ConnectRichmond has been one of the most powerful community building resources for nonprofits in the Richmond region since it emerged as a listserv email tool at the University of Richmond way back in 2001. Since joining The Community Foundation's Partnership for Nonprofit Excellence three years ago, it has seized the Intraweb by the virtual horns and turned its website into a tremendous clearinghouse for anyone with an interest in nonprofits and community building.
ConnectRichmond has just launched a new tool, which essentially maps service areas for local nonprofits.
We are pleased to announce our new Geographic Information System (GIS) Mapping feature. People will now be able to view your organization's service area on the Google map found on your ConnectRichmond profile. Not only will they be able to view your service reach, but they also will be given a great visual of all nonprofits in the region.
The maps can also be searched by service type. For example, if you search for "food banks" or "children's arts programs" in the Richmond area, each organization's service radius (depicted by a circle) would appear on the map. This will allow people to:
As more organizations update their mapping information, the ConnectRichmond mapping service should also provide a great sense of where needs aren't being met by organizations -- or where too many organizations are serving the same communities.
- find nearby nonprofits they or clients may want to know about
- help organizations find potential collaborators
- illustrate which neighborhoods have access to services.
