Craigslist Foundation Online


BACKGROUND

Over the past five years, Craigslist Foundation has connected more than 7,500 nonprofit leaders our Nonprofit Boot Camps.  Building off this strong base, we have identified an opportunity to bring the idea of searching, sharing, and connecting to a wider audience by leveraging the craigslist name, our network of partner organizations, our insight into the needs of nonprofit leaders, and our strong web traffic.

PROJECT NEED

The number of resources supporting social entrepreneurs and nonprofit leaders expands daily. The issue is not so much whether a support resource exists, but whether people can find it easily, spending less time searching and more time doing good.  We're building shortcuts past this inefficiency by providing two unique value propositions:

Search: By creating the sector's first comprehensive resource directory, we will provide our audience with a gateway for doing good, through which they can connect to whatever they need. Instead of creating a new destination, we're connecting the dots.

Share: We will provide a platform for knowledge sharing and peer reviews.  This will be key to helping people sort through listings, ensuring that top search results are those that peers have found most useful.  In addition to encouraging the community to mark their favorite resources, they will also be able to submit resources to our directory.

Looking ahead, we see a need not only to support nonprofit professionals in achieving their missions, but also to explore how government, business, grantmakers, volunteers, and donors can collaborate to build a better world. As we build on our core audience of nonprofit leaders, just as craigslist built on its initial San Francisco website, we will provide a hub for cross-sector collaboration.

OUR APPROACH

In conceiving of Craigslist Foundation Online, we have taken a community-driven approach. Input from over 200 partners and advisors, and ongoing feedback from the community-at-large, has driven the planning and development of the services we will offer, ensuring relevancy and value.

We are currently in the process of developing and testing  the new web platform.   A Partner Beta is scheduled for late 2008 during which our network of partners and advisors will offer input on the design, layout, and functionality and contribute initial content. Our Public Beta launch will follow soon after.

Our focus in the initial release is building a platform for information sharing and discovery, using the features our community is most passionate about:

  • A resource database will connect nonprofit professionals to articles, videos, podcasts, and other resources published throughout the sector
  • Supporting community sharing of resources will quickly help us grow our directory
  • A rating system will allow community members to help their peers discover the resources they have found most useful
  • A library of How-to guides will take nonprofit leaders step-by-step through topics essential to achieving their mission
  • A search engine will connect visitors to the information they need
  • A support forum will allow us to nurture ongoing dialog with our community
  • Nonprofit Boot Camp podcasts will allow wide audiences to experience Nonprofit Boot Camp workshops
  • A Yellow Pages directory will connect the community to organizations providing services to nonprofits.

    • FUTURE DEVELOPMENT

    As the site evolves, we will follow an agile development approach to create quick, iterative releases that complement our current offerings and allow us to be nimble, adapting quickly to community feedback.

    Some of the features and enhancements we're planning include:

  • Partner Integration - Tie into other leading websites to enable our visitors to search for job, volunteer, donation, etc. opportunities across multiple sites, and also facilitate the distribution of résumés, volunteer listings, etc. so users can submit once and have them posted across a wide network of popular websites
  • Partner Feeds - Showcase more content from more partners by automating delivery into our database
  • Share & Socialize - Build Craigslist Foundation's web presence beyond craigslistfoundation.org by reaching out to 2.0 and bookmarking services (e.g. addthis.com, Buzz Up!, Sphere It), as well as integrating offsite content (Flickr, Twitter, Dopplr) into craigslistfoundation.org member profiles to create a “stickier” home base for our community; and
  • Idea Sharing - Give the community a powerful voice in the planning of new features and enhancements that captures, shares, and helps prioritize community generated suggestions.

    HOW YOU CAN HELP

    As we move forward, we need your help. We need to secure additional funding to sustain the core platform and build out the next rounds of functionality.

    We welcome your assistance in identifying funding, development, and additional partners who can help maximize our impact. Questions or interested in discussing partnering opportunities? Contact Susan Nesbitt (susan@craigslistfoundation.org), Director of Online Programs.