BALTIMORE, Md. — Non-profits around Maryland are using a new tech tool to stretch their limited resources — and the results are already making a difference.
Baltimore Community Toolbank, a non-profit focused on getting tools into the right hands, has started using a platform called SWAP, which stands for Sharing With a Purpose.
"It truly is community networking in its finest form," said Noah Smock of ToolBank USA.
Smock said the organization runs on a small team.
"We do rely a lot on volunteers, but our core staff is usually 3-5 people per city, and we are, as we say, usually overcommitted and underresourced," Smock said.
SWAP is designed to change that. The platform allows non-profits to post what they have and what they need, then matches them with other organizations that can help.
"SWAP is a tech tool; it's a way to put your needs into a tool and see what other people have to offer to meet those needs. We may have a warehouse full of tools, but what we may not have is office supplies," Smock said.
The platform was built by engineering professors Andy Trapp and Jen Pazour at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. They launched it in 2021 with a pilot program in Howard County, Maryland.
"We want to maximize this collective good. If there's a collection of non-profits, if they can all work together and exchange resources, they can do more," Pazour said.
The platform requires organizations to give in order to get.
"Once we've formed a cohort, we first ask non-profits to post resources they're willing to share, and the key cool thing is in order to get stuff, you need to offer stuff. Taking limited resources and amplifying what they can do," Pazour said.
For the Toolbank, the results have been tangible. The organization was able to obtain used iPhones through the platform to collect digital signatures.
"We heard of a group that had a direct need for it and was literally about to buy a 32-inch flat-screen TV, and we said, 'Don't worry, we got it, put it in the swap,' and we made that exchange," Smock said.
Smock said the platform has strengthened relationships between organizations in ways that go beyond the exchanges themselves.
"Even if we had a prior relationship with them, this got us connected in a way that was intentional, meaningful, and ultimately ended in some resources that we shared," Smock said.
The program is now expanding beyond Maryland. New cohorts are forming in Kentucky and the Denver area.
"It's been a dream come true to see this happening and evolving, and we're just getting started," Trapp said.
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