Resource Mapping: Uncovering Your Hidden Assets
Hi beautiful people! The Well Resourced Creative is back in action and I’m so grateful and excited to share more resources and musings with you all to support your financial wellness and holistic business visions! Today we’re getting into something very special for social impact businesses.
As social impact organizations, our passion for creating positive change is the heartbeat of the work we. But passion alone isn’t enough to scale our impact—we need a strategic approach to growing our business, maximize our resources, and amplifying our reach. When we are a small (but mighty) group building intentionally yet nimbly it is often easy to overlook what is right in front of you. It’s easy to start to think that in order to scale to the place we want to be, we need to start of with a bunch of things we don’t have and focus first on getting funding from outside sources. Although that is one way of doing things, it’s not always the most optimal for many.
We are going to discuss how we can grow our impact by using resourceful and regenerative means. This is where tools like resource mapping and collaboration come in. These powerful strategies can help us to leverage what we already have, fill in the gaps, and create partnerships that propel multiple missions forward. Let’s dive in!
What Is Resource Mapping?
Newer social impact organizations often face big challenges: limited budgets, team members wearing so many hats, and the pressure to deliver meaningful results. The good news? Tapping into your existing resources and building strategic alliances is key and it is accessible!
Resource mapping is a tool that helps you identify and leverage your organization’s assets. Many organizations focus on their limitations, but resource mapping shifts the perspective to your strengths. It reveals opportunities you might have overlooked and helps you work smarter, not harder.
No matter what stage of the game you’re in, you have assets, that you can use more resourcefully. These assets include your skills, your community networks, physical resources (such as spaces where you can hold workshops), and financial backing. It’s like taking inventory—not just of what you lack, but of what you already have that can be used more effectively
Let’s Talk Process
This is the step by step process to take when doing resource mapping for your organization.
1. Define the Purpose and Scope
Before you start, clarify what you hope to achieve with the resource mapping exercise. Are you looking to identify resources for a specific project or initiative? Or are you trying to assess the organization’s overall capacity? Knowing your goals will help you determine what types of resources to focus on and how detailed the mapping should be.
Key Questions to Ask:
What are the specific goals of the organization or initiative?
What kinds of resources are necessary to achieve these goals?
Who are the stakeholders involved in the resource mapping process?
Action Step: Clarify the purpose of the mapping process, such as identifying funding opportunities, locating key partners, or assessing internal capabilities.
2. Identify the Resources
The next step is to identify all available resources. Resources can be categorized into several types:
Human Resources: Skills, expertise, and networks of staff, volunteers, advisors, and partners.
Financial Resources: Cash, grants, donations, funding opportunities, and in-kind contributions.
Physical Resources: Office/ community spaces, technology, equipment, supplies, inventory, or physical infrastructure.
Social Resources: Partnerships, collaborations, community relationships, and networks.
Intellectual Resources: Knowledge, research, intellectual property, and methodologies.
In this phase, it’s crucial to involve relevant team members and stakeholders who may have insights into available resources that may not be immediately obvious.
Action Step: Create a comprehensive list of resources in each category. Don’t forget to include both tangible and intangible resources.
3. Map the Resources
Resource mapping isn’t just about listing resources—it’s about understanding how they interconnect and flow within your organization. Visualizing the relationships between resources allows you to understand how one resource might impact another.
Once you’ve identified the resources, the next step is to map them out. This can be done visually through diagrams, charts, or spreadsheets. The goal is to see at a glance what resources are available.
Mapping Tools You Can Use:
Airtable or Excel/Google Sheets: A simple way to create a detailed resource list with categories and descriptions.
Mind Maps: A visual tool that organizes ideas and information around a central topic, using branches and keywords to show relationships and connections. You can either draw this out or use digital software like XMind which can help visually connect resources in a more intuitive way.
During this stage, it’s important to categorize resources by type, availability (one-time or ongoing), and relevance to specific projects or goals.
Action Step: Use tools like Kumu, Miro, or Airtable to create a visual map that shows how your resources are linked. For example, map out key partnerships or identify how funding flows through your organization.
4. Analyze, Prioritize and Assess Resources & Gaps
Not all resources are equally critical for every project or goal. Prioritize resources based on the needs of your organization and the impact you want to achieve.
Key Prioritization Criteria:
Urgency: What resources do you need to accomplish your short-term goals?
Impact: Which resources will have the biggest impact on achieving your mission?
Availability: Which resources are readily accessible versus those that need to be acquired?
Once the resources are mapped, analyze the information to identify any gaps or underutilized assets. Ask yourself questions like:
Are there resources that are lacking but critical for your success?
Which resources are being underutilized?
Are there redundant or surplus resources that can be reallocated or shared?
This step will help you understand if your resources are being effectively deployed and if you need to seek additional resources or make better use of what you already have.
Action Step: Analyze your resource map to identify areas for improvement. For example, if you have limited financial resources, you might look for new fundraising opportunities or partnerships.
5. Develop a Plan for Strengthening Resource Mobilization
Now that you know what resources are available and where the gaps are, you can develop a plan to strengthen resource mobilization. This may include:
Finding new funding sources or building stronger donor relationships.
Recruiting additional volunteers or expanding your staff capacity.
Establishing new partnerships or enhancing existing ones.
Action Step: Create a strategy to address resource gaps, focusing on strengthening the areas that are crucial for achieving your organization’s objectives.
6. Implement Resource Allocation & Update/Review Map Regularly
Finally, based on your resource map and assessment, allocate resources effectively to different areas of your organization or initiative. This includes deciding how to use existing resources and how to integrate newly acquired ones. Ensure that your resource allocation is aligned with your organization’s priorities and mission.
Considerations for Resource Allocation:
Make sure resources are aligned with your highest-priority activities.
Keep track of resource usage to avoid waste or mismanagement.
Be flexible—your needs may change, and your resource map should be revisited regularly.
Resource mapping is not a one-time task. It should be reviewed and updated regularly, particularly as your organization grows, new projects are initiated, or as your external environment shifts.
Action step: Regularly review and adjust your resource allocation to ensure alignment with organizational priorities, tracking usage to prevent waste, and update the resource map every 3-6 months or after major changes in projects or external factors.
Example Strategies to Acquire Missing Resources
Here are some free or low cost example strategies that you can use once you identify the gaps you have in resources and some concepts to help you source them. These strategies are examples and may not relate to your specific business but they should help you generate relevant ideas.
Be the marketing for community spaces that are looking to expand
You get a free space to do your in person workshop or class, and the community center gets more foot traffic/awareness which can be converted into more clientele for the space.
Knowledge/Skills share exchange
You exchange something your skilled at with someone who has skills, services or knowledge you need. I’m doing this right now to help grow CPN. I have a grant writer who is starting her non profit. She’s helping me apply for grants while I’m helping her with business development for her non profit.
Need more visibility for your business?
Reach out to people who have podcasts or do workshops that have your target audience and offer to share your expertise on their larger platform where you can then share your offerings.
Co-write a Substack post
Since we’re on Substack it’s only right I talk about how expansive of a tool this is for community building and marketing. 90% of you reading this post came from this platform so it’s very effective. Co-authoring a post with another aligned Substack creator not allow introduces both of you to more people, it also gives you more content to market and builds a foundation for potential continued collaboration.
By collaborating with like-minded organizations, businesses, and community leaders, social impact orgs can leverage complementary strengths and resources. These partnerships allow for pooling of knowledge, sharing of networks, and co-creating solutions that are greater than what any single entity could achieve alone. Reciprocal relationships foster mutual trust and accountability, ensuring that both parties benefit and contribute meaningfully to the partnership. These collaborations enable our businesses to expand reach, access new resources, and amplify our collective influence, ultimately accelerating positive change in the communities we serve. Never sleep on the power of aligned and regenerative partnerships!
Until the next time, happy growing ⛲️🌱
Much Love & Gratitude
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