From Code to Community: Ways Techies Can Give Back

Technology professionals have a unique opportunity to use their skills to create meaningful impact—both inside their organizations and within their communities. This session will outline simple, actionable ways you and your teams can give back that result in a win:win for both the community and your culture and employee engagement/fulfillment.

We’ll discuss real-world ideas around how techies can give back internally, such as sharing knowledge through Lunch & Learns, mentoring peers, and organizing team philanthropic initiatives (spoiler: hosting group/s from programs like ‘Code the Dream’ or Best Buddies for an office field trip is a fan favorite!). We’ll also cover more ways to give back externally, including supporting STEM workforce development nonprofits, civic good hackathons, local Meetups, and contributing to tech-for-good initiatives or community events. We’ll learn about national organizations you can look into supporting who are helping upskill future tech generations, including Year Up United, Per Scholas, MSSA (Microsoft Software and Systems Academy), Wounded Warrior Project and more, and highlight specific volunteer needs these organizations have. Lastly, we’ll discuss a bit about the TechSoup nonprofit, and how TechSoup can support and provide cost savings for any nonprofit/s you might be involved in!

About Erica Woods

Erica Woods is the Director of Contractor Programs and Philanthropy at Apex Systems. Her focus is on overseeing programs, teams, communication channels, and other resources that support and add value to their IT Contractor Community of 16,000+. Erica also oversees corporate philanthropy efforts and acts as a technical community evangelist for various STEM programs/nonprofits.

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