Aspiration

Location:
San Francisco, CA

Aspiration helps nonprofits and foundations use software tools more effectively and sustainably. We serve as ally, coach, strategist, mentor and facilitator to those trying to make more impactful use of information technology in their social change efforts.

We catalyze and strengthen physical communities of nonprofit users and software developers by convening and facilitating innovative technology events. We empower virtual communities of nonprofit users and developers through the Social Source Commons, which maps out available software tools and related information resources. And we provide strategic capacity building services, working with software developers to produce better tools for nonprofits, and with nonprofits to better leverage these tools.

Supported Projects



Outreach Coordinator

Matt Garcia
7/20087/2009

Aspiration’s mission is to connect nonprofit organizations with software solutions that help them better carry out their work.

CTC Vista job responsibilities include:

o Provide program support to the Social Source Commons program which maps the NPO/NGO software space and makes sense of the collective expertise related to that software.

o Interviewing Nonprofit Organization users about Case Management, Workforce Development, and Online Organizing tool usage and tool needs;

o Compile lists of Case Management, Workforce Development, and Online Organizing tools; improving nonprofits capacity for software selection;

o Research what Case Management, Workforce Development, and Online Organizing tools need to be developed, to increase nonprofits abilities to perform Case Management, Workforce Development, and Online Organizing functions.

o Write short-papers and reports to help nonprofits demystify Case Management, Workforce Development, and Online Organizing software.

o Provide support for Social Source Commons events

o Bring together software users, developers, intermediaries, and investors to articulate and focus their needs, spark relationships and collaboration, and share skills and knowledge in the nonprofit software realm.

o Help grow and strengthen the social and knowledge networks and conduct organizational outreach.

o Build Nonprofit and NGO collaboration in creating and developing capacity building tools among grassroots nonprofit communities.

We have a much more robust SSC community and processes, which will help us to continue growing the platform and making it more valuable to the nonprofit community. We hired Matt as a full-time contractor, and he will continue the work he has begun.

Matt helped set a community tone at the SF Nonprofit Technology Center, serving as a friendly team member and ambassador for the organization. Matt also helped establish our new ANSWR platform, working on platform development and content development. This project is an extension of our SSC project, and builds on the SSC work he did.






Outreach Coordinator

Tim Wescott
9/200610/2007

Goal 1: Tracking the increased capacity of grassroots nonprofits to make informed decisions about software selection, resulting in better software to effectively do their work.

Goal 2: Build Nonprofit and NGO collaboration in creating and developing capacity building tools among grassroots nonprofit communities.

Goal 3: Bring together software users, developers, intermediaries, and investors to articulate and focus their needs, spark relationships and collaboration, and share skills and knowledge in the nonprofit software relm.

Over the past six months, Aspiration tracked the increased capacity of grassroots nonprofits to make informed decisions about their software selection through the Social Source Commons project. Our VISTA, Tim Wescott has spent the majority of his time ensuring that grassroots nonprofits know about what tools are available to them and how to find these tools within Social Source Commons.

In addition, Aspiration convened 3 events building nonprofit and NGO collaboration in creating tools that will benefit grassroots communities. These events brought together software users, developers, intermediaries, and investors. Tim participated and worked hands on with these constituents to encourage collaboration, skill and knowledge sharing in the nonprofit software realm.

Tim’s ongoing work is helping Aspiration achieve its mission of connecting nonprofits with software solutions that help them better carry out their work.




Transmission Project