The Award-Winning App Helping Victorians in Need

Vollie relaunched just over a month ago and it’s a privilege to again be collaborating with such dedicated volunteers and supporting mission-driven organisations. Recently, we had the opportunity to speak with the founder of one of these not-for-profits and gain a deeper appreciation of their goals.

This month we're highlighting the work of NFP Tech, which is helping other NFPs harness technology to further their goals and better serve their clients. NFP Tech is the brainchild of Ciara Placentino, who has worked in the not-for-profit sector for several years, focusing on youth work, housing and homelessness.

NFP Tech's inaugural product is Mapping App, which integrates with Google Maps and allows staff from community services organisations in Victoria to help their clients locate amenities across over 60 categories, from laundromats to food pantries to legal aid. Mapping App recently won Gold for the Better Futures Design Award in the “Equity and Inclusion” category in the Melbourne Division. An amazing feat!

The goal of Mapping App is to make it easier for community staff to direct clients to the right place for specific needs. For example, someone experiencing family violence may need help from a number of different organsations serving different needs: housing, medical care, legal aid, a food bank, etc.

"I always knew we needed a way to educate staff and connect people to additional resources," said Ciara. She said Vollie has been indispensable at this stage of development. "For charities like us that don't have an extra $100-200 per month to spend on job listings, Vollie is essential. It's the only free one we could find!"

Ciara says NFP Tech has already onboarded one volunteer to help review and verify Mapping App listings, and is reviewing more volunteer applicants. NFP Tech still needs help, and is looking for more volunteers that have data entry skills or experience with Vue.js, Ruby on Rails, UI/UX design or wireframing. You can check out NFP Tech’s current projects on Vollie.

If you’re a community organisation in Victoria and you’d like to know more about Mapping App or NFP Tech, please reach out to Ciara via her email - [email protected].