🌎 About Protect the Collective
A network for connecting the people already working toward stronger communities.
Protect the Collective began with a simple realization:
We don't always need another organization. Sometimes we need the people, knowledge, organizations, and resources we already have to find each other.
PTC helps make those connections.
🌱 Why This Started
I wanted to become more involved in improving my community, but I was also working, going to school, and living a normal busy life.
I knew I wasn't the first person who cared about these problems. There were already nonprofits, researchers, teachers, organizers, businesses, students, experts, and residents doing the work.
The challenge was figuring out:
Who is doing what? What already exists? Who needs help? What's missing? And where could I actually be useful?
That became the idea behind Protect the Collective.
Instead of trying to do everything ourselves, connect the people already doing the work.
— Bec Retherford, Founder & Community Collaborator
🤝 What PTC Does
PTC works as a connector, resource library, and shared community infrastructure.
🔎 FIND
Existing organizations, programs, research, resources, and successful ideas.
🤝 CONNECT
Bring together people who have needs, knowledge, resources, skills, or opportunities that belong in the same conversation.
🛠️ BUILD
Create something new when a useful gap genuinely exists.
🌎 SHARE
Document what works so another community can adapt it instead of starting from zero.
🧩 What Does That Actually Look Like?
A school wants a food garden.
An urban farm already knows how to build one.
A university has students looking for meaningful projects.
A business has materials it could donate.
A community organization understands the neighborhood.
PTC helps connect the pieces.
The same model can work across food, education, transportation, housing, environmental work, community resources, civic participation, and more.
🏢 For Organizations
You don't need another program. You may just need another connection.
PTC connects organizations with other organizations, communities, students, researchers, volunteers, experts, resources, and projects.
Your organization might have:
Knowledge • A successful program • Research • Volunteers • Space • Materials • Funding • Community connections • A problem you're trying to solve
You don't have to commit to a major partnership.
Tell us what you're already doing, what you need, or what you can share. We'll look for the connection.
🌱 For Community Collaborators
You don't need an organization, special title, or huge amount of free time to participate.
A Community Collaborator is simply someone willing to help make their community a little more connected.
That could mean:
Connecting two organizations
Finding a useful resource
Researching a community issue
Attending a local meeting
Helping an existing project
Introducing someone with expertise
Sharing something another community has already figured out
Bringing a successful idea to your own community
There are no required hours, projects, or leadership responsibilities.
Sometimes making the right connection is enough.
🌻 How You Can Use PTC
📚 Need something?
Explore community resources and educational information.
🌱 Want to do something?
Use our action guides and Community Collaborator tools.
🛠️ Want to see the work?
Explore the projects we're currently building.
🏢 Represent an organization?
Share what you do, what you need, or what you could contribute.
💡 Have an idea or connection?
Bring it to us.
💛 Our Mission
Make communities easier to participate in, resources easier to find, and successful ideas easier to share.
Protect the Collective isn't trying to own every solution.
We're building a network that helps communities find what already works, connect what is separated, build what is actually missing, and share what they learn with the next community.