
How will I know if the petition I have signed is successful?
There are many ways you can keep track of the progress and eventual success of a petition you’ve
signed. One good way is to visit the petition regularly. Hosts will often post news and updates,
particularly in the highlights section of the petition. Make sure to login regularly and visit your
Activity Feed, where you can track the progress of various petitions you
have signed.
How do I report profanity or indecent content on a petition?
iPetitions takes any such complaints very seriously, and if you believe a petition is hosting
indecent material, please contact us immediately. Before doing so, you should
make sure that the content really is indecent and not that you simply disagree with it. We also take
freedom of expression seriously, and if the issue is simply that you disagree with a petition, then
the best way to express your disagreement is by hosting a counter-petition.
How do I create my own petition?
If you’ve just signed a petition and now want to create your own, you’ll be happy to know we offer
the most advanced and flexible petition creation tools on the web—and best of all, they’re free.
Just click here to get started.
Petition Hosts
How do I activate my membership once I've joined?
When you join iPetitions, we send a message to the email address you gave us to confirm your
account. You have seven days to activate your membership by clicking on the link in that email. If
you do not activate your account within seven days you will not be able to access your iPetitions
account or your petition data. If you have not received the activation email, you can re-send it
after you login to your account. If you are having problems with the activation process, contact us.
Are your petitions free?
Yes, all our petitions are absolutely free. We offer the most flexible and advanced tools on the
web, but we support ourselves through advertising and requests for donations to petition hosts and
signers.
Do I need any technical knowledge to create a petition?
You need absolutely no technical knowledge to create a petition.
Even if you want to customize the design of your petition,
you can use our template designs for your petition,
and all you’ll need to do is choose from the options offered.
Can I add or remove a question to my petition?
Our question list is fully customizable. After creating your petition, just login and go to “My
Petitions” where you can click on “Manage Petition” to customize your question list and other
settings.
Can I add multiple petitions?
Yes, each user is allowed a maximum of 10 petitions.
Can I host a petition on my own server?
For the moment, iPetitions doesn’t offer this service. But our petitions are still highly customizable,
and many organizations have created seamless links from their websites to petitions hosted on our site.
Our in-house team can also create custom solutions for organizations or other entities. Contact us
for more details, making sure to mention the name of your organization and the services in which you are interested.
Will iPetitions use the signatures and information that I collect?
iPetitions takes privacy very seriously. The signatures list you collect is yours and we will not
use it for any purposes, except with the following two exceptions. First, when a signer signs a
petition, he or she receives an email confirmation from us and another email inviting him to login
at iPetitions to track the progress of the petition. Second, if (and only if) the signer checks a
box on the petition giving us permission to contact him or her regarding other petitions or
iPetitions-related events, then we may occasionally contact that signer. Signers will always have
the ability to opt out of such lists. In no event will we sell or otherwise share signer information
with a third party. To know more about our privacy policies, click here.
How do I make sure the signatures I collect are authentic?
iPetitions is alone among Internet sites in offering a range of tools to authenticate signatures.
With our tools, you can filter out duplicate names and email addresses, and you can limit the number
of signatures allowed from any IP address within a given period of time. You can also protect a
petition with a password—this is a great option for limiting access to signers from a particular
company or group.
How do I deliver my petition once I’m done with it?
Once you have finished collecting your signatures, or at any point before that, you can download a
list of signees through your dashboard, and either print the names or send them by email to the recipient
of your petition.
How can I get my petition listed as a Featured Petition on the iPetitions
home page?
Including your petition as a Featured Petition can increase its visibility and boost the number of
signatures it receives. If you are interested in having your petition listed as a Featured Petition,
contact us. We will review all petitions submitted, but can’t promise that
all will be featured.
Can I edit a petition?
iPetitions offers petition hosts tools to edit a petition. These tools are intended to be used only
for light edits and minor changes to a petition. If a petition host substantially edits a petition
so as to fundamentally alter its meaning, we may be forced to remove the petition or suspend an account.
The decision about whether a petition’s meaning has been
fundamentally altered will rest solely with our own editorial team.
How do I delete a petition?
To delete a petition, you need to email us from the email account with which you registered. Your
email should contain the following text with the words "I agree" and your full name next to text in
the box below:
To delete a petition: Please remove my petition, short title [specify short title]
from your website (www.ipetitions.com). I understand that in doing so iPetitions will delete any
data or information associated with this petition and furthermore that this data will be
irretrievable. I further understand that iPetitions or any of its employees or partners will not be
responsible for any losses arising thereof and that I will be the sole individual responsible for
all loss of data.
To delete your username: Please remove my user name and all petitions associated
with it from your website (www.ipetitions.com). I understand that in doing so iPetitions will delete
any data or information associated with my user name and furthermore that this data will be
irretrievable. I further understand that iPetitions or any of its employees or partners will not be
responsible for any losses arising thereof and that I will be the sole individual responsible for
all loss of data.
