Teaming for Technology

100 Things you can do to bridge the Digital Divide

  1. Recycle your home computer equipment by donating it to charity.
  2. Find out what your company does with its old electronics and talk to your IT staff about donating them.
  3. Tell your favorite charity, local school, library, or place of worship about TechSoup. www.techsoup.org
  4. Start a computer lab. Ask T4T for help! Apply for computers here.
  5. Post T4T WANTED fliers at your office.
  6. Support legislation designed to eliminate the digital divide. http://thomas.loc.gov/
  7. Become a digital divide lobbyist. www.secretary.state.nc.us/lobbyists/
  8. Patronize companies that practice good digital divide policies. www.electronicsrecycling.net
  9. Donate your tax refund to a digital divide charity.
  10. Do a yearly inventory of computer items you don't use; don't let them collect dust when they could be helping someone.
  11. Teach a computer class. Ask you local school, library or nonprofit if you can help.
  12. Donate your Microsoft settlement money. www.settlementrecovery.com/donateDirect/index.shtml
  13. Ask your school's PTA what technology items the school needs. Or visit the school and assess for yourself.
  14. Hold a computer drive at your school, professional association or business and donate the items to charity.
  15. When purchasing small tech items for yourself (toner, mouse pads, a keyboard, etc), buy two, and donate one to charity.
  16. Donate kids' software. As your children outgrow computer games and other educational software, donate it.
  17. Ask your business to match donations.
  18. Ask your business to support paid volunteer leave
  19. Be a mentor.
  20. Make sure your website is BOBBY approved for visually and hearing impaired users. http://bobby.watchfire.com
  21. Find out where political candidates stand on digital divide issues.
  22. Ask your alma mater to teach digital divide classes in the sociology, anthropology or computer science departments.
  23. Add to this list! Have an idea of something that should be added? Let us know! T4T@unitedwaytriangle.org
  24. Bring a kid to work. Show a child how important technology is in the grown-up world
  25. Host an open house at your company for a technology-oriented nonprofit.
  26. Sponsor a La Familia Technology Week event. http://lafamilianet.net
  27. Speak to kids about how important technology is in your daily life, academically, professionally and personally.
  28. Give away your floppy disks. They're perfect for kids without computers who do their assignments at public facilities.
  29. Be a hero to your demographic - particularly if you belong to a group that is statistically likely to be negatively affected by the digital divide. Here's one place to start - http://womenswork.org/girls/
  30. Talk to schools about having field trips to your place of business. Even if you don't work at a technology company, it is important for children to see examples of diverse people working at desks with computers.
  31. Write a letter to the editor about the digital divide in your community. Or blog it!
  32. Set up a Technology Tree. Many businesses have trees with ornaments asking for clothing or toys during the holidays. Why not technology? Ask your school or favorite nonprofit what sorts of items they need technologically and fulfill their holiday wishes by making an ornament for each item.
  33. Are you a wiz with Word or Excel or Access? Make templates or share your favorite creations with a nonprofit.
  34. Run for office. http://www.ehow.com/how_16911_run-public-office.html
  35. Translate your company's website and marketing materials into Spanish
  36. Get crafty - make crafts with your school out of old floppies, CDs, keys off of keyboards, etc.
  37. Go a step further and hold a science fair of things kids have created out of old computer parts.
  38. Go another step further and sell these gems and donate the money to charity OR display them at a museum.
  39. Donate your months-old tech magazines to schools, nonprofit waiting rooms, libraries, and literacy organizations.
  40. Give keyboards to daycares and preschools - paint the space bar and Return keys so kids learn them early.
  41. Make artwork for a postal stamp. Here's how http://www.usps.com/communications/organization/csac.htm
  42. Be an email pen-pal with a senior citizen.
  43. Take a class - learn more technology yourself. The more you know, the more you can help
  44. Include a friend - no matter which of these things you choose to do, don't do them alone.
  45. Talk to people who have been hurt by the digital divide. Collect and share their stories with media, or write a book.
  46. Charge a "technology entertainment tax" for one week and donate it to a digital divide charity. When your teen uses the computer or telephone for leisure, charge a minimal fee and put it in a jar visible to the whole family.
  47. Be a census volunteer. Funding for digital divide initiatives is based on data collected on the census long form.
  48. There are many local technology nonprofits in the area; ask if you can sit in on a staff meeting in order to gain a better understanding of the area's digital divide issues.
  49. Buy quality technology equipment for your home or office. When you upgrade, quality equipment may still have life left in it for a nonprofit, school or low-income family to use at home.
  50. If you have antiquated computer equipment that is no longer of much use to a nonprofit or family, ask local schools if the history, science or computer teachers may be interested in using it to create a mini technology museum at the school.
  51. Share what you know. If you know of a great education website, a wonderful freeware utility or open source software, tell nonprofits about it. Know of a great sale going on at an electronics store? Share that too!
  52. Set up an online gift registry for an agency. Use technology to get technology. Try www.wishlist.com
  53. Are you a geek? Create a website, set up a network, or write custom software.
  54. Give the gift of philanthropy for a birthday or holiday. Make a donation to a technology agency in the person's name.
  55. Get certified. Duke offers a noncredit certification in Nonprofit Management. www.learnmore.duke.edu/nonprofit/
  56. Create a list of technical scholarships, classes and majors offered in universities and give that list to a local GED organization, your high school's guidance office, or the library.
  57. Help establish a Girl Tech Club. http://www.girltech.com/Girl_Galaxy/GG_menu_frame.html
  58. Make a nomination. Draw attention to the digital divide by nominating your favorite project for a community award. Or, nominate someone working to eliminate the digital divide.
  59. Help a kid write a software review or his or her favorite game or program. Send it off to the makers of the software.
  60. Give out the T4T Tech Guide.
  61. Give a copy of the T4T Utilities CD to a nonprofit or school.
  62. Take up a collection - at church or in the office and donate the proceeds to a technology nonprofit.
  63. Help a scout get technology merit badges. http://www.sossi.org/jota/techbadges.htm
  64. Create a technology newsletter. Post it on your website, distribute it throughout your community. Include info on technology in your community, discounts and tips. Encourage people from both sides of the digital divide to submit articles and ideas.
  65. Show your gratitude for teachers, volunteers or nonprofits that are having a huge impact on bridging the digital divide in your community. Encourage their efforts by sending a card, email, or e-card.
  66. Is your company or a company you know of downsizing or going out of business? Inform them of the option to donate their technology equipment and office machines during their downsizing.
  67. Express disapproval when you hear about companies, schools, or politicians doing things that widen the digital divide.
  68. Start a petition to take action to eliminate the digital divide. www.petitiononline.com/create_petition.html
  69. Join AmeriCorps or PeaceCorps. www.freedomcorps.gov
  70. Set up a Google News Alert for "digital divide." http://www.google.com/newsalerts?hl=en
  71. Attend demonstrations and other events as a show of support and to be connected to those who do this work
  72. Challenge those around you who subscribe to stereotypes about the technology have-nots.
  73. Write a letter of support to a nonprofit organization's board or funders.
  74. Make connections. If you know of two orgs that could mutually benefit, introduce them. Are you from a different city, state or country and know of orgs there doing similar work to ones here? Introduce them!
  75. Read and experience all you can about the digital divide.
  76. Write letters to your local, state and federal elected officials and ask them to support the end of the digital divide
  77. Go to school board meetings and urge members to support more digital divide prevention education in the schools.
  78. Ask your school to develop internships for students to work in technology nonprofit agencies.
  79. Create a computer hardware repair class at your school for A+ certification.
  80. Vote.
  81. Make a list of all the ways having a computer and Internet access makes your life easier. Reflect on what your life would be like without those tools.
  82. Ask your children to do the same.
  83. Encourage students and teachers to write to politicians telling them how having computers in their classrooms helps them everyday. If you don't have computers in your classroom or at home, tell your politicians how much it hurts you.
  84. Sponsor or host a Black Families Technology Awareness Week event. www.blackfamilynet.net
  85. Start a technology nonprofit.
  86. Does you company need technical consulting? Contact 13th Week. www.13thweek.org
  87. Offer your skills. Do you know how to run scan disk? Defragment? Delete viruses? Install software? Help an agency!
  88. Unemployed and technical? Contact TechAction. www.techaction.org
  89. Not-so technical but want to volunteer or learn tech skills while helping a nonprofit? Check out www.techlinkup.org
  90. Do something on this list!
  91. Encourage a Senior Citizen to take a computer class. Drive them there and back.
  92. Donate a disposal digital camera (or more) to a school.
  93. Give up computers for a day. Appreciate how large a part they play in your life.
  94. Never throw away electronics. Recycle what you can't donate.
  95. Are you an ebay seller? Use MissionFish to donate a portion of your proceeds to charity. www.missionfish.org
  96. Read "From Digital Divide to Digital Opportunity" www.cyberlearning.org/links/digital_DIVide.asp
  97. Write a check to a technology nonprofit.
  98. Call on religious leaders to give a sermon on the Digital Divide or the Achievement Gap.
  99. Talk to your school's computer teachers, ask them to incorporate accessibility into their web authoring classes.
  100. If you come across a website that is not accessible, tell the webmaster. www.tsbvi.edu/technology/masterwriting.htm

For more information about donating computers, cell phones, office equipment, etc, contact: T4T, Triangle United Way at 919-460-8687 or t4t@unitedwaytriangle.org.

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Teaming for Technology is a direct service of Triangle United Way.