Gathering and sharing that local knowledge is crucial to CIVIC’s efficacy. From civilian interviews to marked-up maps to policy briefs, the team produces hoards of intel. Bringing together this globally de-centralized team and all their expertise—in locations often with limited internet connections—has required that CIVIC adopt innovative tools.
“Dropbox helps the flow of our work because our documents are never produced entirely in one place by one person,” Borello says. “They’re always the product of collaboration between our field staff, headquarters, researchers, and partners.”
“It’s so important that we have a central place where we know a document has the latest information,” adds Jessica Ginther, Sr. Operations Manager. “These conflicts are changing on a daily, hourly basis, so it’s imperative that we can take action quickly even when we’re working across time zones.”
To Borello, CIVIC has no choice but to bring new perspectives into their work. “Innovation is essential to us because we are fighting such an old problem that seems to have no solution,” he says. “So we have to think outside of the box, both in our policies and recommendations, and in the ways our own team works together.”