The San Diego community exchange is a model of what a CIE can be, and it has sparked a spread of the concept. It coordinates and provides tools and mentorship for a national network of more than 30 other places building their own exchanges. San Diego 211 actually trademarked the term “Community Information Exchange” to head off vendors using the term in a misleading way, Christenson said; other similar efforts across the country use names like “community referral networks.”
