Oct. 22, 2013—Audra Fordin, the founder of Women Auto Know, announced Tuesday that she is starting a crowdfunding campaign to enhance the reach of the organization’s consumer education initiatives.
Women Auto Know is a grassroots organization that educates consumers on auto repair through workshops, videos, peer-to-peer support and various other avenues.
Fordin, a fourth-generation repair and body shop owner has been featured for her work with WAK on the Today Show and American Express’s #Passion Project. She wants to enhance the organization's offerings and implement a new repair shop review-and-rating feature on her website that she is hoping to build into the “Angie’s List of auto repair,” she said in an email.
To do this, Fordin has created a crowdfunding campaign through the website Indiegogo in hopes of raising more than $250,000 for website maintenance and development, supplies and additional staff.
“Up until now, I've been funding this out of my savings and it's been a slow process,” Fordin said on her Indiegogo site. “I can't do this alone anymore. I need money to make this process move faster.”
The new Women Auto Know website, when finished, will have a new focus on peer-to-peer reviews and rankings of auto repair shops nationwide, covering every aspect from trustworthiness to cleanliness. The website, which will also include automotive training videos, will be free for consumers, while shops will pay a “small” annual fee. A monthly newsletter and exclusive manufacturers coupons will be sent to those who support the campaign.
For more information, visit the Women Auto Know Indiegogo site. Additional questions can be directed to [email protected].