Software that makes non-profit into cartographers?

Almost all GIS tools can be used to store, analyze and market statistics to your organization and funders. They are a great way to present information in an interesting and interactive fashion.
Maps can connect residents to their own communities by challenging individuals to collect information and think critically about their neighbors and their community's needs. They can show project goals/achievements for funders and they are much easier for the average person to understand; large datasets, dry statistics and jargon-filled reports do not appeal to the average person. Many GIS tools are also available for use in Spanish, French, German and Chinese.
There are many free tools available. Those which are not free often provide discounts for non-profits and NGOs. Layering datasets onto area maps gives your projects a professional look. You can use readily available archives to create your maps (www.policymap.org ,www.dataplace.org, www.arcgis.com ,www.geocommons.com , www.nonprofitgis.org). This allows small firms to create maps without hiring expensive contractors or maintenance staff- or just use resources as a jumping off point.

Thursday, July 7, 2011

What others have done

So now that we’ve gone over my top two picks for GIS tools, and the whys and hows of integrating maps into your organization.  It’s time to take a quick look at who actually uses these tools. 

The Beacon of Hope Resource Center
            The Beacon of Hope Resource Center’s experience with GIS tools may not be the average experience of small-mid sized non-profits because they are able to employ GIS specialists.  As with any mapping system, they can map almost anything they can imagine.  They: survey inhabitable vs uninhabitable living spaces, track community lawns in need of mowing/maintenance, and more.


Green Info
Green Info is a 501(c)3 organization that works with public interest groups and agencies with an emphasis on mapping, data, analysis and other IT projects (Not a free service).

Examples of their work can be found on their website (www.greeninfo.org) or here:

http://www.greeninfo.org/services.php.  With Para Nuestros Ninos they illustrated child care enrollment capacity fro children 2-5 years old and the percent of children under the age of 5 (Para Nuestros Ninos was analyzing Hispanic/latino early education in Los Angeles County, CA


New American Leaders Project

Maps do not need to be data heavy.  Use them to tell your organization’s story or highlight some success that you’re particularly proud of.  The New American Leaders Project’s Homepage does just that.  It is simple and interactive.  To see their stories visit http://newamericanleaders.org/.


Google:
Google occasionally publishes video tutorials explaining how to use their products.  This is one such tutorial.  While it isn't tailored to non-profit mapping it is a good example of another way to use maps; show locations relationships to each other and how to get from one location to another.


1 comment:

  1. Always nice to see examples of others success n failure to better understand.
    -Jack @ nonprofit software

    ReplyDelete