Several local nonprofits have joined forces to establish a Community

Several local nonprofits have joined forces to establish a “Community Resources for Douglas County” Facebook group, which has enabled them to communicate more efficiently.

Jenna Groth, an Americorps self-sufficiency specialist with the Lawrence Community Shelter, started the group last month with some fellow Americorps members and nonprofit workers. The idea came about after discussing communication during a training session, Groth said.

The idea of a website came up, but Groth said there were concerns about a site being updated frequently enough for the purposes they had in mind.

“It would’ve been maybe several volunteers calling every single agency every single working day and asking them about their resources, and that would’ve been a lot of work,” she said.

Instead, the Facebook group allows employees of any nonprofit to get involved and to post information about their agencies, such as holiday hours, and ask questions or find ways to share resources.

“The advantage is that it’s more interactive, and that’s been a huge part of its success,” Groth said. “… It creates almost instantaneous communication, and people can talk back and forth about resources.”

Additionally, she said the group has helped some nonprofits find the “most appropriate place” for some excess donations they receive. For example, when ECKAN (East Central Kansas Economic Opportunity Corporation) received an abundance of potatoes a few weeks ago, Groth was able to take some to the shelter.

The group was initially “closed,” meaning it was limited to invited members only, but it was made public on Dec. 10. That way, Groth said, members of the community can ask questions and someone can point them in the right direction.

“People can just go ahead and see what’s up there and find their resources on their own,” she said.

Currently, organizations including the United Way, Penn House, 100 Good Women and ECKAN are involved in the Facebook group. Groth says she believes it will continue to grow.

“I think it will take off because there are so many ways people can benefit from using the Facebook group,” Groth said.

The group can be found by searching “Community Resources for Douglas County” on Facebook.