software
Software Engineer
Chuck will be creating databases and preparing training modules.
Chuck is potentially the most talented software developer I’ve worked with. On technical merit he is at least the equal of Google and Cisco employes that I’ve worked with. He has accomplished more in his 6 months with us than many of his predecessors have accomplished in 2 years.
Outreach Coordinator
Aspiration’s mission is to connect nonprofit organizations with software solutions that help them better carry out their work.
CTC Vista job responsibilities include:
o Provide program support to the Social Source Commons program which maps the NPO/NGO software space and makes sense of the collective expertise related to that software.
o Interviewing Nonprofit Organization users about Case Management, Workforce Development, and Online Organizing tool usage and tool needs;
o Compile lists of Case Management, Workforce Development, and Online Organizing tools; improving nonprofits capacity for software selection;
o Research what Case Management, Workforce Development, and Online Organizing tools need to be developed, to increase nonprofits abilities to perform Case Management, Workforce Development, and Online Organizing functions.
o Write short-papers and reports to help nonprofits demystify Case Management, Workforce Development, and Online Organizing software.
o Provide support for Social Source Commons events
o Bring together software users, developers, intermediaries, and investors to articulate and focus their needs, spark relationships and collaboration, and share skills and knowledge in the nonprofit software realm.
o Help grow and strengthen the social and knowledge networks and conduct organizational outreach.
o Build Nonprofit and NGO collaboration in creating and developing capacity building tools among grassroots nonprofit communities.
We have a much more robust SSC community and processes, which will help us to continue growing the platform and making it more valuable to the nonprofit community. We hired Matt as a full-time contractor, and he will continue the work he has begun.
Matt helped set a community tone at the SF Nonprofit Technology Center, serving as a friendly team member and ambassador for the organization. Matt also helped establish our new ANSWR platform, working on platform development and content development. This project is an extension of our SSC project, and builds on the SSC work he did.
Automated Court Forms Development
Law offices nationwide use programs to create guided interviews that result in the creation of legal pleadings, letters, and other forms. Programs creating the interviews upload the forms to a server and formulate questions that correspond to blanks in the forms where entries such as names and addresses of plaintiffs and defendants, etc., would go. Because the forms use logic-based variables, and because most legal proceedings require filing numerous documents, the interviews save a great deal of time for attorneys, who can avoid entering the same information again and again. From the perspective of a low-income person proceeding on his/her own, the interviews help by restructuring the process of filling out forms into a way that makes sense. MLSC currently lacks someone primarily dedicated to developing and promoting automated court forms, even as the justice community’s interest in the forms is rapidly increasing. A CTC VISTA would fill that void.
In short, the responsibilities of the VISTA member will be to develop, promote, and evaluate the use of guided interviews based on legal forms, with continual assistance from the project supervisor.
The primary goal of the project was the creation of court form assembly interviews for low-income Minnesotans and volunteer attorneys who serve them. Ms. Kim was successful in meeting that goal, creating 16 interviews, some of which including sets of multiple forms. These interviews allow attorneys and clients to efficiently complete complex court forms, educating them about the process throughout, and avoiding duplicative effort in completing repeated fields. Low-income Minnesotans and volunteer attorneys now have an easier, more efficient way to complete dozens of critical court forms. Some of these interviews have been used hundreds of times. For clients, the structure of the interviews eliminates a great deal of the intimidation usually associated with form completion. The impact to low-income clients is immeasurable because of this. Other beneficiaries are pro bono attorneys, who can now more easily provide assistance in areas of law unfamiliar to their daily practice without a great learning curve, and courts, which should expect to see many more informed and prepared self-represented litigants.
Software Developer
The VISTA will work to develop NorthShorePort.org, an online database of resources to help those in poverty in the North Shore Port area.
GOALS:
add features
improve packaging
improve user friendliness
add infrastructure
An example of a new feature would be a report that lists the services that are not available in a given city.
We hope to have our software apt-get installable on Debian/Ubuntu Learning the Debian package system is a prerequisite for this goal
To achieve even better user friendliness, we do lots of usability testing. We watch people use our software, change things they are struggling with and re-test.
Infrastructure includes unit tests, integration tests, documentation, little utility scripts (like “clean”)
Outreach and Trainer
Daniel will build the capactiy of CTCs, community organizations and schools by training them in Pangea’s information systems, particularly our Abilities-4-Mentoring system. Daniel will also evaluate and recommend new ways to improve upon Pangea’s systems. Lastly, Daniel will schedule and host on-site training workshops and presentations.
Daniel and Sandra (the other VISTA member) helped Pangea reach over 700 affordable housing facilities. They provided 100% of the technical traning and support for this project. Additionally, with their direct interaction with our clients, they help us to design new features for using technology to serve low income residents. Sandra and Daniel also virtually lead all aspects of our training and technical support program.
Outreach and Trainer
Sandra will visit affordable housing facilities, CTCs, and nonprofits in the State and train them on Pangea’s software and technology systems. Sandra will also evaluate Pangea’s systems, recommend ways to improve the software and the training plans, and begin to develop training materials based on input from the field. Lastly, Sandra will schedule and host on-site training workshops and presentations.
Sandra and Daniel (the other VISTA member) helped Pangea reach over 700 affordable housing facilities. They provided 100% of the technical traning and support for this project. Additionally, with their direct interaction with our clients, they help us to design new features for using technology to serve low income residents. Sandra and Daniel also virtually lead all aspects of our training and technical support program.
Outreach Coordinator
Goal 1: Tracking the increased capacity of grassroots nonprofits to make informed decisions about software selection, resulting in better software to effectively do their work.
Goal 2: Build Nonprofit and NGO collaboration in creating and developing capacity building tools among grassroots nonprofit communities.
Goal 3: Bring together software users, developers, intermediaries, and investors to articulate and focus their needs, spark relationships and collaboration, and share skills and knowledge in the nonprofit software relm.
Over the past six months, Aspiration tracked the increased capacity of grassroots nonprofits to make informed decisions about their software selection through the Social Source Commons project. Our VISTA, Tim Wescott has spent the majority of his time ensuring that grassroots nonprofits know about what tools are available to them and how to find these tools within Social Source Commons.
In addition, Aspiration convened 3 events building nonprofit and NGO collaboration in creating tools that will benefit grassroots communities. These events brought together software users, developers, intermediaries, and investors. Tim participated and worked hands on with these constituents to encourage collaboration, skill and knowledge sharing in the nonprofit software realm.
Tim’s ongoing work is helping Aspiration achieve its mission of connecting nonprofits with software solutions that help them better carry out their work.
Software Development and Technical Training
AmeriCorps VISTA’s Corey Funderburk and Laura Hanley focused their work and efforts at Pangea Foundation on projects related to software development and technical training. Laura Hanley worked mainly with the training staff to develop online training materials for all of Pangea Foundation’s software applications.
During their year long term, Corey and Laura completed tasks and mini-projects related to 5 of Pangea Foundation’s web-based applications. One of which is the national launching of a mentoring system for organizations that serve youth with disabilities. This system has been used by our organization for several years, and has been recognized by other organizations as a model system that could help expand mentoring programs, and create a network of mentoring programs to better track results. Our VISTA’s designed prototypes for facilitating a national partnership with Partners for Youth with Disabilities, a Boston-based national mentoring organizations. This partnership has now been formalized, and the pilot for our national launch is beginning in April. Among other pilot participants, Disabled Sports USA will be a pilot organization, which is a non-profit with 90 chapters across the nation.
They also led 2 special projects focused financial counseling for families affected by the Katrina Disaster and Education accountability with the San Diego City School District.
Software Development and Technical Training
AmeriCorps VISTA’s Corey Funderburk and Laura Hanley focused their work and efforts at Pangea Foundation on projects related to software development and technical training. Corey Funderburk specifically worked with the development staff at Pangea on the front-end design for new features and client-based applications.
During their year long term, Corey and Laura completed tasks and mini-projects related to 5 of Pangea Foundation’s web-based applications. One of which is the national launching of a mentoring system for organizations that serve youth with disabilities. This system has been used by our organization for several years, and has been recognized by other organizations as a model system that could help expand mentoring programs, and create a network of mentoring programs to better track results. Our VISTA’s designed prototypes for facilitating a national partnership with Partners for Youth with Disabilities, a Boston-based national mentoring organizations. This partnership has now been formalized, and the pilot for our national launch is beginning in April. Among other pilot participants, Disabled Sports USA will be a pilot organization, which is a non-profit with 90 chapters across the nation.
They also led 2 special projects focused financial counseling for families affected by the Katrina Disaster and Education accountability with the San Diego City School District.
Article on eLearning Software
An article explaining eLearning possibilities by corps member Colin Pizarek and Idealware’s Senior Editor, Chris Bernard.
Link to Article: http://www.idealware.org/articles/considering-elearning-software