Many of the tools we are integrating into the Grassroots.org Toolbox are open source, and thus have been freely downloadable for years. However, “Free” though they may be, these tools cost thousands of dollars to install, learn, configure and support. In short, these tools may have no list price, but they are far from free to implement. The result? They're not empowering as many nonprofits as they could be.

The Toolbox will automatically:
• provision and install these technology tools,
• configure them correctly for immediate use,
• host them permanently,
• -provide comprehensive training and support resources (both in traditional text and in new media, such as screencasts and training videos)

All for free.

To achieve this, we'll build an integrated user interface to manage Toolbox applications and services, under which we'll develop a flexible and scalable automatic provisioning system. We are assigning multiple staff members to develop exhaustive training and support materials in response to the needs of incoming clients and creating a publicly-available end-user guide for each of the tools we offer. The goal is the technological empowerment of nonprofit organizations everywhere.

A revolution in Web-delivered digital maps and map-based analysis is under way and will change the way nonprofits solve social, environmental, and humanitarian problems. It is vital that nonprofit and humanitarian teams leverage these proven and powerful technologies.