Happy Birthday, Collaborative Tool Finder!

We’re celebrating a birthday this month here at GrantCraft! Last November, we launched our interactive tool finder. The tool finder curates a collection of the best collaborative technologies available and organizes them into distinct categories based on the type of tool and the collaborative need they serve.

In its first year, the tool finder had 21,801 visits with a total 71,643 pageviews. Project management seems to be the biggest curiousity followed closely by communications and meetings. And, we’ve added nearly 20 tools since the launch, including some favorites like  Flipboard and Infogram.

The tool grew out of research from Foundation Center and the Monitor Institute, featured in the report Harnessing Collaborative Technologies (if you’re interested, you should also see the GrantCraft guide on funder collaboratives). The research found that, while foundations are increasingly seeking out collaboration as a way to leverage their impact as they work to address large, complex problems, many of these foundations are struggling with how to collaborate effectively. Fortunately, new technologies are constantly being developed to transform the way we collaborate and connect. From managing projects to acquiring and visualizing data, to social networking, new tools are enabling foundations to realize the many benefits of collaboration.

The tool finder is based on the seven distinct collaborative needs found in the report. It allows the report’s research to keep up with the ever-evolving array of available tools, and gives funders the ability to tailor their search to their collaborative needs. Just last month we added a dozen new tools that can help funders work better together!

Have you used the tool finder this past year? If you’ve found it helpful, help us celebrate its birthday with a tweet. We'd also love to hear about your favorite tools, or suggestions for other collaboration tools you think should be featured. Tell us about them in the comments below.

Go Find a Tool!

About the author(s)

Research Assistant
Foundation Center