Your article made me realize that Aidmatrix is indeed using the concept of social networks to vastly enhance SCM in the non-profit sector. For example, there are tens of thousands of food banks in the US which are connected the Aidmatrix ‘network’ as recipients. At the same time, there are several corporate food suppliers (i.e. Kraft, General Mills, etc.) that are connected to the same network as suppliers. This allows food banks to post ‘needs’ as well as accept/decline donations. And suppliers can post donations and simply wait for a recipient to bite.

After reading your article, I am now seeing this Aidmatrix operation from a new perspective:
Each node in the network(supplier, administrator, or recipient) is comparable to a single individual trying to start a conversation with the right people about their needs. So essentially, Aidmatrix has created a social network in which communication is constrained by a limited lexicon including words like “offer”, “need”, “donate”, “want”, “thank you”, and “you’re welcome.”

Participants in this social network exchange information about excess supplies, needed goods, urgency, and transportation. And thus, it appears that social networks are already playing their part in SCM – at least in the non-profit world!

http://www.aidmatrix.org Feel free to email me if you want to learn more about what we do at Aidmatrix! cgupta731@gmail.com