OpenPlans Hires Director of Development

Beverly Blake to Facilitate Fund-Raising, Community-Building & Organizational Collaboration. End Quote

(1888PressRelease) July 22, 2010 - New York - OpenPlans today announced that Beverly Blake, seasoned fundraising executive, scientist and attorney, has been appointed to the position of Director of Development. Blake has spent the past ten years as a chief fundraising officer for successful non-profit institutions. She has guided both start-ups and several of New York's most respected community-based organizations.

While at The Doe Fund, the nation's most comprehensive paid-work program for homeless men and women, Blake was responsible for raising approximately $6 million in private funds. In addition to cultivating relationships with supportive individuals, she developed and managed all foundation and corporate relationships.

When asked about what drew her to OpenPlans, Blake commented: "I am particularly excited about applying open source software and principles to civic work: using technology to facilitate citizen participation and community building. The organization's use of technology to improve the way cities operate is unparalleled; and its media outlets are recognized for their immediate impact on public policy. OpenPlans offers a unique opportunity to help grow a social enterprise, where funds are continually reinvested for the public good."

As Development Director for the Astraea Foundation, an organization dedicated to funding human rights groups internationally, Blake managed the Communications and Development Departments, and in the process raised $2 million from foundations and individual supporters. Moreover, Blake had a heavy hand in creating a visibility campaign to augment the organization's goals and fundraising activities.

Director of Operations for OpenPlans, Vanessa Hamer, spoke of Beverly's enthusiasm and unique skills: "I am pleased to add such an accomplished and entrepreneurial leader to our team. Beverly's dedication to social responsibility and her expertise in fundraising and financial planning make her a strategic addition to OpenPlans. Her rich experience and her dynamism will serve us well."

About OpenPlans
OpenPlans helps cities work better. We use journalism and open source software to empower citizens, and to help good ideas spread. Our successes include Streetsblog, Streetfilms, GothamSchools, and OpenGeo.

In New York, our work has broken the policy gridlock and lit up the city grid with plazas, bike lanes, and better transit. The effects have rippled outward: the media tools we built to transform New York have caught on with people elsewhere and changed policies in dozens of cities.

Our open source software projects are used around the world to help governments manage and share data. We're bootstrapping the adoption of open source and creating an ecosystem of flexible, interoperable software for good government.

For more, visit http://openplans.org/

For further information, or interviews, please contact:

Steph Johnson/Tom Cowle
Aspectus PR for OpenPlans
(646) 274-1348/011 44 207 182 4081
steph.johnson ( @ ) aspectuspr dot com/Tom.cowle ( @ ) aspectuspr dot com

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