A great range of resources exist to inform software selection, use and support in NPOs and NGOs, but they are not well connected, and rarely share common formats. There is no place for comprehensively mapping the full range of "what's out there" and "who's using what", and in turn aggregating relevant information for tools and categories of tools. There is also no general platform for sharing collective software knowledge in geographic, subsector and other specialized contexts.

Anecdotal inquiry and formal research both indicate that software selection in the NPO/NGO sector is usually done by "asking friends what they use". Such "social network" methodology has the built-in advantage of establishing de facto support networks, as those same people who recommend tools are only a phone call or email away for questions. But such processes are limited by the size and capacity of the network, and can never be considered comprehensive or best practice.

When considering how nonprofit technology assistance providers search for and select tools, one need only survey the archives of various NGO/NPO technology mailing lists to observe a pattern repeating itself on a regular basis: a list member asks a question of the form "who's using what for tool category X". On categories ranging from case management to survey tools to simple utilities, responses come from all over the globe, establishing a snapshot inventory of tools, tips and caveats. But just as quickly as these de facto catalogs are built, they roll up into mailing list archives, unlikey to see the light of day again, and fated to be recreated weeks or months later.

A resource that empowers nonprofits by systematically inventorying available tools, and connects that inventory to the wealth of relevant information resources is long overdue. Social Source Commons aims to meet that need.

WHAT WE NEED:

We are looking for funding to build our sub-communities features.

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