Affordable SaaS Mapping Solution Minimizes Outreach Costs, Keeps Focus on Providing Medical Supplies

REDLANDS, Calif., Oct. 11, 2011 — (PRNewswire) — Nonprofit organization Direct Relief International is integrating Community Analyst into its business information system to help manage and grow its fund-raising efforts. Community Analyst, a Software as a Service (SaaS) mapping and data analysis solution, will allow staff at Direct Relief to look at profiles of existing donors at small scales of geography, such as census block groups, and identify where new donors might be located.

(Logo:   http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110425/LA88950LOGO)

"Efficient private fund-raising is a tough nut to crack," says Andrew Schroeder, director of research and analysis for Direct Relief. "By understanding our existing donors and finding better ways to locate more like them, we believe we can attract a more substantial and sustainable donor base. We'll be more able to think strategically about how to raise resources."

Direct Relief relies solely on private support, operating on $341 million brought in through cash and in-kind contributions last year. The nonprofit spends less than 0.5 percent of this total on fund-raising to reach that level each year. Sustaining this efficiency is important to Direct Relief. With Community Analyst, the organization has a cost-effective way to improve its target marketing and outreach campaigns in the United States, ensuring that less money is spent on fund-raising and more goes toward the vulnerable populations it serves.

Direct Relief annually provides medical supplies and pharmaceuticals to 72 countries, reaching populations that otherwise do not have access to them. These populations are either low-income and without health insurance or living in developing countries that lack the infrastructure necessary to provide basic health services.

Through the Esri Nonprofit Organization Program, nonprofits like Direct Relief can take advantage of the powerful capabilities of Community Analyst at 50 percent off the regular subscription fee. This program is designed to provide conservation and humanitarian nonprofit organizations with an affordable means of acquiring Esri software and services. Other types of nonprofit organizations may also qualify. Eligibility is based on formal tax-exempt status, as signified by a 501(c) designation and National Taxonomy of Exempt Entities (NTEE) category. Organizations can verify eligibility by applying for membership in the Esri Nonprofit Organization Program.

About Esri

Since 1969, Esri has been giving customers around the world the power to think and plan geographically. The market leader in GIS technology, Esri software is used in more than 300,000 organizations worldwide including each of the 200 largest cities in the United States, most national governments, more than two-thirds of Fortune 500 companies, and more than 7,000 colleges and universities. Esri applications, running on more than one million desktops and thousands of web and enterprise servers, provide the backbone for the world's mapping and spatial analysis. Esri is the only vendor that provides complete technical solutions for desktop, mobile, server, and Internet platforms. Visit us at esri.com/news.

Esri, the Esri globe logo, GIS by Esri, esri.com, and @esri.com are trademarks, registered trademarks, or service marks of Esri in the United States, the European Community, or certain other jurisdictions. Other companies and products mentioned herein may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective trademark owners.

SOURCE Esri

Contact:

Esri Direct Relief International Karen Richardson, Esri Phone: +1-909-793-2853, ext. 1-3491 Email Contact Web: http://www.esri.com