1. Opinion Editorial
Opinion Editorial
DRAFT Op-Ed
From: OneStar Foundation
Maximizing Texas’ Nonprofit Sector to More Effectively Serve the Community’s Needs
You are a foundation grant officer with $100,000 to give, and you want to ensure your grant is going to the
organization that needs it the most. You are a local government official that must allocate tax dollars to serve
local social needs, and you want to be certain those dollars have the greatest possible impact. You lead a
nonprofit that supports those in need, and you want to partner with another nonprofit so you can maximize
your impact. Or perhaps you have a limited budget, but want to make sure that your nonprofit donation is
used effectively and in an area of greatest need.
Am I describing you?
OneStar Foundation, an organization focused on building better nonprofits for a better Texas, has developed
the Texas Connector, a tool to help solve the challenges I described above and allow social service
organizations and those that contribute to them to have the greatest possible impact on the community.
It is a new technology aimed at linking community needs and nonprofit solutions across the state of Texas.
The Texas Connector addresses a challenge that the nonprofit community has recognized as a hurdle to
effectively serving Texas’ communities for years. In this tool, we have a platform to visually demonstrate areas
of need in Texas and the true scope of resources available to those areas, allowing nonprofits and funders to
more appropriately allocate resources. This online, interactive mapping tool displays information intended to
bridge the gap between areas served by nonprofits and the underserved communities of Texas. Think of it as
“Google Maps” for nonprofits. For example, a user can identify within a specific geographic area the exact
number and location of homeless shelters or food banks, and overlay that map with demographic information
about homeless or jobless rates. This “picture” can then provide policymakers with a tool for reallocating
resources to where the need is greatest; can help nonprofits identify where there services are most in need,
and can provide corporations or funders with a better focus for their resources, both human and capital.
In its initial version, the Texas Connector displays data from OneStar Foundation and Texas 2-1-1 databases
and overlays the information with demographic and socioeconomic data from a wide variety of sources such
as the Census Bureau. Users of the tool will be able to identify and address gaps in service, search specific
geographic areas and create customized statistical reports. This technology provides the most comprehensive
collection of data on the landscape of Texas needs and nonprofits in place to serve them.
The Texas Connector has many audiences and many uses, all with the common goal of equipping the
underserved areas of Texas. The Texas Connector will help grant-makers, government leaders, researchers
and the nonprofit community by providing a cohesive means of visualizing the needs of Texas.
According to a joint study by OneStar Foundation and Johns Hopkins University, the nonprofit sector is one of
the largest, most impactful business sectors in Texas. We sometimes forget, though, that social service

2. Opinion Editorial
organizations and nonprofits are, in fact, businesses. To have the greatest impact, they must use resources
efficiently and effectively.
We are excited to be able to offer the Texas Connector to those groups and individuals committed to serving
our state. For more information on the Texas Connector, go to
www.onestarfoundation.org/page/connector.