JustCollab by Tech Equalized

The specific problem we are addressing is the limited civic participation due to inadequate collaboration and coordination among civil society organizations (CSOs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and community organizations. This fragmentation hinders the development of collective impact and reduces the capacity of these organizations to effectively address community and global issues.

Globally, the scale of this problem is immense. The International Civil Society Centre estimates that there are more than 10 million CSOs, NGOs, and community organizations worldwide. Limited collaboration and coordination among these organizations directly impact the civic participation of the communities they serve. This affects millions of individuals who could be actively engaged in addressing local and global challenges.

Factors contributing to the problem include:

1. Poor communication: Inadequate communication channels among CSOs, NGOs, and community organizations often lead to misunderstandings, missed opportunities for collaboration, and duplicated efforts.

2. Limited access to real-time data: Organizations struggle to obtain up-to-date, accurate information about the communities they serve, hampering their ability to make informed decisions and design targeted interventions that address pressing needs.

3. Absence of shared platforms: There is a lack of shared platforms where organizations can collaborate, exchange information, and coordinate their efforts, resulting in fragmented civic participation and less effective responses to community and global challenges.

Our solution aims to tackle these factors by fostering collaboration and coordination among key stakeholders, including CSOs, NGOs, and community organizations. By leveraging a technology-enabled platform, we intend to enhance access to effective collaboration opportunities, improve communication among organizations, provide real-time data access, and create a shared platform for collaboration. As a result, we strive to increase civic participation and enable a greater collective impact on community and global issues.

Our solution is an integrated, AI-powered humanitarian support platform that facilitates impactful collaborations between civil society organizations (CSOs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and community organizations for greater collective impact. Built on the open-source program RapidPro, our cloud-based platform addresses the problem of fragmented efforts in the humanitarian sector and provides a comprehensive suite of tools and resources that enable organizations to work together more efficiently and effectively towards shared goals.

Our platform will teach civil society and community organizations how to better participate civically and create impact, acting as outreach in the communities, while providing the system for organizations to work collectively at different levels. The platform will include the following key features:

1. Real-time communication and collaboration tools: Web-based technologies enable organizations to exchange information and coordinate activities seamlessly in real-time.
2. Project management tools: Built on widely recognized project management frameworks, our platform facilitates the planning, execution, and monitoring of humanitarian projects, ensuring efficient resource allocation and progress tracking towards goals, including Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
3. AI-driven data analysis and insights: Our platform collects, processes, and analyzes data using AI, machine learning, natural language processing (NLP) text classifiers, and other advanced algorithms to generate valuable insights that enable organizations to make data-driven decisions and monitor the impact of their interventions.
4. Customizable dashboards and reporting: Data visualization technologies allow organizations to create tailored dashboards and reports to visualize data, track key performance indicators, and assess the effectiveness of their interventions.
5. Partnership and networking opportunities: AI-driven algorithms match organizations with similar objectives, fostering partnerships and joint projects that maximize impact.
6. Community helpline integration: Incorporating SMS and voice technologies, our platform connects affected communities to vital information and services.
7. Impact frameworks and logic models: The platform aligns with impact frameworks and logic models, providing new ways for organizations to monitor and track their interventions' progress and impact on target populations.

Our platform aims to create a more connected, collaborative, and impactful humanitarian ecosystem by providing CSOs, NGOs, and community organizations with the tools and resources they need to work together more efficiently and effectively towards shared goals. By leveraging AI, open-source technology, and cloud-based infrastructure, our solution has the potential to revolutionize the way the humanitarian sector connects with the lives of millions of vulnerable individuals worldwide.

Our solution serves a diverse range of stakeholders, including civil society organizations (CSOs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), community organizations, and vulnerable and marginalized populations. We focus on creating a platform that benefits all these stakeholders by fostering collaboration, coordination, and efficient resource allocation to address pressing humanitarian challenges.

In our beachhead strategy, we are focusing on the migration crisis, particularly the Venezuelan migrant population and the organizations working with them. This crisis has left millions of people displaced and in need of assistance, making it one of the most underfunded humanitarian issues with high levels of unmet needs. However, our long-term goal is to extend our platform's reach and impact to benefit vulnerable and marginalized groups worldwide.

The target population our platform serves includes:

1. CSOs, NGOs, and community organizations: These organizations often face challenges such as duplication of efforts, wasted resources, and limited impact due to ineffective collaboration and coordination. Our platform provides them with tools and resources to plan, coordinate, and execute projects and campaigns more efficiently and effectively, resulting in increased overall impact.

2. Vulnerable and marginalized populations: These populations are underserved in terms of access to essential information, services, and resources, which perpetuates the cycle of poverty, inequality, and social exclusion. By empowering CSOs, NGOs, and community organizations to work together more effectively, our platform enables them to reach more individuals in need and provide them with the assistance they require.

The solution will impact the lives of these stakeholders in the following ways:

1. For CSOs, NGOs, and community organizations: Our platform enables them to form partnerships, share resources, and collaborate on projects, increasing their capacity to create change. This will lead to more efficient use of resources, reduced duplication of efforts, and ultimately more impactful interventions. Our platform also provides these organizations with valuable data insights, allowing them to make data-driven decisions and refine their strategies for greater impact.

2. For vulnerable and marginalized populations: By empowering organizations to work together more effectively, our platform ensures that these populations have better access to essential information, services, and resources. This will help them overcome barriers to social and economic participation, improve their quality of life, and promote social inclusion.

3. For governments and other stakeholders: Our platform captures the attention of government agencies and other stakeholders, fostering a more organized, efficient, and impactful humanitarian space. This will lead to better policies, more targeted interventions, and a stronger focus on addressing the needs of vulnerable and marginalized populations.

By fostering collaboration and coordination, our platform enables these stakeholders to address pressing humanitarian challenges more effectively, resulting in meaningful improvements in the lives of those most in need.

Jason Rovig and Nery Santaella, a husband-and-wife team, are well-positioned to deliver this solution due to their deep personal connections to the communities they serve, their demonstrated success in piloting initiatives in Colombia, and their commitment to involving the communities in the design and implementation of their projects.

Nery is herself a Venezuelan refugee, which gives her firsthand understanding of the challenges faced by vulnerable communities. As the CEO of Art for Impact and director of Voices of Venezuela, she has become one of the most trusted voices in migration communications. She was recently awarded the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)  Gene Dewey Refugee Award in recognition of  her support to the Venezuelan refugee community Her work has reached over 4 million migrants and hosts through her media initiatives, and she has directly benefited over 640,000 migrants through her helpline.

Jason, with his background as a clinical Prosthetist Orthotist, has a unique perspective on the challenges faced by those in need of humanitarian services. Through his work with Art for Impact and as the CEO of Tech Equalized, he has dedicated himself to building tech solutions that support vulnerable communities and advance humanitarian efforts.

Together, Jason and Nery have founded and led multiple successful initiatives that have benefited hundreds of thousands of refugees and migrants in Colombia. Their personal experiences and connections to the communities they serve ensure that their projects are responsive to the unique needs and challenges of the target population. They engage directly with the communities, using various channels such as media, helplines, and chatbots to create a feedback loop that enables them to gather valuable insights and understand the constantly changing needs of the communities.

Their commitment to involving the communities in the design and implementation of their projects ensures that their solutions remain grounded in the realities of the target population. This approach prioritizes the needs and agency of the refugee community and fosters long-term adoption and success of their projects. For example, the Voices of Venezuela initiative and its helpline service have been tested and refined based on feedback and input from the communities they serve, making it an effective and tailored solution.

Jason and Nery's shared dedication to humanitarian development and their deep personal connections to the communities they serve make them the ideal team to deliver this solution to the target population. They have a proven track record of successful project implementation and have secured funding, partnerships, and recognition from major organizations such as the US government, WhatsApp, and the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation.

We are applying to Solve to access a network of resources, partnerships, and expertise that can help us address the challenges we face in scaling our multidimensional solution, building a sustainable service model, and properly monitoring and evaluating its impact. While we have experienced some success in our efforts, the scale and type of impact we seek is only possible with collaborating with other organizations. Specifically we need help with:

1. Business growth mentorship: Our goal is to develop a financially sustainable model that is not dependent on grants to ensure the long-term success and scalability of our platform. Solve's leadership coaching and strategic guidance can provide us with the necessary insights and mentorship to achieve sustainable growth.

2. Network expansion: Solve provides a powerful network of impact-minded leaders across industries and sectors. Connecting with these individuals can open doors to new partnerships, collaborations, and opportunities to scale our solution beyond our current reach, enhancing our ability to promote civic participation worldwide.

3. Impact measurement support: Our needs require a diverse set of metrics including media impact.  These are needed to validate our solution's effectiveness to improve our approach and demonstrate our impact to stakeholders, as well as measure the impact and equity in delivery of the solutions we connect vulnerable populations to.  This is then used by organizations to improve.

4. Technical expertise: Our solution leverages advanced technologies such as AI, machine learning, and natural language processing. Access to the MIT network and its technical resources would be invaluable in refining and scaling the technology of our platform to better serve the needs of the humanitarian sector in a cost efficient manner.

Our solution is innovative in its approach to civic participation, as it combines cutting-edge technology with a comprehensive strategy to foster collaboration, scalability, and inclusivity at multiple levels. Our solution has the potential to catalyze broader positive impact in a manner that could transform the humanitarian sector.

1. Integrated approach: Our solution addresses the fragmented efforts in the humanitarian sector by uniting CSOs, NGOs, and community organizations on a single platform. By leveraging AI and machine learning, our platform optimizes planning and execution of projects, enhancing efficiency and impact. For example, our AI-driven helpline connects vulnerable communities with relevant support networks, streamlining assistance delivery.

2. Open-source technology: Our platform, built on open-source technology, promotes a culture of innovation and collaboration within the humanitarian sector. It empowers organizations to customize the platform to their specific needs, fostering tailored solutions for diverse communities.

3. Scalability and accessibility: We designed our platform to be scalable and accessible for organizations of all sizes. This ensures equitable civic participation, as small organizations can access powerful tools and resources once exclusive to larger organizations.

4. Catalyzing broader positive impacts: Our solution can create a more connected, collaborative, and impactful humanitarian ecosystem, leading to new partnerships, collaborations, and innovations that address pressing challenges faced by communities worldwide. For instance, our platform has facilitated collaboration between local NGOs and international aid organizations, resulting in more efficient resource allocation and delivery of essential services.

By disrupting traditional aid delivery models and fostering a new paradigm of collaboration and innovation, our solution has the potential to change the market and unlock new sources of funding and support for humanitarian initiatives. Ultimately, our platform can create new opportunities for organizations to make a meaningful impact in the communities they serve.

• Impact Goals for the next year:

  • Launch the CSO platform in Colombia, with 50+ participating civil society organizations strengthened
  • Strengthen partnerships with with at least 5 key International NGOs or UN/Government agencies 
  • Achieve a minimum of 80% user satisfaction rate through regular user feedback and engagement on the information provided and services connected
  • Meet the needs of 25,000 beneficiaries'(helpline users) direct needs filled through connections to community organizations/CSOs or information

• Impact Goals for the next five years:

  • Strengthen a minimum of 1000 organizations through platform participation and expand the platform to reach at least 10 countries and expand beyond migration focus
  • Increase the number of partnerships with key International NGOs/UN/Government Agencies to 25 or more, creating a strong and interconnected humanitarian ecosystem
  • Achieve a measurable increase in collective impact through the platform, as demonstrated by improved outcomes data for target populations, as well as measured impact through media metrics for organizations and feedback surveys from community helpline users
  • Establish the platform as a recognized leader in the field of collaborative humanitarian efforts, driving broader positive change in the sector

• Strategies to Achieve Impact Goals:

  • Partnerships: We have and are positioned secure multiple additional sponsorships between government agencies, UN programs like UNHCR, and other international nonprofits.  These are a mix of funded projects and collaborations that will scale, market, and grow our user base, as well as fund development and service expansion along topical lines such as health, education, etc.
  • Continuously collect and analyze feedback from both community members and organizations to improve and refine the platform's functionality and user experience
  • Leverage the power of AI and other advanced technologies to identify patterns and trends in user data, enabling more effective and efficient collaborations and interventions
  • Promote a culture of continuous learning and improvement within participating organizations through access to training and resources on best practices for collaboration and humanitarian impact.

As we transition from our MVP to a scalable cloud service, we are in the process of setting up specific indicators to measure our progress toward our impact goals. We are aligning these indicators with both the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and impact logic frameworks to ensure that our solution contributes to broader global objectives and follows a systematic approach to achieving positive outcomes. Some key indicators we plan to use to measure our progress include:

1. Number of individuals reached: We will track the number of people who directly benefit from our platform's services, such as the AI-driven helpline, educational resources, and connection to support networks.

2. Increased civic engagement: We will measure the change in civic participation rates among the communities we serve, including the number of people participating in community initiatives, attending meetings, or engaging in local decision-making processes.

3. Number of partnerships formed: We will monitor the number of partnerships and collaborations facilitated by our platform, as these partnerships are vital to enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of humanitarian initiatives.

4. Improved access to resources and services: We will track the percentage of beneficiaries who report improved access to essential resources and services, such as healthcare, education, and legal support, as a direct result of our platform's interventions.

5. Increased capacity of local organizations: We will measure the change in the capacity of local organizations to deliver assistance and support, including improvements in their ability to access funding, technical resources, and training opportunities.

6. Feedback and satisfaction rates: We will collect feedback from both beneficiaries and partner organizations to gauge their satisfaction with our platform and services. This information will help us identify areas for improvement and adjust our approach to better serve the needs of the communities.

7. Equity in delivery: Self reported barriers and impact followup, by user segmented groups such as gender, age, etc

Our theory of change is built on the belief that collaboration and coordination between civil society organizations, non-governmental organizations, and community organizations is crucial to achieving meaningful and lasting impact in the humanitarian space. We believe that our integrated, AI-powered humanitarian platform will facilitate such collaboration and coordination, ultimately leading to greater collective impact and civic participation that will lead to positive change in the communities we serve.

Our theory of change is based on the following logic:

• By providing an integrated platform for organizations to work together more efficiently and effectively, we will improve collaboration and coordination between organizations.
• Improved collaboration and coordination will result in more efficient and impactful interventions, as organizations are able to share resources, data, and best practices.
• More efficient and impactful interventions will lead to greater collective impact and positive change in the communities we serve.
• As organizations see the benefits of collaborating and using our platform, more and more organizations will join the platform, resulting in a network effect that will further amplify the impact of our solution.
• By leveraging AI and other advanced technologies, our platform will enable organizations to refine their strategies and focus their resources where they will have the greatest impact.
• By collecting and analyzing data on ongoing projects and campaigns, our platform will provide valuable insights into what's working well and where improvements can be made, allowing organizations to continuously improve their interventions.
• By reaching people where they are, using the communication channels that they prefer, our platform will enable organizations to engage with a wider range of people, including those who may have previously been difficult to reach.

Overall, our theory of change is built on the idea that collaboration, technology, and data can be used to create a more connected, collaborative, and impactful humanitarian ecosystem. We believe that by providing a platform that enables organizations to work together more effectively, we can catalyze broader positive impacts in the humanitarian space, ultimately leading to improved outcomes for the communities we serve.

Our solution is powered by a combination of open-source software, cloud-based infrastructure, and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to create an effective and innovative platform for organizations in the humanitarian sector. Specifically, our platform integrates RapidPro, cloud-based tools, and AI-driven analytics to improve collaboration, communication, and data-driven decision-making.

1. RapidPro Communication Platform: RapidPro, an open-source communication platform, enables organizations to design and deploy automated messaging campaigns via SMS, voice, or chat. By integrating RapidPro, our platform facilitates communication and collaboration between organizations, as well as with vulnerable groups, for sharing information, insights, and best practices.

2. Cloud-based Tools and Infrastructure: Our platform utilizes various cloud-based tools and technologies, including project management software, data analysis and visualization tools, and real-time communication and collaboration features. These tools empower organizations to plan, coordinate, and execute projects and campaigns more effectively, monitor progress in real-time, and analyze data for insights and improvements.

3. Artificial Intelligence (AI): AI is a core technology that powers our platform. We employ machine learning algorithms to analyze data from ongoing projects and campaigns, providing valuable insights into what's working well and where improvements can be made. This enables organizations to refine their strategies and focus their resources where they will have the greatest impact.

4. Scalability and Accessibility: The platform is designed to be scalable and accessible to organizations of all sizes, from small community-based groups to large international NGOs. This inclusivity ensures that even small organizations can access powerful tools and resources previously reserved for larger entities, promoting more equitable civic participation.

5. Community-Led Rating System: The platform incorporates a community-led rating system, allowing communities themselves to provide self-selected criteria and feedback to identify the value of any given service and any difficulties they face in accessing it. This bottom-up approach prioritizes the voices of the most vulnerable while providing organizations with standardized ways to measure and meet their own needs and goals.

By leveraging the power of open-source software, cloud-based infrastructure, and AI technologies, our solution effectively connects organizations and underrepresented communities, facilitating collaboration and increasing civic participation. These advanced technologies enable us to create a more connected, collaborative, and inclusive ecosystem for civic participation, ultimately driving positive change and empowering underrepresented communities to have their voices heard.

We know that diverse perspectives and experiences enrich our understanding of the challenges our communities face and ultimately lead to more effective and sustainable solutions. Our organization is deeply committed to incorporating diversity, equity, and inclusivity and have taken several steps to ensure that our commitment is reflected in both our day-to-day operations and strategic decision-making:

1. We prioritize building a diverse leadership team that represents a range of backgrounds, expertise, and perspectives. Our leadership team includes women and minority leaders who head crucial departments such as media, communications, and technology.  Our employment mirrors this.

2. We work closely with the communities we serve, seeking constant feedback to ensure that our solution is responsive to their needs. By actively involving community members and organizations from within those communities in the development process, we can better understand the challenges they face and create more effective solutions.

3. We are dedicated to cultivating a diverse workforce with practices that aim to minimize unconscious bias in our recruitment and selection processes.  We will provide ongoing training and development opportunities for our staff to foster a culture of inclusivity and understanding. 

4. We strive to create an environment where all team members have access to opportunities for growth and development. This includes being flexible for the unique situations that refugees are in, offering mentorship programs, professional development resources, and transparent promotion processes that support employees in growing.

Our business model is a hybrid of nonprofit and social enterprise models, designed as a multisided platform to create sustainable impact and generate revenue by leveraging a unique AI-powered platform and helpline services that connect communities with local organizations, NGOs, and government entities.

Key customers and beneficiaries:

1. Local communities: We provide free helplines that allow community members to access information, support, and resources, and actively engage in local development initiatives. This high level of community involvement and engagement ensures that projects are responsive to the needs and priorities of the communities they serve.

2. Local organizations and NGOs: Our platform enables local organizations to collaborate more effectively, measure their impact, and increase their community reach. By offering tiered levels of the platform, organizations can access additional features and services that help them optimize their operations, improve their visibility, and generate greater impact.  This tiered service level lets us add in a free level that ensures the smallest organizations are able to benefit and increases the quantity/value of the data.

3. Large NGOs and government entities: Our solution provides valuable data and insights that can inform the design and implementation of larger development projects. By partnering with our organization, these stakeholders can gain increased access to localized information and networks, enhancing the effectiveness and reach of their initiatives.

Revenue streams:

1. Service fees: We charge organizations for the use of our platform and related services, such as data analysis and reporting.
2. Sponsorships: We partner with organizations that are interested in sponsoring specific helpline topics or campaigns, such as health or education. These sponsorships provide a source of funding for our helpline services and allow us to expand our reach and impact.
3. Grants: We seek grant funding from philanthropic organizations and development agencies who share our vision for creating a more connected and impactful humanitarian ecosystem so that we can test and build new innovations as well as grow deeper community connections through development grants.
4. Development project partnerships: We collaborate with large NGOs and government entities as a funding source for development projects, leveraging our platform's unique capabilities to facilitate community engagement, data collection, and project implementation.

By offering diverse value propositions tailored to the needs of our key customers and beneficiaries, our multisided business model ensures that we can create lasting impact in the communities we serve while generating the revenue necessary to sustain and scale our operations.

Our plan for becoming financially sustainable involves a tiered level service model for our platform, implementation partnerships for international development grants, and advertising and sponsorships for organizations that want increased awareness for their services or brand.

In the short-term, we plan to focus on securing grants and donations to cover our initial costs and develop our platform. We are already in conversation with several organizations that are interested in partnering with us to develop our platform and expand its reach. In addition, we plan to seek out corporate social responsibility funding to support our work and to raise awareness about our platform.

In the mid-term, we plan to implement a tiered level service model for our platform. This will allow us to offer different levels of service to organizations based on their needs and budget. For example, smaller organizations could access basic communication and collaboration features for free, while larger organizations could pay for more advanced features like data analysis and reporting tools. This will allow us to generate revenue while still providing access to our platform for organizations of all sizes.

In the long-term, we plan to expand our revenue streams by becoming an implementation partner for international development grants. We believe that our platform could be a valuable tool for organizations working in the humanitarian space, and we plan to actively seek out opportunities to partner with these organizations on grant-funded projects.

In addition to these revenue streams, we plan to explore advertising and sponsorship opportunities for organizations that want to increase awareness for their services or brand. For example, organizations could sponsor specific messaging campaigns or topics on our helpline, or they could advertise their services on our platform. This will allow us to generate additional revenue while still maintaining our focus on social impact and humanitarian work.

We have a diverse set of revenue streams through the tiered level service model, implementation partnerships for international development grants, standalone service, advertising and sponsorships so that as priorities and tech changes we can be better prepared and adapt.

Data For Human Rights Accelerator (Patrick J McGovern Foundation)

Migration and Technology Monitor Fellowship (Open Society Foundation)

Chat For Impact Accelerator (WhatsApp & Turn.io)

6 USAID funded contracts for humanitarian development work 

Project partner for a 2 year financial inclusion project of migrants from Colombian government bank