Welcome to OpenFn Connect!

In this, our very first LinkedIn newsletter edition, we're excited to share more about who we are, what we believe in and to give you a glimpse into the awesome team that stewards the Open Function digital public good.?

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What does OpenFn do?

Ever heard of “data integration”, “workflow automation”, and “interoperability”? For some, it probably sounds quite complex. Simply put, we help NGOs and governments worldwide connect their technologies and automate important routine tasks, saving time and money while increasing the quality of service delivery.

Often, adding a new technology doesn't automatically make your organization faster, better, or stronger; it can lead to costly data integration challenges and time-consuming adoption issues. OpenFn not only solves these? integration problems head on, but also enables automation—an opportunity for your organization to do more with less.?

Our platform (the v2 is called ?Lightning) is a digital public good and is designed to empower organizations to manage and scale their work. From driving real-time reporting into national health-systems to delivering critical last-mile services to beneficiaries, our secure, stable, and scalable automation platform offers endless possibilities to improve both the efficiency and the effectiveness of critical interventions across sectors.

Digital Public Goods (DPGs) play a crucial role in the global social sector by providing open-access, scalable, and sustainable digital solutions that address critical social challenges. These goods, which can range from software applications to data standards, are essential for promoting innovation, collaboration, and efficiency in social impact projects. By leveraging DPGs, organizations and governments can improve service delivery, enhance data management, and accelerate progress towards achieving their social goals. Overall, DPGs are a cornerstone of digital transformation in the social sector, enabling greater access to essential tools and resources for creating positive social change worldwide.

Check out our latest video with our CEO and Founder , Taylor Downs,? for a quick overview to learn more about our work in the #tech4good space and how we're empowering? organizations to drive this social? change.

?? Our mission is to double the efficiency of the social sector in 10 years ??

While we have a specific contribution to make in the service of that mission (our team is really good at making a handful of hard problems related to integration and interoperability much easier to solve) we will not do this alone. We’re relying on so many brilliant partners and collaborators across the sector and we’ll continue to work closely with them all.? We relish each opportunity to come together as a community—the ICT4D Conference in Accra in May was a real thrill!

Elias W. BA and Ayodele Adeyemo spent time showcasing the power of the new OpenFn Lighting V2 platform and the response was overwhelmingly positive!

If you want to explore what the excitement is all about, reach out to book a 30 minute consultation to find out how we can help you solve data and system integration challenges in your environment!

Click here to book a consultation with our team at OpenFn. We can’t wait to meet you!?

The OpenFn Core Team

We're a group of software developers, data engineers, designers, and automation specialists. Scattered around the world, we are the stewards of the OpenFn DPG and what brings us together everyday is the shared belief that automation & interoperability can make "technology-for-good" so much better.

Just like our users, OpenFn's core contributors live all over the world. We get together as often as we can, but also take pride in our differences and think that distinct perspectives will, ultimately, help us build a better product.

In March this year we met for our annual retreat in Nairobi and the main topic of conversation was the launch of OpenFn ?Lightning, the second version of our workflow automation software.

Whilst we were there, we took the opportunity to connect with three amazing organizations that speak to the spirit of OpenFn.?

The first was AkiraChix, who are on a mission to provide the most promising young women in Africa, with technology skills to compete economically and bridge the gender gap in tech. At the heart of this NGO is the codeHive program: a one year, live-in coding bootcamp for young adult women. The students live and learn on the beautiful campus in the Nairobi district of Karen, learning about front-end web development, dev-ops, distributed systems, game development, and more.

Further east of Nairobi, we also spent time at the new Vijana Amani Pamoja community center. Through various programs, VAP tackles key societal challenges like education, health, and economic well-being. Their focus on nurturing youth is inspiring, equipping them with the tools and confidence to thrive. We also heard that they were busy with a bid for the Homeless World Cup and all of us at OpenFn will be rooting for them to be successful in this bid ??.

Finally, we met up with long-time OpenFn customer Lwala Community Alliance, a community-led innovator and non-profit operating in rural Kenya. Lwala was founded by a group of community members facing the dual crisis of HIV and maternal mortality, who organized to build their region’s first health clinic and then engaged research partners to measure its interventions. Today, Lwala is a leading community-first health model making dramatic improvements in maternal and child health across the country. They’re playing a major role in the Kenyan adoption of the eCHIS and beyond simply using OpenFn to drive efficiency and effectiveness across their organization, they provide our product team with key feedback on our feature roadmap, helping to identity and solve the biggest challenges faced by health-sector NGOs and government institutions undergoing digital transformation.

Keep following us on Open Function (OpenFn) for updated news and look out for our June edition that will give you a peek into some customer success stories, product updates and expert tips on how to maximize your workflow automation.?