Stop Guessing Where to Expand: Map It
We partnered with the Mr. Ballen Foundation a while back, and part of the audience they support are a lot of organizations that serve kids in crisis and experiencing trauma. Same kids we serve. Made sense. But then Rania had this smart idea: what if we mapped where all their partner organizations are and compared it to where we have chapters?
Boom. Instant expansion roadmap.
Here’s what we found: there are places where Mr. Ballen partners are serving kids and families, but there’s no Binky Patrol chapter nearby to give those same families blankets. Those gaps? That’s where we need to be. We’re not guessing anymore. We’re being strategic.
You can do this with any complementary organization.
Here’s a short episode that sparked this topic:
How this works for different missions:
Animal shelter? Map yourself against vet clinics, pet stores, groomers, other rescues. Look for neighborhoods with lots of pets but no nearby resources. That’s where you’re needed.
Food bank? Map your distribution sites against schools with free lunch programs, healthcare clinics, social service agencies. Find the food deserts where your potential partners already exist but you don’t.
Environmental organization? Map your projects against parks, nature centers, schools with environmental programs, outdoor retailers. Spot the underserved areas where infrastructure exists but programming doesn’t.
Literacy program? Map your tutoring sites against schools, libraries, community centers, bookstores. Find the literacy deserts where buildings exist but programs don’t.
Here’s how you actually do this:
Get a free Google My Maps account AS YOUR ORGANIZATION BRANDED EMAIL. It takes five minutes. Create a new map. Add custom pins (your own icon) for every location where you currently operate. Your headquarters, your chapters, your distribution sites, wherever you show up. Color-code them by type so you can tell what’s what at a glance. Add a little description to each pin with contact info and what happens there.
Now add pins for complementary organizations. Pick 3-5 types that make sense for your mission and create them custom with your logo/icon. Research where they are in your service area. Use different colored version pins for each type. Add their contact information. Note which ones you already have relationships with. Highlight the big, high-impact partners.
Then zoom out and look at the whole map. You’ll see it immediately. There are clusters where partners exist but you don’t. Circle those areas. Prioritize them by population, by demographic fit, by who actually needs your services. Consider logistics like distance and accessibility. Pick your top 5-10 expansion opportunities.
Now research the partners in those gap areas. Make a list of potential partners in each spot. Look up their mission and values. Find out who makes decisions and how to reach them. Check what community partnerships they already have. See if anyone’s already asking for services like yours. Gather their social media and website info.
Create outreach specifically for each partner. Don’t send generic emails. Explain the gap you both could fill together. Offer specific ways to collaborate. Share success stories from similar partnerships you’ve done. Propose an easy pilot program. Ask for a meeting or call.
Then prioritize your expansion based on readiness and your actual resources. Don’t try to expand everywhere at once. Pick a timeline that won’t kill you. Develop a starter kit for new locations. Recruit coordinators for new areas. Make sure your existing locations can support the newbies. Set actual measurable goals for each expansion. Update your map as you grow.
The beautiful thing about this approach is you’re not guessing. You’re not just hoping you’ll find volunteers in a new city. You’re going where organizations similar to yours already have relationships and infrastructure. You’re filling an actual gap. That makes fundraising easier, volunteer recruitment easier, partnership development easier. Everything’s easier when you’re strategic instead of random.
