marketing
CTC Program Building and Outreach
Organization:
Westside Youth Technical Entrepreneur Center VISTA Name:
Shaneka Smith
Program Start:
8/2005
Program End:
8/2007
Project Description:
The focal point of Shaneka’s work over the last year has been developing our computer literacy programs that serve community residents, and helping develop our youth programs that seek to document youth experiences and develop valuable skills by teaching video development and editing.
Project Outcome:
Shaneka served as the lead in hosting several major youth centered events, including the Intel regional teen summit and the college tour. Recently Shaneka has worked in areas of project and grant development and assisted in managing several major programs and helping with the outreach and marketing of our programs.
In her Second service year Shaneka continues to work closely with the teenage youth and is currently hosting a Girls program for teens ages 13 to 18. The youth are currently involved in forming their own T-shirt corporation from the ground up. Shaneka has helped the youth write business plans, design images for print, and worked towards building an entrepreneurial mindset in the youth. Shaneka continues to develop technology related programs that have youth learning Photo Manipulation using Adobe Photoshop, Animation using Macromedia Flash, Video Production using Sony Vegas and other programs that engage the youth.
CTC Youth Digital Media Workshop Building
Organization:
Computers4Kids VISTA Name:
Ray Varona
Program Start:
6/2006
Program End:
6/2007
Project Description:
Ray was responsible for managing our computer refurbishing lab, including creating a training program for refurbishing volunteers, researching an inventory system, developing and leading technology workshops for our students. While his work in the refurb lab was very valuable, his most significant accomplishment, and the one that was the biggest benefit to our organization, was the workshops he developed for our technology center.
Project Outcome:
Ray spent the year coming up with ideas for the workshops, creating the materials necessary to lead the workshops, and organizing the instructors of the workshops. Workshop topics included digital storytelling, silent movie-making, audio dubbing, and 3D imaging. Ray learned how create (and advertise) workshops that are appealing to teens and eventually had regular attendance at them. Students in our program earn a free computer system to take home. Our policy states that if they attend 5 workshops, they’ll earn enough extra credit to earn a year of free internet access at home. While nearly all of our students earn the home computer, many students weren’t able to take advantage of the free internet since they weren’t getting the opportunity to attend workshops. With Ray’s help, a great number of students were able to attend the workshops that are required in order to earn home internet. While having a home computer is valuable to our students, without internet they remain at a disadvantage when it comes to completing homework and projects for school.
Now that Ray’s term has ended we are happy to have a whole library of workshop ideas and materials at the ready. Because everything has already been developed, it is much easier for us to recruit volunteers to lead our workshops, since it no longer requires a significant time commitment on their part. We are pleased that we were able to, and will be able to continue to, offer so many workshops to our students and that they may earn internet access at home.
Marketing and Outreach
Organization:
United Teen Equality Center (UTEC) VISTA Name:
Aaron Chalek
Program Start:
1/2007
Program End:
1/2008
Project Description:
Aaron has worked on a variety of fundraising, PR, and development projects. His main projects include: setting up a database to better organize our individual donor stewardship and cultivation campaign, working with corporate sponsors to secure technology equipment for UTEC’s new youth center, and instituting a new giving program for local corporations.
Project Outcome:
Aaron has done a significant amount of work with these projects, securing donations of large scale pieces of equipment for UTEC as well as really streamlining the research, cataloging, and time line of our donor campaigns using online research tools and creating a database. He has also done some PR work designing materials for our corporate giving campaign. Additional projects include writing two grants and securing funding for our sports and recreation program. And updating and refining our donor mailing list which we use to send out newsletters, annual appeals, and other updates. He also worked to coordinate and publicize one fundraising event: an organ concert which drew over 60 people to the center, raised $500 and generated an enormous amount of local publicity for UTEC. We’ve had some challenges in focusing these projects in a way that priorities are clear so that deadlines will be met, as there is such a large number of projects to be covered in terms of the fund raising needs of the youth center. Aaron has done a great job of learning more organizational methods, and is putting them into practice in new ways that are really helping his work.
Impact Quote:
Aaron’s behind-the-scenes service to UTEC and the Lowell community has impacted young people’s lives and their access to resources, particularly technology in so many ways. Recently, Aaron contacted our donors and worked through their networks to secure donations and discounts of computer hardware. His work secured a deep discount of new model PCs and these will be purchased in the next few months. His hard work has ensured new technology for free teen use in our tech center. These young people typically do not have computers or internet access at home, so the addition of newer, faster computers to the tech center will ensure many more young people get access to the Internet each day for help with research, homework, job seeking and communication.
4People Database Building
VISTA Name:
Misty Kesler
Program Start:
9/2005
Program End:
9/2007
Project Description:
Misty’s primary responsibilities were maintaining and expanding the 4People database, which provides information and directories about available social services available within Washington State.
Project Outcome:
Misty was instrumental in developing community resources for every county in Washington State from the grassroots up. She has been instrumental in designing the website in order to better organize resources and make them available to our states residents. Misty single handedly developed the quick, one click away to community resources for each county. By July over 43,000 views of needed services were logged on the website, making it the number one resource listings provided to help people. Misty was also very helpful in marketing the website and making sure individuals were aware of the database. She helped design informational brochures and distributed them to state organizations to give out. Lastly Misty was very successful in collecting and distributing valuable resources, of note was a dozen laptops which she not only acquired, but setup up for our programs, increasing the number of people we can help.
'DigitalBicycle' Online Communities Developer
Organization:
Lowell Telecommunications Corporation VISTA Name:
Peter Bull
Program Start:
9/2004
Program End:
9/2005
Project Description:
Peter Bull began his term of service at LTC in September 2004, and served for one year as LTC’s Online Communities Developer. In this role he led the development of the DigitalBicycle, a collaborative project sponsored by LTC and other partners including the CTC VISTA project.
Project Outcome:
Peter oversaw and directly implemented numerous aspects of the “DigitalBicycle” project, primarily focusing on developing a Drupal-based centralized web community that leverages the power of the distributed network but provides for efficient and usable group collaboration. This included planning the framework and workflow of the site, the setup and administration of the server, development and implementation of the code that powers the system, and preparation for the future expansion of the project as it moves from a beta project to having a working user base. In addition to developing the core web system, Peter worked with outside volunteers to develop the specification for a desktop publishing application called “Sprocket” and managed its development by outside programmers. Furthermore, Peter has spec’d out and begun development on a Linux-based client-side system, “KickStand”, which handles the automatic seeding and downloading of specified material and is designed to be used by participating organizations.
Impact Quote:
The fact of the matter is that the CTC VISTA program is directly responsible for where we are today with this project, ready to build capacity for organizations around the country. To get to this point we needed the full-time attention of a highly skilled programmer interested in working in a community-service setting. Not only would we have not been able to recruit someone at this level for this position without the CTC VISTA program, but in our current, pre-income generating phase we never would have been able to hire them. I have long felt that one of the primary strengths of the CTC VISTA program is how it empowers both the organization and the individual volunteer. The individual gains the opportunity to engage full-time on a project that is primed for growth but for which they might never be hired in a normal full-time capacity. The organization gains the opportunity to devote energies that might not otherwise be budgetable and if successful, build its own capacity to a point that it is able to hire an individual to continue the work started under the VISTA project. We are happy to report that this is exactly what happened at LTC.
Though we had high expectations when we were developing our work plan last year and recruiting a VISTA to accomplish it, Peter exceeded our expectations in every regard. While some of this was due to his accomplished background and well-developed skill set, it is mainly due to the fact that Peter worked extraordinarily hard and was as committed to this project as anyone could possibly be. Peter took the idea of 24-hour service quite seriously, working long hours at LTC and often late nights at home. Though frequently traveling on behalf of LTC he has established systems allowing him to continue development anywhere with a network connection. Beyond that, he’s been known to write code by hand on a legal pad when other options are not available. Peter has proven himself as an excellent VISTA and we anticipate that he will do the same as a VISTA supervisor this next year. We are extremely appreciative of Peter’s hard work and of the CTC VISTA project for providing us with the opportunity to grow our capacity so greatly in the past year. The CTC VISTA project is truly our most valuable partner in the DigitalBicycle collaboration and we will work to recognize it as such online and in person.
Outreach and Video Editor & Youth Media Coordinator
Organization:
Boston Neighborhood Network VISTA Name:
Alli Shaughnessy
Program Start:
9/2004
Program End:
9/2006
Project Description:
Alli, working as a VISTA volunteer, has filled a huge void for BNN by assisting in promotions and outreach to the community. Through her first six months at BNN she has assisted not only the organization, but BNN producers in getting their message out.
In Alli’s second year at BNN she held the position of Youth Media Coordinator. Her duties included organizing a teen media club and producing a monthly program with the teens in the club.
Project Outcome:
She is currently helping to organize, write, and format BNN’s quarterly newsletter, our most important piece of literature sent to our members. The newsletter introduces new equipment in our facilities, editing and production tips, and production class schedules. BNN has been unable to produce a newsletter since last winter, due to lack of staff and time, so Alli’s assistance in this is especially crucial. Once the newsletter is completed it will be mailed to approximately 500 members and BNN typically receives a positive response from a large number of recipients.
Another example of Alli’s reach to the community is BNN’s Neighborhood Network News Program Highlights which Alli has been in charge of for the past six months. The Program Highlights require Alli to be in close contact to all of our producers and to contact various shows on a weekly basis. The Highlights also require her to send out a bulk mailing each month encouraging producers to contact her and let her know about their show, so that BNN can assist them in reaching as many people in the community as possible.
Not only is Alli reaching out to community members, but during the next six months a lot of her attention will go to reaching out to community organizations. BNN provides non-profit organizations in the Greater Boston area a chance to produce a PSA highlighting their organization’s cause. Alli will be responsible for the production and editing of these PSA’s, and she will assist BNN’s Education/Outreach department in contacting the organizations through phone calls, mailings and most importantly a “Get Your Message Out” seminar.
Over the last six months Alli has been a vital part in increasing BNN’s reach to the Boston community. She has kept daily communication with many of our producers and the productions that she has assisted on have gotten her out into the community and aided BNN in delivering community messages.
Marketing and Outreach
Organization:
RTPNet VISTA Name:
Damita Chambers
Program Start:
9/2004
Program End:
9/2005
Project Description:
My main objective has been to promote RTPnet and Triangle United Way’s activities to the public and potential supporters. In the first six months of service, I tried to promote and strengthen the activities of the two organizations. In the last six months, I tried to focus on increasing the sustainability of those projects.
Project Outcome:
1. RTPnet
• Helped increase sponsorship for the RTPnet Conference to $2,500.
• Planned and executed RTPnet Conference for about 100 nonprofit and IT professionals.
• Promoted RTPnet, TechLinkUp and the RTPnet Conference at the N-TEN Nonprofit Technology Conference and the CTCnet Conference.
• Created a detailed how-to manual to plan next year’s conference.
• Helped shape discussion for 2006 conference in Winston-Salem or Greensboro area.
• Helped shape new RTPnet web site and Judy Hallman’s article for Community Technology Review.
2. Triangle United Way
• Helped plan and volunteered at Triangle United Way’s Agency Communications Committee workshop, “Getting Wired for Success.”
• Helped recruit speakers for the TUW workshop, including two speakers from the RTPnet Conference.
• Helped plan the events and agenda for TUW’s Internal Campaign and created the PowerPoint presentation for the Kick-Off event.
• Research grant opportunity and potential partners for an MLK Service Day sponsored by TUW.
• Volunteered for TUW’s Annual Meeting and Campaign Kick-Off event.
3. TechCoop and 501 Tech Club
• Planned and executed 501 Tech Club meeting with the most number of attendees.
• Increased membership on the club’s email list by promoting the 501 Tech Club to partners and contacts I’ve made through RTPnet.
• Planned a TechCoop to lead a discussion on a strategic plan for the future of 501 Tech Club meetings.
CTC Support
VISTA Name:
Mike Denegal
Program Start:
9/2004
Program End:
9/2005
Project Description:
Goal 1: To create working partnerships with community organizations that will result in increased opportunities for local residents.
Goal 2: To increase fund development opportunities for FLOC sites.
Goal 3: Develop standardized operating procedures for FLOC sites.
Goal 4: To supervise the development of SDCTC bylaws with the volunteer officers and leadership council
Goal 5: Educate broader non-profit community about the SDCTC to increase the impact of its work and strengthen the ability of local non-profits to provide technology access and education to all San Diego County residents.
Goal 6: Develop one workshop each quarter based on the needs identified by SDCTC Members
Goal 7: Develop, in conjunction with the Leadership Council, two proposals for continued funding of SDCTC activities.
Project Outcome:
Mike Denegal has provided technical assistance to the Family Learning Opportunity Centers (FLOCs) and he’s well respected for his professional technical advice for the organization. The FLOCs began with limited resources, equipment, and program structure. We are glad that Mike has assisted the Community Development Division in growing its resources, researching viable technology funding options, and establishing a line of communication among staff through the message board. Mike displays a high level of enthusiasm for growing the resources and establishing partnerships for SDCTC. He has made sure that both OTS and SDCTC stay abreast on technological trends, resources, policies, and innovations.
Marketing and Outreach
VISTA Name:
Diana Hauer
Program Start:
9/2004
Program End:
5/2005
Project Outcome:
Diana has posted over 1,200 services on 4People.org and has been instrumental in helping the database to grow and advance. She has also designed marketing materials, learned to build computers, trained people on computers, written documents, designed web pages, and done lots of editing. With her help, RECA and 4People are advancing at an amazing pace.
At the six month level Diana has completed a great deal of work towards populating the 4people.org database, which includes youth, seniors and family community services. She has developed a web page for another non-profit (Catholic Family and Child Services), and taught a class on beginning web page design. By posting services to 4People and continually improving the database, Diana is helping our online database become a viable community resource. We currently have over 4,300 services listed in Eastern Washington, largely thanks to her efforts and the efforts of the VISTA that preceded her. Diana has been instrumental in helping to design the front end interface of 4People to be first time user friendly. See 4people.tcfn.org.
Project Coordinator
VISTA Name:
Clarice Lovely
Program Start:
9/2004
Program End:
8/2005
Project Description:
The Americorps member serves as a project coordinator, working closely with the Director of Programs in an administrative capacity to coordinate schedules, sites and staff for computer training classes. The Americorps member assists in coordinating presentations to school sites and organizations to register students as part of the program’s existing outreach plan. Americorps members will assess and make recommendations for improving this process. Further, the Americorps member works to increase the organization’s capacity to improve technology literacy among families by serving as a computer training class instructor and assist staff in the development of curriculum and training manuals.
Project Outcome:
As an Americorps VISTA member, Clarice was an integral part of preparing for the school district’s “back to school registration drive,” at which time, parents and students attend school orientations and register for classes. Through OTX we serve a school district population comprised of 48,000 students and 104 school sites. For the purpose of the home computer component of OTX-West’s computer reuse program, Clarice assisted in the coordination of this effort to reach 41 middle school and high school sites. Her work included creating and organizing information packets, scheduling meetings with school sites and staffing orientations. Due to the extensive outreach effort, we were able to serve 800 middle school and high school students last Fall.
MAFEI currently has six interns representing the traditional high schools in the District, two of whom have returned from the previous year. As an Americorps member, Clarice serves as a liaison with OTX interns, coordinating work schedules and advising them appropriately regarding work responsibilities.