Aidmatrix

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The Aidmatrix Foundation, Inc., (Aidmatrix) is a hi-tech nonprofit 501 (c) (3). It focuses on delivering technology solutions to create a supply chain of donors and other non-profits in a virtual exchange marketplace for humanitarian aid including: disaster relief, medical relief, and hunger relief. It is headquartered in Dallas, TX, and has offices in Germany and India. Its President and CEO is Gov. Scott McCallum , former governor of the State of Wisconsin. Aidmatrix mobilizes more than $1.5 billion in aid annually, working with more than 35,000 nonprofits, companies and government agencies worldwide.

The Aidmatrix Foundation, Inc. history starts with a group of i2 Technologies’ employees who set up the i2 Foundation after experiencing financial success during the 1990s dot com years. Jason Rushton, an i2 employee and former captain of military logistics automation, came up with the idea of using i2’s popular supply chain management technology for use in disaster relief and brought it to the i2 Foundation. While serving in Kosovo, he saw first hand how difficult it was for organizations to get the items they needed most in disaster situations. He saw potential in the web-based version of the software that the company was rolling out and, in October 2000, the i2 Foundation launched the Aidmatrix project to focus on this mission. The Aidmatrix project became a separate, self-sustaining entity called The Aidmatrix Foundation, Inc. in February 2004.

The Aidmatrix Foundation, Inc. uses the i2 software architecture as a base for the solutions it provides, but now completely develops its applications as web-based offerings. This allows the applications to be more accessible to non-profits who may not have the IT infrastructure to manage such an application on their own. It also allows for ready access in disaster scenarios with just a simple Internet connection.

Aidmatrix is supported by major grants from the Accenture Foundation, Meadows Foundation and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

[edit] Historical Significance: Advancements in Disaster Relief, Medical Relief & Hunger Relief

Disaster Relief: 2005 Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
When the Gulf region was first struck by Hurricane Katrina, Aidmatrix was on the ground in Louisiana within 24 hours working with its partners America’s Second Harvest, Adventist Community Services and other Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD). Facilities were secured for temporary warehouses, communications, and distribution to replace those that were rendered useless by the storms. Those warehouses were supplied and managed completely through the use of Aidmatrix’s solutions and the existing network they had established with for-profit manufacturers and donors. These efforts were critical to supplying and coordinating the national and local relief efforts. Aidmatrix had programs running in Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Alabama. As a result, these efforts have been labeled “What Went Right with Katrina Relief” when efforts at the national governmental level seemed to fail.

Aidmatrix and FEMA
In 2006, as a result of its successful track record, Aidmatrix secured a major cooperative agreement grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to build a national Internet-based network for humanitarian aid. Known as The Aidmatrix Network, the goal was to create a virtual exchange or marketplace that would connect the state and local governments with donors and nonprofits. It focuses on in-kind donations management, cash donations management, and volunteer management.

The challenge with humanitarian aid is that many well-meaning donors supply goods that do not always meet the needs of the nonprofits. Getting the “Right Aid to the Right People at the Right Time” is Aidmatrix’ mission. The system allows nonprofits to post their needs, coordinate logistics and shipping, manage inventory, and maximize use of the donations while minimizing waste.

Medical Relief: NAFC
Aidmatrix and its partnership with the National Association of Free Clinics (NAFC) have yielded a combination of processed orders and distributed donated products totaling $40 million of medical aid to member free clinics. With continued aid, these clinics will provide care to more than 46.6 million uninsured Americans. Aidmatrix provides access to reduced cost or free life-saving medical supplies from corporations with valuable products to donate.

Recently Aidmatrix collaborated with the NAFC to create the FreeClinicLink program to help improve the delivery of medical relief to the uninsured. FreeClinicLink is an online tool that allows clinics the ability to network together to combine purchasing power. Aidmatrix has strong relationships with a number of medical supply and pharmaceutical companies that donate or discount their products. This allows the clinics to view and order these goods 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Today over 300 clinics band together for everything from performing advocacy activities to receiving donated and discounted medical products through the National Association of Free Clinics

Hunger Relief: America’s Second Harvest
Aidmatrix is partnered with America's Second Harvest (A2H) – The Nation’s Food Bank Network, the nation's largest domestic hunger relief organization. A2H uses Aidmatrix solutions to distribution food through a Network of over 200 food banks and food-rescue organizations, resulting in supplying food to more than 25 million hungry Americans each year, nine million of which are children. Since 2001, Aidmatrix has been solution provider for all national donations. Aidmatrix’ solutions manage A2H’s national donors who donate products online for redistribution to food banks across the country.

In February of 2003, Aidmatrix and America's Second Harvest released DonorExpress, a solution that helps A2H's large national donor companies to donate items online, and member food banks to shop online from those donations. After just two months, more than $17 million pounds of food was donated through the system by companies including ConAgra, Tropicana, Kelloggs and Kraft. Today, more than 200 food banks across the United States receive donations through the system.

Additionally, food banks are heralded for being leaders in the nonprofit world for their use of sophisticated technology to manage their food donations. Food banks are able to accomplish this by leveraging systems from organizations such as Microsoft and The Aidmatrix Foundation to move over a billion pounds of food each year to people in need.

Citations:

Computerworld “Relief for Nonprofit Supply Chains: Aidmatrix technology helps charitable organizations better manage stocks of food, clothing and other supplies for people in need.” http://www.computerworld.com/softwaretopics/software/story/0,10801,105222,00.html

The Chronicle of Philanthropy “Software Helps Charities Track Product Inventories” http://philanthropy.com/free/articles/v18/i23/23003501.htm

Changemakers.net “Aidmatrix Opens a Network of Health Care Solutions: Improved Access for the Uninsured across America and across the globe” http://www.changemakers.net/en-us/node/1700

Wisbusiness.com “The Aidmatrix Foundation, Inc.: What Went Right about the Katrina Response?” http://www.wisbusiness.com/index.iml?Article=44237

Aidmatrix and NAFC winning the CSCMP Innovator of the Year Award: http://www.supplychainbrain.com/content/nc/industry-verticals/pharmaceuticalbio-tech/single-article-page/article/glscs-and-cscmp-present-the-supply-chain-innovators-of-2007/

A full case study on the FreeClinicLink program: http://www.supplychainbrain.com/content/nc/industry-verticals/pharmaceuticalbio-tech/single-article-page/article/aidmatrix-enables-free-clinics-to-serve-millions-of-uninsured-patients/

i2 Beyond Business “American Red Cross Enlists Aid from Aidmatrix” http://www.i2.com/assets/PDF/scl/issue2/SCL2_american_red_cross_enlists_aid_from_aidmatrix.pdf

[edit] External links

BBB Wise Giving Alliance -- The Aidmatrix Foundation meets the BBB Wise Giving Alliance's Standards for Charity Accountability http://www.give.org/seal.asp?ID=2749302007

The Aidmatrix Foundation, Inc. official website -- http://www.aidmatrix.org