If each of the following questions does not have a definitive answer, then starting an NPO might not be the best path to achieving your goal, and you may want to examine other possible outlets to further your cause:

Classroom computers

• Is there a specific goal with a way to fulfill that goal?
• Can the need be demonstrated to outside parties?
• Are there any existing groups, organizations, or businesses already addressing this issue or providing a similar service?
  • If so, are any within a serviceable range to provide assistance?
  • If not, can they provide any guidance?
  • Is there a community likely to support the goal?
    • If so, is there a current network connecting these people that can be leveraged?
    • Do you know individuals who believe as strongly as yourself in the project?
    • Are there any legal barriers that might inhibit the project?
    • Are you able to provide an intelligent analysis of the issue and its causes with long term prospects, and without assigning blame unless necessary?
    • Do you have the time to commit?  Lack of follow-through is the number one reason people are hesitant to commit.  Ideas are great, but without the ability to follow them up – the impact can be more devastating than beneficial.
    • Are the people being assisted (in whatever way) looking for that assistance, or is that assistance being forced upon them?
    • Is the initial $100 of funding that will be required to incorporate and purchase a web domain available?
    • Is there a way to provide this services or fill this need without incorporating into a NPO?
    • Are resources available to build both the organization and social network that will support it?
    • Which media outlets are appropriate for bringing the message to those most likely to support it? Sometimes this isn’t obvious (local papers – that have yet to go digital -  are great resources to reach older less connected demographics, while online news providers or even canvassing can have advantages depending on the end goal).
    • Are there any environmental effects, whether direct or indirect, of the intended process or goal?
    • Naming the organization.
    • Are you trying to profit?

Image by NASA Goddard Photo and Video via Flickr

I’ve recently been dedicating my time to the creation of a NPO (non-profit organization) – Reboot our Schools –  that will fill some of the technology gaps in our public schools, one school at a time.  As this has been a slow and time consuming process, I thought it worthwhile to keep a log, around the obstacles (& the successes) I encounter along my journey, in order that my education can serve as a blueprint for others looking to follow a similar path.

Let me first provide some background, to see how this project came about.  In volunteering in the San Francisco public schools, I became aware of the current state of technology in many schools.  Having spoken with teachers, administrators and other volunteers, I realized that there was a systemic problem in the school system regarding how technology was being allocated and supported.  Each school in which I volunteered suffered from lack of current technology, but the extent of inequality in this realm was baffling.

There is no consistency throughout the SF public schools as to how computers are used or allocated; some schools lack servers capable of providing the bandwidth required of a school, and most suffer a deficit in both number and capacity of actual computers.  Not all schools have a computer lab, and not all classrooms have computers.  Some schools have state of the art labs, kept up by the community and students, whereas others are lucky to have network access in classrooms, let alone computers current enough to play video.  All despite living in the Bay Area, right down the road from Silicon Valley the global center for technology innovation, where computers are frequently more than one to an employee.

Now before going any further, allow me to provide some additional background as to how technology in the schools is allocated, because while blaming the government may be tempting –or more specifically the school district – it is not their fault either.   Technology procurement was decentralized in San Francisco years ago.  The district is responsible for ensuring network access and machine maintenance for machines set-up by the district.  Unfortunately a network connection is of little utility if a school does not have the necessary equipment internally to access it.  Likewise, at no cost to a school, the district will provide OS and software licensing for programs in the district catalog.

Prior to the decentralization, all schools used basically equitable equipment regardless of location.   Therefore in order to address the current technology deficits in SF public schools, both individual schools and district technology administrators need to be actively involved to ensure the school has functioning technology; that this technology has sufficient network access; that regardless of the OS in place, support and licensing is available to schools needing computer maintenance.

With the knowledge that many companies require employees receive a new machine every couple years, and most machines if properly cared for will last as long as five years and still function at a reasonable speed, Reboot our Schools hopes to obtain donations from organizations and companies locally who are willing to have their machines re-imaged and distributed to schools unable to afford technology on their own.

By working directly with school and district administrators we hope to not only obtain and clean up machines no longer in use by their original owners, but also that any machine received obtains a district sanctioned operating system that will be supported throughout its lifetime in the school.  By eliminating some cost to schools looking to update their systems, we hope to assist in re-allocating existing technology budge toward ensuring that their internal network needs are up to par.

So this is where it all began.  Having identified a gap in our public schools I believed could be easily filled through corporate donations and volunteers – in a region where both are plentiful.  Additionally, having been in communication with both school & district administrators as well as concerned community members, & volunteers, I believe the perceived obstacles faced by all parties are surmountable when approached from an external perspective not bound to the bureaucracy of either administration, and with no financial stake.

This is the first post in a series that will follow the trials and tribulations of my journey following my decision to attempt to address this problem.  Following this initial introduction, my first post will examine those things worth considering before embarking on a major project, such as the establishment of an organization or NPO.   I will also address managing feedback & how to not be impacted by naysayers but still learn from the difficulties others have faced embarking on similar journeys, as well as the incorporation process required to receive state and eventually IRS approval for non-profit status.

I look forward to your feedback and suggestions as I build Reboot our Schools, and share my experiences on that journey.   For more information about my current project, please check out our website, where you can contact me directly either with questions at mike@rebootourschools.org.

Related articles

• Free Help for NPO’s (thenon-profittoolbox.com)
• Around the Web Aug 5 for NPO’s (thenon-profittoolbox.com)
• Things to Consider (rebootourschools.org)

Image by marymactavish via Flickr

With the continued budgetary crises facing cities across the country, one area to continually come under fire is public school funding.  Whenever money becomes tight, teachers’ salaries and school budgets in general seem to be where people feel comfortable making cuts.  Notwithstanding the central philosophical divide that exists over the importance of public education in the US, and whether it should be a priority for our tax dollars, what almost everyone can agree upon is that children are the ones to benefit or suffer from the consequences of these decisions.  More so, I hope everyone would agree that if it’s possible to enhance conditions in public schools – without additional cost to schools or taxpayers – then these avenues should be pursued wherever they exist.

Technology is one area where many public schools in San Francisco, and around the country likely, are deficient.  Recognize the difficultly in staying technologically current as an individual, and then imagine being a school attempting the same but impeded by government bureaucracy and serious budgetary constraints.  It is not uncommon for schools to be utilizing eMac 3 and early Pentiums in their classrooms and computer labs, for those schools lucky enough to have labs.  **For those of us not computer geeks, that equates to machines that are on average between 7 and 12 years old, or in laymen’s terms relatively useless dust collectors that are lucky to access the internet.  Anyone remember Netscape?

If you’re like me, you may experience a brief period of shock, followed by that creeping feeling of hopelessness I get when the ads for another presidential election begin.  “Awesome, I knew it was bad, but thanks for confirming the desperate state of public-school resources.”   Discouraging?  Yes, but futile, certainly not here in the San Francisco Bay Area – the cradle of technology evolution.

With so many corporations and businesses headquartered in the SF Bay Area, the volume of technology turn-over would be astounding to an outside observer. Many companies mandate employees receive a new computer every 2-3 years.  Either by necessity of replacement, or because the technology itself has become outdated and is inhibiting productivity, new machines in the business world are frequently a worthwhile investment.  Given this, should even some of the machines being replaced be donated to be refurbished and distributed to those classrooms most in need, the impact to the students is potentially significant.

In addition, provided established channels for accepting technology donations are available,  most donations are tax deductible for the current value of the machine (not its purchase value which as decreased significantly since being used). For machines being recycled, I would question whether they are truly ready for that, or could someone else get a few more years out of them – think green.

Reboot our Schools  is a recently incorporated non-profit in San Francisco that utilizes volunteers to collect, refurbish and distribute donated technology to those schools in San Francisco facing the worst technology deficits when compared with their peer schools.  Reboot our Schools works with school principals, PTA groups, the SF Education Fund, teachers, volunteers and donors to ensure that any donations are allocated to those schools most in need first, as we strive to lessen the divide seen within the same district.  You can visit their website rebootourschools.org to see what types of donations are accepted and how your company can get involved.

As an additional motivation for companies to contribute their used technology to a needy local school, involved employees can feel good about themselves and the business as a whole for being actively involved in the community.  Employees can be involved through contributing personal technology to the drive, or by cleaning-up/ wiping machines to be donated.  In turn creating a feeling of direct contribution while breaking up day to day routines, and providing an outlet for group bonding.  Finally, once kids have received new machines, marketing departments can leverage the entire experience to demonstrate the civic consciousness of the brand.  Win for the kids, and the corporate donors.

Having spent any time in public schools, what quickly becomes apparent –besides the lack of resources available – is the dedication of the teachers and administrators to the students.  In schools across the country, programs have been created to enhance the education and quality of life for the children.  One example is Rosa Parks Elementary in San Francisco where community volunteers have built gardens and are teaching students how to farm in urban areas, in turn educating kids about varieties of produce and healthy eating in the process.  To see what has been accomplished in this school is astounding. It is the dedication of these individuals to overcome whatever hurdles they may face in their desire to offer more to the children that has motivated me to found Reboot our Schools, and spend time refurbishing machines for public schools to use.

In conclusion, since public schools are unlikely to see increases in the budgets to purchase new technology in the near future, I would encourage anyone disposing of an older machine to locate an organization that can put your old machine to good use, before it too becomes obsolete.  If you work for a company, do a little digging to see what happens to those used machines, once replacements have been purchased.  And if you are located outside of San Francisco, check out the state of technology at your local school, or just ask your kids.  I’m sure they know.