We Listened to You and This is What We Heard

Six months ago, we asked ourselves a question: What does the next generation of tools for change-makers look like? Community Commons is about advancing community health and well-being, and for the last decade we have done that by connecting those driving change to the best tools, resources, data, and stories to support the work. We are proud to carry that work forward.

The past six months have been a learning and growing experience. Back in January, we told you we were going to be vulnerable, and we’ve appreciated you jumping in to experiment and innovate with us. The opportunity to learn with you and evolve Community Commons to be your go-to resource has been invaluable. We now know more than ever about what you love, what works for you, as well as what you (frankly) aren’t excited about.

We heard the most important thing for users is being able to quickly find the best tools and resources for what you’re working on. To us, that means a comprehensive, intuitive search function.

We heard you want to see examples of what works and read inspiring stories of solution-oriented initiatives to inform your work and keep you going when things get tough.

We learned a lot about the technology — that you like mapping tools to view community-specific data, but that some of you were unhappy you couldn’t access the same features and tools from before the switch.

Finally, we heard you want an easy way to locate favorite content on the site, personalize what you see, and share what you’ve found with others.

We’re excited for what’s to come! You’ll be able to search and discover everything you’ve been looking for on Community Commons, as well as relevant tools and resources you didn’t even know you needed. You’ll still be able to access the original Commons CHNA data report and mapping tool via our partners at CARES Engagement Network and the recent reports and collections you may have seen from Broadstreet, and you’ll be able to access saved collections.

Over the coming months, Community Commons will keep innovating, listening to you, sharing your stories, and learning as we go. The Commons will remain a platform co-created by you. Great things are in store, including innovative partnerships, useful data frameworks, and new ways to discover data and resources. 

There will be space on the Commons for connection and community among those collaborating on complex work across sectors and geographies. Of course, we’ll stay true to our core: pointing you to tools from around the web to advance community improvement, and providing a technology infrastructure to foster shared learning and collaboration. Stay tuned! Because at the end of the day, it’s still all of us, together, for the common good.