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Alchemlist

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The Idea:

What will change in the world because this Project happens?

Alchemlist will make donating (stuff) as easy as item, zip, search while creating and expanding community around donation. People will discover non-profits that exist in their own communities, perhaps right next door, that they never knew existed, become aware of their needs, and be inspired to take action to help meet those needs.

Non-profits (especially small non-profits) will receive increased donation of in-kind items and greater visibility that leads not only to donations but to more volunteers and monetary donations as well. The site will help raise awareness about all the non-profits working in our communities and their needs as well as the issues that they formed to address so that we can help ease the needs of our neighbors.

Alchemlist will help save landfill space (and closet space!) as people find homes for items they would have thrown in the trash or gathered dust in their home.

A greater sense of community and altruism will be fostered.

What information will people interact with to make this change?

Alchemlist will merge information provided by thousands of non-profits with proven geolocation and mapping technology. Non-profits will provide the information on who they are, what their purpose is, who they serve, and (most importantly) what they need. Visitors to Alchemlist will provide information on what they have and where they are located.

Users can search for specific items/categories of items they have to donate and find a nearby non-profit that needs them.
Users can search for non-profits in their geographic area and see what items they currently need
Users will be able to see a map of non-profits
In the future they will also be able to search for non-profits by category (Youth, etc)
A Facebook application is also being developed that will allow people to see a map of non-profits near them. Non-profits with Urgent Needs are indicated with a different symbol. Leveraging Facebook's social networking capabilities with Alchemlist's non-profit wishlist compilation, people will be able to immediately communicate with each other and work together to help those in need
In the next phase, users will be able to participate in a scavenger hunts feature where they can join teams and gather items for non-profits. Individuals and teams will be able to set goals, score points, and compete.

What else have you done in this Cause Area?

Most recently, I led/coordinated a "scavenger hunt" using Alchemlist to gather items for a local teen shelter, ROOTS. The shelter got a big influx of supplies and is now on all of our radars in case we come across the needed items throughout the rest of the year. It was a great team-building, community building endeavor. We shared laughs, ideas, and made lifelong friends in the process.

Volunteer/intern in a variety of non-profits: refugee resettlement (IRC), accessible cross-country ski trips with environmental education (ETC), Habitat for Humanity...

I make efforts to reduce, reuse, and recycle in my daily life!

The Assessment

What kind of help or resources do you need to turn your project idea into a completed mashup?

Business/Legal Advice to determine if Alchemlist.org should be a 501c3, a social enterprise, or a for-profit business that donates a chunk of proceeds and help writing a business plan

Advertising/Marketing Assistance to determine what communities would receive the greatest benefit from Alchemlist and how to expand into them (marketing to non-profits and potential in-kind donors)

Graphic Design assistance to produce a cutting-edge look and feel which will compel users to use Alchemlist over and over.

Technical/Programming Assistance- to be able to link directly to non-profit wish lists listed on their sites, to fine-tune the FaceBook feature, create a map/directions feature, and implement the scavenger hunt