The term API is used so commonly today that it can be easy to forget that not everyone understands exactly what it refers to or why it has become such a ubiquitous feature in online tools and services.
Officially, API is an acronym that stands for “Application Programming Interface,” a breakthrough IT feature that allows sending data back and forth between different computer systems.
This “Two-way street” communication may sound appropriate for complex stock exchange systems or weather forecasting websites, but you might be surprised that it is widely used in the international development sector as well.
Why APIs matter in the development sector
APIs are the two-way fuel that powers innovation, collaboration, and new streams of revenue via partnerships and platform-based businesses. Organizations such as DevelopmentAid, the world leader in providing information services to those operating in the international aid sector, offer a wealth of different APIs for its members to use in their third-party apps and platforms to things such as publish open jobs, tenders, or grants.
DevelopmentAid has a number of APIs that let you automatically post job listings/receive job listings, post tenders/receive published tenders, and post grants/receive published grants. APIs can be integrated into your Customer Relationship Management systems (CRMs) so that all this information is exchanged faster.
If you’d like to know how DevelopmentAid’s APIs can help you deliver a more dynamic and engaging product for your customers or want to learn more about how your existing CRM systems can use APIs to automatically exchange data back and forth with DevelopmentAid, do not hesitate to reach out and contact us today.
