WHAT WE ARE DOING
CLOSING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE
Closing the Digital Divide by educating and training women-of-color to embark on well-paid careers in the IT Tech sector
SUPPORTING EXISTING NON-PROFITS
Supporting existing non-profits and social sector service providers in the adoption and use of emerging technology to help support their missions, grow their programs and reach more donors
ENABLING INDIVIDUALS
Enabling individuals who are currently in Tech to (easily and effectively) provide services and support for a variety of people and organizations who they might not normally be aware of and/or able to work with.
OUR STRATEGY
#1
Outreach to individuals in under-served, marginalized and underrepresented communities to get the word out about our training opportunities
#2
Provide stipends to the members of our class/cohorts so that they have an easier time carving out space to fully commit to their new career choice
#3
Subsidizing and off-setting costs of our IT application support services so that the nonprofit and social sector service organizations we work for can take receive reduced and/or free services while the engineers offering the service can continue to make a living wage.
Here’s How The Whole Thing Works:
- We recruit individuals who are underrepresented in tech AND volunteers, interns and/or contractors who are already working in IT tech fields and who are interested in the same goal – making strides toward closing the digital divide using technology (familiarization and optimization) as our gateway.
- Through our education program, WOC-Up, we create cohorts made up of individuals who have an aptitude and/or interest in pursuing tech careers but who lack formal training and (through classwork, hand-on experience and coaching) set them on a pathway toward obtaining financially sustainable and meaningful careers in technology. Each graduating cohort is supported in their subsequent job search through mentoring, referrals, and assistance crafting resumes, cover letters and follow-up e-mails. They are also invited to join the pool of IT Service professionals already supporting a growing group of sister organizations through our Elevate4s program.
- Our Services program, Elevate4s, is open to IT professionals who currently have the skills and desire to support existing non-profits and social support programs in their quest to fully utilize their tech environments to advance their missions, increase their reach, and grow their funding.
- Nonprofits and Social sector organizations engage with us with by purchasing a year-long, monthly package of services or buy purchasing “ad hoc” hours. Pricing for our strategic planning and application support is typically lower than “regular” contractor prices and organizations can apply for substantially reduced rates (even free) based on several qualifying attributes.
- We actively fundraise and rely on donations to make up the difference between the fees we charge and what we pay our contractors, most of whom have also agreed to work with us at a rate that is lower than what they typically charge.