How to Build a Local Service Directory for Your Community

A local service directory is one of the most valuable pieces of community infrastructure a charity or partnership can build. When done well, it enables professionals, volunteers, and individuals to find the right support quickly. When done poorly — or not maintained — it becomes a source of frustration and wasted effort.

TL;DR: Building a service directory requires four things: a clear scope, structured data from partner organisations, a platform that makes searching easy, and a sustainable maintenance plan. Most directories fail not because they are hard to build, but because they are hard to keep accurate. AI-powered tools like Plinth's AI Service Directory address this by automating updates and intelligent matching, but even the best technology needs a human maintenance process behind it.

What you'll learn: How to scope, build, populate, launch, and maintain a local service directory — with practical steps and common pitfalls to avoid.

Who this is for: Partnership managers, community development workers, social prescribing leads, CVS organisations, and anyone building community infrastructure.

Why Build a Service Directory?

Every community has services — charities, statutory agencies, social enterprises, community groups, informal networks. But knowing what exists, who it is for, and how to access it is surprisingly difficult.

For professionals: Social prescribing link workers, case workers, housing officers, and front-desk staff all need to connect people with services outside their own organisation. Without a directory, they rely on personal knowledge, word of mouth, and outdated leaflets. NHS England's evaluation of social prescribing reported that link workers spend an average of 20% of their time searching for appropriate services for clients — time that a good directory could dramatically reduce.

For individuals: People seeking support face a confusing landscape. A search for "help with debt" might return national helplines, local advice centres, online tools, and irrelevant results mixed together. A curated local directory surfaces the services that are actually available and accessible in the person's area.

For commissioners and planners: A well-maintained directory provides a real-time map of local provision. It reveals gaps in service coverage, areas of duplication, and patterns in demand — intelligence that is essential for commissioning decisions. Research by the LGA found that 62% of local authorities lacked a comprehensive, up-to-date directory of voluntary sector services in their area.

For the sector: A shared directory reduces the administrative burden on individual organisations. Instead of each charity maintaining its own list of local partners, a single shared directory serves everyone.

A directory is not a nice-to-have. It is community infrastructure.

Step 1: Define Your Scope

The most common mistake in directory building is trying to include everything. A directory that covers all services for all people across an entire county is impossible to maintain. Start focused and expand.

Geographic Scope

Start local: A single local authority area, borough, or town is manageable. Cross-boundary directories are valuable but significantly harder to maintain.

Consider travel patterns: People do not stay within administrative boundaries. Include services in neighbouring areas that your community regularly accesses.

Service Scope

Need-based categories: Define the categories your directory will cover. Common ones include housing, debt and money, mental health, physical health, employment, education, food, family support, social isolation, and substance misuse.

Inclusion criteria: Decide what types of organisations to include. Registered charities? Statutory services? Community interest companies? Informal groups? The broader the scope, the harder the maintenance.

Depth vs. breadth: A directory of 50 well-documented services is more useful than a directory of 500 with minimal information.

User Scope

Who will use it? Professionals referring clients, individuals searching for their own support, or both? This affects how the directory is structured and how information is presented.

Access model: Will the directory be public-facing, restricted to partner organisations, or both? A public directory helps individuals self-refer; a professional directory can include information not appropriate for public view (e.g. capacity status, referral notes).

Step 2: Define Your Data Standard

Consistent, structured data is what separates a useful directory from a disorganised list. Define exactly what information you need for each service listing.

Essential Fields

Recommended Additional Fields

Invest time in getting your data standard right before you start collecting data. Changing it later is painful.

Step 3: Collect the Data

This is the hardest part. Services do not fill in directory forms spontaneously — you need a proactive strategy.

Approach 1: Start with What Exists

Existing directories: Most areas have partial directories maintained by the local authority, CVS, or NHS. Start by consolidating these rather than starting from scratch. A mapping exercise by the National Association for Voluntary and Community Action (NAVCA) found that a typical local authority area had 3–5 overlapping partial service directories, none of which was complete.

Partner knowledge: Your partner organisations know who else operates locally. A facilitated mapping workshop where partners collectively identify services is one of the fastest ways to build a baseline directory.

Public information: Websites, social media, and Charity Commission data can fill gaps, though this information needs verification.

Approach 2: Outbound Data Collection

Direct outreach: Contact each organisation and ask them to complete your data template. Response rates for cold outreach are typically 20–30%; personal connections improve this significantly.

Incentives: Explain the value — being listed in the directory brings referrals. Services that understand this benefit are more likely to participate.

Events: Host directory launch events or service fairs where organisations can register in person. These also build the relationships that sustain the directory over time.

Approach 3: Platform-Enabled Collection

Self-registration: Use a platform that allows organisations to register and maintain their own listings. Plinth's Partner CRM supports this model, allowing partners to update their service information directly.

Verification: Self-registered listings should be verified before publication. A simple review step ensures quality without creating a bottleneck.

Ongoing updates: Automated reminders prompt organisations to review and update their listings regularly — quarterly is the recommended minimum.

Step 4: Choose Your Platform

The platform you use to host your directory affects its usability, maintainability, and longevity.

Options Compared

Recommendation: If your directory will have more than 30 services, serve more than one organisation, or need to integrate with referral pathways, use a purpose-built platform. Plinth's AI Service Directory combines intelligent search with referral management and partner CRM in a single system.

Step 5: Launch and Promote

A directory that nobody uses is a waste of effort. Plan your launch carefully.

Internal Launch

Train your staff: Ensure every front-line worker, link worker, and volunteer knows the directory exists and how to use it. Hands-on training with real scenarios is more effective than documentation.

Embed in workflows: Make the directory the default first step when staff need to find a service. If they can reach it from within their case management or referral system, adoption will be higher.

Champion network: Identify enthusiastic staff who can model good use of the directory and support colleagues.

Partner Launch

Notify all listed services: Every organisation in the directory should know they are listed and have an opportunity to verify their information. This also builds awareness that the directory exists.

Partner training: Show partners how to update their listings and how to receive referrals through the directory. Partners who see the value will promote the directory to their own networks.

Public Launch (if applicable)

Promotion channels: Share the directory through local authority websites, GP practice waiting rooms, community centres, libraries, and social media. Research by the Good Things Foundation found that 73% of people seeking local support started their search online — your directory needs to be findable there.

Accessibility: Ensure the directory is accessible on mobile devices, works with screen readers, and is available in community languages where possible.

Step 6: Maintain the Directory

This is where most directories fail. The initial build generates enthusiasm, but maintenance is unglamorous and easy to deprioritise.

The Maintenance Challenge

Directories decay rapidly. Services close, change their hours, move premises, adjust eligibility criteria, or pause intake. Without systematic maintenance, a directory becomes unreliable within 6–12 months. Data from directory maintenance projects suggests that approximately 15–20% of listings require updating in any given quarter.

Maintenance Strategies

Automated reminders: Send quarterly prompts to each organisation asking them to verify their listing. Platforms like Plinth automate this process.

Usage-based flagging: Track which listings are accessed and which are not. Unused listings may be irrelevant, inaccurate, or for services that have closed.

Community feedback: Allow users to flag inaccurate listings. A simple "report a problem" button generates valuable maintenance intelligence at no cost.

Annual audit: Once a year, systematically verify every listing. This is labour-intensive but essential. Pair it with a directory refresh event to maintain partner engagement.

AI-assisted maintenance: AI tools can cross-reference directory data with public information sources, flag potential inconsistencies, and suggest updates. This does not replace human verification but significantly reduces the manual effort.

Resourcing

Dedicated capacity: The single most important factor in directory sustainability is having someone whose job includes directory maintenance. A shared responsibility with no dedicated time is a recipe for neglect.

Budget: Factor in the platform subscription, staff time for maintenance (typically 0.25–0.5 FTE for a directory of 200+ services), and periodic engagement events.

Sustainability model: Directories are often funded by local authorities, NHS social prescribing budgets, or charitable grants. Demonstrating usage data and referral outcomes strengthens the case for continued funding.

A directory is a living resource. Budget for its care as you would for any other piece of community infrastructure.

Common Pitfalls

Building in isolation: A directory built by one organisation without input from partners is likely to be incomplete and poorly adopted. Involve partners from the start.

Prioritising quantity over quality: 50 well-documented services are more useful than 500 with minimal information. Resist the temptation to bulk-import data without verification.

No maintenance plan: If you cannot answer "who will keep this up to date and how?" before you launch, do not launch. A decaying directory is worse than no directory at all.

Ignoring the user experience: A directory that requires technical knowledge to search, returns too many results, or does not work on mobile will not be used. Test with real users before launch.

Not connecting to referrals: A directory that tells someone a service exists but does not help them access it is only half the job. Integrate your directory with referral pathways so that finding a service leads directly to a referral. Plinth connects its directory to its referral management workflow seamlessly.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many services should a directory include?

There is no fixed number, but 50–200 services is typical for a local authority area. Quality matters more than quantity. Focus on services that are actively operating, accepting referrals, and relevant to the needs of your community.

How long does it take to build a directory?

A basic directory can be launched in 4–6 weeks if you have an existing network of partners. A comprehensive directory with verified data, partner self-management, and AI features typically takes 8–12 weeks. The key variable is data collection — how quickly partner organisations provide their information.

Who should own the directory?

Ideally, a local infrastructure body (CVS, local authority, or health partnership) that has relationships across the voluntary and statutory sectors. Single-service charities can build directories but may struggle to maintain breadth and neutrality.

Should the directory be public or professional-only?

Both, ideally. A public-facing version helps individuals find support directly. A professional version for staff can include additional fields like capacity status, referral notes, and partner contact details. Plinth's AI Service Directory supports both use cases.

How do we handle services that close or change?

Automated verification reminders, user feedback mechanisms, and periodic audits catch most changes. When a service closes, mark the listing as inactive rather than deleting it — this preserves historical data and avoids broken links.

Can we include services from other areas?

Yes, especially for specialist services that people travel to access. Flag out-of-area services clearly so users understand the geography. Digital directories make cross-boundary discovery straightforward.

Recommended Next Pages

• How AI Service Directories Help People Find the Right Support – See how AI transforms directory search and matching.

• The Complete Guide to Referral Networks for Charities – Understand the networks your directory supports.

• Best Referral Management Software for Charities in 2026 – Compare platforms that include directory features.

• Referral Tracking Software vs Email: Why Charities Are Switching – Connect your directory to digital referral workflows.

Last updated: February 2026

For more information about building a service directory with Plinth, contact our team or schedule a demo.