Project Description
Executive Summary
Many Efforts, One Goal provides technology-related services that facilitate access to a broad range of information on development issues. Development agencies will create and maintain personal profiles outlining their organizations. Donors, volunteers, researchers and other development agencies can use these profiles along with the other services provided by the website to quickly find organizations they would like to work for, fund, and/or collaborate with.
Contact: Justin Podbielski 011 (502) 5194-8171∙Maura Williams 011 (502) 5308-9023 ∙90 Hope Hill Rd ∙Wallingford, CT 06492∙ info@manyefforts.com ∙ www.manyefforts.com
Organizational Overview
To date, no other website has provided the development community with as comprehensive and user-friendly an interface as Many Efforts, One Goal is proposing. Social-networking technology allows organizations to connect with the interested public, but more importantly, with each other.
Statement of Need
Many development agencies have an “us-against-the-world” mentality, and lack formal channels by which to join forces and pool resources with other, complementary organizations. There can be untold gains from interagency collaboration, but formal relationships are currently difficult to establish without wasting valuable resources.
The internet offers a wide array of information that could be useful in fostering these relationships, however wielding these resources in a meaningful way is currently a time consuming and cumbersome process due to the vast quantity of websites and the dispersed nature of available information. By bringing this information into one easy-to-use arena and by allowing the development community to determine how best to represent and govern itself, the internet can increase efficiency by altering the way in which the development community interacts. Thus, we at Many Efforts aim to contribute towards that One Goal: making the world a better place.
Program Description
Many Efforts, One Goal is a social networking website designed for and run by the development community. Development agencies of all varieties create personal profiles outlining their organization's projects and goals. The idea of the site is to use the profiles as nodes to reach potential donors, volunteers, researchers and, most importantly, other like-minded organizations. This summer we are working in Guatemala to collect the information necessary to set up our first "Regional Network".
MEOG's long term goal is to have Regional Networks spanning the globe, giving all varieties of development agencies access to a wide range of online resources. Our guiding philosophy, however, is that the ultimate resource of development agencies are other development agencies. Through greater collaboration and closer coordination of projects and resources, development agencies can work together to build a better world for everyone.
Many Efforts, One Goal seeks to incorporate social-networking technology into the daily operations of the development community. By administering surveys in Guatemala this summer, we have started building our initial database of organizations. Information will be compiled and published to our website, where each agency can then update and maintain their personal profiles. The desired outcome is that enough people will become active participants on the site, thereby creating an online development community. As active MEOG participants, development agencies will have access to numerous online services including but not limited to; individualized profile pages, additional donation sources, news feeds, research reviews, other relevant links, potential volunteer referrals, and communication and collaboration opportunities with other development organizations.
Population Groups Served
Many Efforts, One Goal primarily serves the development community in Central America, this being our first Regional Network. Our site will be fully operational by December 2008, at which point donors, volunteers, students, and the interested public may access the site, browse through agency profiles, search for organizations that are working in their area of interest, make donations, or just simply learn about what's new in the world of development. Our plan is to gradually expand the number of Regional Networks we serve after this date
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