TECHNOLOGY FOR FAMILIES IN NEED
This organization has already been registered
Someone in your organization has already registered and setup an account. would you like to join their team?Profile owner : c*******s@t******n.o*g
Mission Statement
TechF.I.N seeks to address an alarming trend in America. Millions of low income families lack access to a computer in the home. This lack of access contributes to a growing digital divide where completing schoolwork or college and job applications becomes increasingly difficult. Despite this gap U.S. companies dispose of millions of functional computers every year as they upgrade to the newest machines. In a solution that is both sustainable and beneficial, TechF.I.N refurbishes these computers diverts them from landfills to living rooms.
About This Cause
“Narrowing the digital divide, one recycled computer at a time”. Executive Summary: TechF.I.N aspires to provide fully functional, pre-owned PCs to families in need, free of charge to the family, at a cost to TechF.I.N of under $150/computer. These corporately donated computers, are cleaned, tested, and loaded with the appropriate software. TechFIN then partners with community based organizations to distribute the computers to nominated low income families. The Computer The TechF.I.N computer will be loaded with enough software to allow a child to complete his or her school work up to a high school level, enable a parent to initiate a job search and/or take on-line classes, and enable a curious mind to tap the World Wide Web for its limitless information. The TechF.I.N provided computer will have the following software: • Windows 7 w/Internet Explorer – operating system and web browsing • Microsoft Office – word processing, spreadsheet and presentation • AVG – antivirus and firewall • Adobe Acrobat Reader – pdf file reader • Mint – personal finances organization All of the above software is free from the publisher with the exception of Windows 7 with Internet Explorer. TechF.I.N was able to secure a Citizenship License with Microsoft, enabling it to provide the operating system at a cost of $9 per computer. Microsoft reserves the right to audit TechF.I.N to ensure that the computers provided are indeed in full working order. Distribution TechF.I.N has identified a number of non-profit organizations that work closely with low income families. These organizations are well equipped to identify which families are in need and which families will likely make the best use of a computer in the home. As such, it is incumbent upon us to continue to identify these organizations and foster relationships with them. We will stipulate that the nominated recipient families do not already own a working computer in the home, have at least one child under the age of 18 in the household that regularly attends school, and qualifies as a low income household. From there, we are dependent upon the judgment of our partner organizations to nominate only families most likely to put a computer in the home to good use. As our resources, warehouse/office space, and pipeline of donated computers grow, so will the list of partner organizations. Currently we have relationships with: • Hispanic Star • Kingsbridge Community Center • GoodCall • NAACP Sourcing It is incumbent upon the board to foster relationships with the numerous companies who dispose of functional computers per their upgrade cycle. Our Director of External Relations spearheads the effort. We are specifically targeting corporations that buy high end laptops and PCs for their employees’ use, upgrade these laptops and PCs every four years or less, and currently have no recycling or donation plan in place for their used workstations. As our resources, warehouse/office space, and recipient list grows, so will the list of donors. Currently we have relationships with: • Bessemer Trust • Paramount • Lenox Advisors • Epoch Investment Partners Costs Software Windows 7 with Internet Explorer: $9/computer. Microsoft Office: $9/computer. AVG antivirus: $0/computer. Adobe Acrobat: $0/computer. Mint: $0. Total cost: $18/computer Labor: Currently, we leverage a volunteer work force that works under the supervision of our Director of IT & Operations, Antoine Simons. We also hire Help Desk Level 2 Technicians with at least two years of experience to repurpose, clean and package the computers for pick-up or delivery. We estimate it will take the technician about 480 hours to complete 500 computers. The market wage for this level of IT professional is about $20/hour. Shipping Varies: Laptop vs desktop, pick up versus bulk dropoff. Clean Cut Movers is our pickup and delivery partner. Background: TechF.I.N. Inc. seeks to address an alarming trend in America. Millions of low-income families lack access to a computer in the home. This contributes to a growing digital divide where completing schoolwork or college and job applications becomes increasingly difficult Computer literacy and employment have an obvious connection. Computer skills help to reduce unemployment by helping people to both find and qualify for higher-paying jobs. As a result, closing the gap between rich and poor is tied inextricably to closing the gap between those who have computer skills and those who do not. A study of 174 low-achieving middle school students in New York City found that home computer and internet use for self-regulated learning explained 14% of the increase in math test scores over one year. Approximately 9 out of 10 high school students who have access to a home computer use that computer to complete school assignments. A comparison of school enrollment rates reveals that 95.2 percent of children who have home computers are enrolled in school. College admissions are becoming increasingly all online and it presents challenges for students without access to a computer in the home. A discussion paper from the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System found that home computer ownership among teenagers increased the likelihood of high school graduation by up to 8 percentage points. While the number of computers available to students in public schools has increased in recent years, a recent study noted that students actually benefit the most from home computer use. Not only do more than 90 percent of students with computers at home use them to complete school assignments, using a computer at home presents opportunities for “unpressured use,” allowing young people to increase their computer skills, research their own areas of interest, and engage in creative endeavors without time constraints. Some lower-income students do have access to smartphones, but these devices do not serve as a substitute for a home computer. As Education Week points out, “While many high school students have smartphones, lower-income students who lack home access to high-speed Internet and computers struggle with the college admissions process and also in doing their homework, such as research for papers.” Unfortunately, the cost of laptops and desktops continue to represent an insurmountable barrier to ownership for lower income households. Over 34% of households with an annual income of $50,000 yearly (or less) do not have a computer in the home. The issue is more pronounced in New York City where 23.8% of all households do not have a computer in the home compared to 20.5% for the United States. Within NYC, the Bronx demonstrates the highest rate of households without a computer at 37%. The data also suggests that minority groups, specifically Black (41%) and Hispanic (29%), experience higher rates of homes without computers. Corporate PCs and laptops tend to be higher end machines than the average machine a consumer would purchase for home use, and as a result have longer life spans. Companies in the finance sector replace their computers every three years. Companies in more graphics intensive industries such as engineering, architecture and graphics design, replace their computers every two years. Other industries are likely on a four year replacement cycle. Based on the handful of data points we have been able to collect to date, it seems the majority of these still working machines are disposed of in favor of newer machines with higher micro processing speeds. According to market intelligence firm IDC (International Data Corporation: www.idc.com), U.S. corporations purchase over 35 million laptops and PCs every year. This is largely a replacement market, and thus, one can reasonably infer that corporations rid themselves of at least 30 million laptops and PCs every year. Too many of these still working machines are simply disposed of.