InVenture Announces New Initiatives to Revolutionize Peer-to-Peer Support of Growing Micro-Entrepreneurs Worldwide

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) June 17, 2011

InVenture is proud to announce today two new initiatives that will change the way successful micro-entrepreneurs access growth capital in developing countries, and allow anyone online to partner with a small business half-a-world away.

Unveiled by Founder and CEO Shivani Siroya in a speech at the opening of the Unreasonable Institute, InVenture has transitioned from a traditional nonprofit organization to a hybrid model as a way of creating new efficiencies and scale its reach globally. And with capacity to move rapidly into new communities, InVenture is also re-launching its popular peer-to-peer website with additional features for users and frequent updates on micro-entrepreneurs progress.

By privatizing portions of our operations, we have been able to cut down overhead and better leverage the resources at our disposal for the benefit of our micro-entrepreneurs, said Siroya. We believe this allows us to be more responsive to our clients, secure operational sustainability, and have more of a positive impact in the communities where we work.

Through the new inventure.org website, online users (InVestors) can observe 100% of their contributions (InVestments) reaching and supporting micro-entrepreneurs. In re-visioning the site, InVenture has found ways for users to build stronger connections and see how their money is being used.

For online InVestors, the new profile functions will make it possible to track the progress of their InVestments, create Rallies around favorite micro-entrepreneurs and causes, and experience life on the InVenture team from the writing of business development advisors in Mexico, Mali and India. said Siroya.

The announcement comes at the end of a quiet period for the organization, having recently secured investment capital to back the new model. Cost savings generated by separating the online platform administration and portfolio management functions ensure that a higher percentage of funds are available to directly support business development advisory services for micro-entrepreneurs.

"From the beginning, InVenture has maintained a focus on sustainable change through micro-business growth, job creation, and community re-investment, said InVenure board advisor Jessica Jackley. Tracing the experience from the village all the way back to the online supporter, the team has created a rich and rewarding exchange between micro-entrepreneurs and InVestors, Jackley said.

For more information about InVenture, please go to http://www.inventure.org or follow on twitter at @inventurefund.

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A Perfect Pain Reliever: A Growing Number of Acupuncturists Turn to Appointment-Plus Online Scheduling Software for Booking, Managing their Summer Acupuncture Sessions

Scottsdale, AZ (PRWEB) June 28, 2011

Unlike the scores of people worldwide who take time off to enjoy the warm weather, activities and relaxation of the summer months, pain and body aches dont go on vacation. Acupuncturists nationwide and throughout the globe are busy meeting with patients and providing remedies to help relieve them of their nagging symptoms. Unfortunately, acupuncturists and their staff may be feeling a pain of their own if they still rely upon inefficient scheduling procedures to book and manage their patients appointments and information. Thanks to proven online scheduling software from Appointment-Plus, these professionals are automating and improving this tedious and time-consuming process.

Appointment-Plus online business calendar understands the unique needs acupuncturists have for scheduling their sessions. In fact, the leading scheduling software provider has seen a significant increase recently in the number of acupuncture offices choosing it as their online scheduling solution. Among the features theyre utilizing are:

Online patient self-scheduling, whereby individuals can book their own appointments at their own convenience and at any hour of the day.
Automated e-mail and text message reminders sent prior to a scheduled appointment time.
Online customer payment options.
Robust record-keeping and reporting capabilities that make it easy for practitioners to extract patient information and pull reports.
E-marketing solutions through iContact.

Other features popular among acupuncturists include repeat customer reminders, which the system sends out after a specified time between visits elapses; and gift certificates to purchase and send to friends, families and colleagues who could benefit from a stress-relieving acupuncture session.

Like all service-based businesses, acupuncturists rely on accurate appointment-scheduling to run their operations efficiently and profitably, says Bob La Loggia, CEO of Appointment-Plus. Taking appointments over the phone and managing information in a paper schedule book or spreadsheet can be inefficient and burdensome for acupuncturists and staff members, which is why our online scheduling software is becoming a common fixture in acupuncture offices, wellness centers, holistic practices and day spas nationwide and around the globe.

The key to automating appointment-scheduling procedures is by offering online self-scheduling to patients, a process Appointment-Plus online business calendar makes easy by supplying each new signup with a Schedule Now button and unique URL link to add to a business Web site, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or other social media page, newsletter, e-mail message and other forms of communication to patients. The patients then access the online business calendar in the same manner as any other Web site. They can view services, select specific practitioners and choose which days they want to come in for their session. Once booked, the online scheduling system does the rest without any additional action from the acupuncturist and his or her staff.

Because its Web-based, Appointment-Plus online scheduler calendar requires only an Internet connection to use, without any downloads, installation or additional hardware necessary.

Pricing starts at $ 39 per month, with no long-term contracts. All signups receive a complimentary training session with a professional coach during their 15-day free trial period.

Scheduling patient appointments and managing information should not be a time and monetary drain on an acupuncture practice, La Loggia adds. Let Appointment-Plus online scheduling software streamlines this necessary task so that you and your staff can spend less time on the phone and more time with your patients.

To learn more about Appointment-Plus online scheduling calendars and how they can improve your patient-booking processes, click here.

About Appointment-Plus: Appointment-Plus is the leading online appointment-scheduling system, serving organizations in 11 countries ranging from one-person businesses to Fortune 500 companies. With over 10 million end users across 100 industries, Appointment-Plus is the preferred scheduler for colleges and universities, holistic practitioners, salons, shipping docks, government agencies, health care providers, financial institutions, tour operators, and many other types of organizations. Headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., over 70 million appointments have been booked through Appointment-Plus since its launch in 2001.

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