1. Narrowing the Digital Divide
Carter Holmes
Josh Katzenmeyer
Timothy O’Connor
Jim Osenberg

2. Goals
Provide low cost computers to low income families at the Hubbs Center
Effective recycling: making use of electronic goods collecting dust in basements
Josh

3. Plan of Action
Host multiple recycling events and an IndieGoGo campaign to raise funds for a computer distribution.
Reduce the cost of desktop computers from PCs for People with the funds raised.
josh

4. Statistics
(Source City of Minneapolis Household Community Technology and Digital Inclusion Survey)
Overall: 15% of households do not have a computer with Internet access at home, which translates into 24,750 households in Minneapolis.
By Race: Only 6% of whites don’t have any Internet access at home, compared to 24% of African Americans and 10% Hispanic, other races, or multi-racial respondents. While there is less variation based on preferred language for respondents with computers and smartphones, 90% of whites have computers with Internet at home compared to 66% of African Americans and 81% of Hispanic, other races or multi-racial.
Income: Respondents earning $50,000 a year or more were significantly more likely to own a desktop computer, tablet, cell phone, and game console with Internet access.
Education: Those with a high school education or less felt that access to a computer and Internet at home was less important compared to their counterparts. Residents with more education were more likely to own computers, tablets and cell phones with Internet access, were more comfortable using these devices, and tended to use the Internet for activities such as ing, attending online classes and communicating with government.
Josh

5. Created IndieGoGo Fundraising Site
jim

6. Added More Videos & Dialogue
jim

7. Recycling Events We organized two recycling events over the winter.
George Latimer Central Library
Hubbs Center for Lifelong Learning
Collected phones, MP3 Players, small electronics.
carter

8. Recycling Money Raised
Funding Factory = $8 (impressive, huh?)
Sold 3 laptops received through recycling = $310
carter

9. What We Raised $375 – Indiegogo $ 8 – Recycling
$ Recycled Computer Sales
$ Misc. Donations
$ Total
We used these funds to pay the $15 upcharge to flat-screen monitors.
josh

10. Recruitment Phase 1: Informing and Gathering Interest Phase 2: Lottery
Class presentations
Morning and evening announcements
Phase 2: Lottery
Random selection
Phase 3: Proof of Eligibility
Calling and classroom visits
Reminders
tim

11. The Event PCs for People delivered 50 computers to the Hubbs Center
As students arrived to the event, we had multiple stations:
Application station
Internet internet station
Distribution station
Educational station
josh

12. Distribution Demographics of People Receiving Computers
Average Household Size: 4.5 people Computer Ownership
Average number of children in the home: Previously Owned a Computer
Average income: $14, % NO
Current Employment Rate: % YES
40% Unemployed Currently Own a Computer
60% Employed % NO
Origin: % YES
African American/African: 52%
Latino/Latina/Hispanic: 10%
Asian/ Pacific Islander: 24%
Not Provided: 14%
(source: PCs for People)
Jim

13. Pros and Cons Pros Cons Connected 25 participants with computers
Kept 113 small electronic items and accessories out of landfills
Cons
Misunderstandings of project scope
Scheduling of distribution event
Time between recruitment and event
tim

14. Solutions? Recruitment Sustainability Shorter timeline
Offer computers on a first come first serve basis
Sustainability
More focus on the educational workshop
Requiring attendance of a class before they are eligible to receive a computer
tim

15. What We Learned We learned the “fine art” of fundraising
Doesn’t always work as you planned it
You need to promote a lot more than you think
The people you are trying to help don’t always follow through on their part of the program
ALWAYS HAVE A PLAN “B”
tim

16. Moving Forward
We have purchased 3 Lenovo ThinkPad laptops with our remaining funds. We plan on holding a drawing to select recipients.
carter

17. Students filling out computer application