A caveat for regular readers of this blog:  here is still more about my ongoing professional obsession with online tools to help nonprofits, philanthropies, and communities meet needs more effectively.  Skip this article, if you've already heard enough about this.

In August 2009, my buddies Pito Salas and Gavin Murphy published an article in Mass High Tech about the potential for creating a tool that they call "ResourceMatcher.Org."  Here's an excerpt:
"We believe that with the web it is possible to create a site to help those looking with those offering resources — their time, money, expertise, equipment or facilities. Perhaps a service like Craigslist meets Angies List meets Kayak.com — providing a structured matching application specifically focused on local philanthropic opportunities and actions.

"We have been thinking about creating just such a service. We are calling it “ResourceMatcher.org.” We envision this as a free service, which would be built first as a pilot around the Boston area and a specific category of resources."

As Pito and Gavin pointed out to me, they already had the technical skills in Ruby on Rails, the project management experience, and the willingness to get started on a pro bono basis - what they needed was collaboration and endorsement from respected leaders in the nonprofit/philanthropic world.  They weren't interested in donating a lot of time to create a tool that no one would use.

Unfortunately, the Mass High Tech article didn't prompt an immediate outpouring of offers to collaborate.  Fortunately, we all belong to a brain trust that is working toward online tools for capacity mapping and resource matching to assist nonprofit and philanthropic organizations.  We may be operating on 501(c)3 Standard Time, but we are making progress.

In the past couple of weeks, I've had some very significant exchanges.  (Names of individuals and organizations are omitted to protect the virtuous.) They include:
  • A conversation with a manager of a corporate philanthropy who expressed considerable interest in hearing any news that might emerge about the New England states banding together to create a regional version of ResourceMatcher.Org.
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  • A series of email conversations with nonprofit association staff, foundation officers, and nonprofit management support organizations in the New England states.
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  • A couple of conversations with a representative from a statewide nonprofit association that is seriously thinking of stepping forward to bring ResourceMatcher.Org to its stakeholders, and of calling for the other states in its region to participate.
Meanwhile, a very interesting proof of concept has emerged:  NPO Connect, which has been jointly launched by Kenny Weill, by Annkissam (Gavin's firm), and by the Metrowest Nonprofit Network. Using the Drupal platform, this web site matches nonprofit professionals with each other for peer mentoring. In other words, it matches one specific kind of resource with those who need it, in one specific part of Massachusetts. It can easily be scaled up, both in terms of the kinds of resources and the geographic reach.  Of course, when I say "easily," it's because I can take it for granted that members of the brain trust, such as Susan Nicholl (chair of the Metrowest Nonprofit Network's steering committee), Kenny, and Gavin are at the table, keeping their eyese not only on the short term success of NPO Connect, but on how it can inform the bigger picture.

So, what are we waiting for? I think that if a cluster of states, such as New England, pooled their organizational efforts and their money - and made intelligent use of the pro bono work that Gavin and Pito are already doing - it can happen.