That’s why Software for Good has joined Civic Alliance, a nonpartisan coalition of more than 800 businesses working to strengthen our democracy by encouraging civic participation. As our country carries out this historic election, I have pledged that Software for Good is 100% in for democracy alongside other Civic Alliance and benefit corporation CEOs. We call for safe access to the polls for all voters. We recognize election officials as the trusted source for certified results, and we encourage patience as officials count every vote.

This message from Civic Alliance and participating companies is being shared across media today, including in an ad in USA Today and a billboard in Times Square. You can see the ad here:

Voting is just one way to advance social change and improve our communities, but it’s a powerful one. If you haven’t already voted, make sure you know where to vote and what’s on your ballot. And if your ballot is in, do what you can in these last few days to help others vote, and get ready to advocate for all votes to be counted once the polls close. Let’s keep strengthening our democracy now and after Election Day.

The post We’re 100% In for Democracy appeared first on Software for Good.

SciTechsperience matches students majoring in STEM fields with internships in small to mid-sized companies, and provides a wage match to help companies like ours pay interns competitively. Their work contributes to the growth of the STEM workforce in Minnesota, and provides opportunities for people who are underrepresented in tech.

We were happy to support SciTech and their request for continued funding (even if we’re not used to dressing up this much for work). Here are the statements we gave:

Casey Helbling, Founder & CEO

Good morning, Mr. Chairman and members of the committee. My name is Casey Helbling, and I’m the founder and CEO of a company called Software for Good.

We are a for-profit benefit corporation that builds software with a purpose. We work with nonprofits, fellow B corps and social enterprises, and other mission-driven clients to create web and mobile applications designed to solve some kind of social or environmental issue.

For example, we have worked on a food drive management system for one of the country’s largest food banks, and an online tool to help teens with disabilities plan for their future.

One of our biggest challenges as a company is that the organizations we most want to work with, who are truly doing good in the community and the world, often can’t afford the cost of software development. Sometimes we turn down these potential clients simply because they don’t have the budget for custom technology.

Another problem we’ve identified as a tech company is that the tech industry is not nearly as diverse or inclusive as it should be. Traditionally, most technology professionals are middle or upper-middle-class white guys… like me. Some speculate one of the reasons for this problem is what is referred to as the “Leaky Pipeline.” That is, many traditionally underrepresented folks go through training programs, college, and bootcamps, but then on the other side, either don’t get a job, or move to a different, non-STEM-related field. Many argue the pipeline of diverse tech talent is relatively full, and we as employers need to do a better job of creating welcoming spaces at our companies so these graduates can see themselves in a long-term career there.

As the founder of a tech company, and a social enterprise, one of my goals is to work on the Leaky Pipeline problem in tech. That requires creating an organization and environment where women and people of color who are being trained in computer science and software engineering can find a first job where they feel seen, respected, and are contributing to something bigger than themselves.

As a company, we decided to solve both of those problems at once, by working with interns from diverse backgrounds to build software for organizations that do good in the world.

In early 2017, while we were developing our new internship program and looking for ways to support it, we learned about the SciTechsperience program through the Minnesota High Tech Association.

The program was perfect for us because it focuses on strengthening the pipeline and providing hands-on experience for people underrepresented in technology, the exact candidates we wanted to reach.

And SciTechsperience’s wage match would allow us to pay our interns competitively, while working with mission-driven organizations who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford software development.

We have been pleased to use SciTechsperience to support 12 interns over the past two years. Thanks to SciTech’s wage match, those interns have worked on six different projects for clients we would not have otherwise been able to work with.

One of those clients was a small organization called TC Food Justice. They pick up food from grocery stores and co-ops and deliver it to food banks and other places that feed hungry people, and they are an all-volunteer staff.

TC Food Justice needed a way to manage their schedule of pick-ups and drop-offs and their pool of volunteers. Two of our interns, Obinna and Ilhan, built a web application that helps them efficiently schedule volunteers and manage their operations on a shoestring budget.

Interns with Software for Good are able to gain hands-on experience with a variety of current software programming languages and tools. They often learn new programming skills on the job, working with types of software that they haven’t seen in the classroom.

The interns we work with through SciTechsperience also practice collaborating with other tech professionals, communicating with clients, and presenting their work in front of a group. That kind of experience, showing what it’s like to work in a real agency job, is priceless for young people pursuing careers in tech.

We have seen firsthand how this program contributes to ongoing opportunities and upward mobility. Our interns have gone on to jobs and other internships with local tech companies as well as large local employers like Target and Amazon. One intern, Annie Tran, even joined our team full-time!

I encourage you to fulfill the SciTechsperience program’s request for funding, so that the program can continue to prepare young people for STEM careers and serve a wider array of people who are underrepresented in STEM.

Thank you.

Annie Tran, Software Developer

Good morning Mr. Chair, members of the committee, for the record, my name is Annie Tran. I am currently working full-time as a junior web developer at Software for Good, but started out as an intern as a part of the SciTechsperience program.

I found Software for Good and SciTechsperience when I was coming to the end of my computer science degree at the University of Minnesota in the spring of 2017.

While applying to the Software for Good internship, there was a note encouraging us to enroll in the SciTech program — which I had briefly heard about through a college friend, but I hadn’t gotten around to checking it out.

However once I was enrolled, I discovered a ton of opportunities to work with smaller businesses that I don’t think I would’ve been able to find using the typical resources at the U like the job board or career fairs, which I had been using without much luck.

Though I found Software for Good on my own, I think if I had looked into SciTech earlier, I probably would’ve found an internship sooner than the last couple of months before graduation.

But luckily, everything worked out and I did find an internship… and I think I learned more useful skills in that one summer of hands-on experience than I had during college. Not only did I get to improve my technical skills by learning new programming languages and learning how to model data, I also learned softer skills like how to communicate with clients and how to effectively pair program with my coworkers.

Something that I thought was really valuable about my internship experience was that we were working as a team of 4 interns on one project where I could use my education and skills for social good.

The project was called Goodfolio and was essentially a donation platform that allowed people to donate to a handful of causes that they’ve selected and allowed them to see metrics on the impact that they had made with their donations.

On the project, I focused more on the front end and making sure the visual aspects of the app were in line with what the client had envisioned mostly because that’s what I was particularly interested in, but I also had opportunities to learn about the back end as well.

It was really nice to have the freedom to explore our interests while also getting a well-rounded understanding of how to build a web application. And all of that with the comfort of being able to turn to the small team of senior developers and ask for help if we needed it.

All that said, I don’t think I would be the web developer that I am today without the internship experience that I had with Software for Good, and I probably would have felt very discouraged in finding a tech job in Minneapolis without the SciTech program as a resource. I was born and raised in Minnesota, and most of my family and friends are in the area, so it was really wonderful to be able to find an internship here that eventually turned into my first full-time job.

I encourage you to meet the SciTechsperience program’s request for funding, so that the program can continue to prepare students and recent graduates like me for careers in STEM fields.

Thank you for your time.

The post Why We Value SciTechsperience appeared first on Software for Good.

Doing software development work, I often remind myself to take a step back and ask what need we are meeting. What is the actual problem we are solving? Does it need to be solved with a technical solution? Does it need to be solved with this technical solution?

When we get stuck-in on a particular path that seems dark and full of twisty little passages, it is sometimes useful to keep pushing forward one step at a time (preferably with the support of a great team!). But sometimes, it’s useful to take a big step back and look at the big picture for awhile. Are we answering the right question? Do we have the information we need to answer that question? Is there another way to answer the same question and meet the same need, or is there actually a need behind the stated need that could be met?

Sometimes a few hours of collaborating with a client to figure out what the need behind the need is, and some brainstorming about different ways it can be met, can save a few days or weeks of an unproductive development path.

The post Find the Actual Question appeared first on Software for Good.

Elon Musk clearly had the same impulse when he said that his company would send equipment to help free the young Thai soccer team trapped in a cave. Musk’s companies aim to build big, exciting technology and disrupt industries. Knowing that the situation for the trapped team was desperate and complicated, he likely assumed that something high-tech would be necessary.

The crews on the ground, however, including Thai Navy SEALs, began acting without Musk’s cutting-edge tech, sending in diving teams for rescue missions a few people at a time. This week, it was announced that all 12 boys and their coach have been freed. The solution wasn’t a high-tech invention, but a combination of less complex technology with human ingenuity, collaboration, and endurance.

The situation is a reminder for us technologists that it’s important to listen to the people most closely involved and familiar with an issue. For us, that’s the users of the applications we’re building. We shouldn’t assume we have all the answers without getting their input.

And sometimes, a complex tech solution just isn’t the most urgent need. Working with a client recently to do strategic planning, we promised upfront that we wouldn’t talk them into building a custom app if what they really needed was, say, a fleet of vans for outreach to the people they serve. When the solution is software-centered, it might mean updating an online registration form, not building a whole new app. Keeping that in mind, rather than coming in with our own ideas and assumptions, results in better tech, and better outcomes.

The post We Don’t Have All the Answers appeared first on Software for Good.

Our awesome boss Casey and I had a laugh this week when I reminded him that when he asked me to build an API for my scraper four years ago, I had to search for what an API actually was to figure out if I could build one or not. (These days, I’m kinda known around here as the go-to person for building back-end integration with gnarly SOAP APIs, and I’ve spent most of the past two years building out APIs for our projects now that we tend towards a Rails back-end with a React front-end for our larger and more complex apps.)

But enough about me: What you all want to know is whether this API is going to work in 2018 or not! And I’m happy to say, yes it should be working for the 2018 World Cup, so feel free to start building your integrations on top of it. We may have to work out a few kinks with real-time events (substitutions, cards, etc.) as the games get rolling (it is built on a web scraper, after all), but as of right now, you should be able to say GOOOOOOOOAL in JSON in real time.

Will England drop out early again? Will Iceland or Panama take a Cinderella run deep? Will Messi finally claim that World Cup victory? Will Germany defend their title? The world will be watching, and your apps can too!

Visit the site at worldcup.sfg.io, and get match data from worldcup.sfg.io/matches. The code is open sourced at github.com/estiens/world_cup_json, and you can see more details of how it works in my original 2014 post.

The post Soccer for Good: Back in 2018 appeared first on Software for Good.

Software for Good is officially in a new space and entering a new phase of our company. Our office inside Impact Hub MSP at the new Finnegans House building requires a lot of changes, from figuring out parking and who makes the coffee, to wondering how this new environment will affect our culture and processes.

Although change can be scary, it’s important for us to embrace change and see its potential. The Agile principle says that changes in technical requirements should not only be welcomed, but harnessed, and can become a competitive advantage. That’s true in life, too. Change allows us to see new perspectives and find unexpected possibilities. At Software for Good, we’re embracing uncertainty and shaking up our routine because we believe in the potential of this community of social entrepreneurs and impactful businesses. We invite you to embrace change with us and see what’s next.

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The new development is home to Finnegans’ brewery and taproom, which support organizations that fight hunger. We’ll be part of the social impact hub on the top floor. Our new space won’t just be an office, but an ecosystem of doing good — we’ll work, scheme, and socialize alongside leaders making change happen locally and globally.

We’re also eager to finally have a space that’s accessible to people of all abilities. And we’re excited for the new challenges and ideas that come with shaking up our routines and perspectives.

Our official move-in date is May 1, but even before then, you may find us in the Finnegans taproom, where regular hours will start at the end of March. We look forward to connecting with members and non-members alike in our new community home, and to seeing how we can work together to benefit people and planet.

The post We’re Moving to a New Hub for Social Impact appeared first on Software for Good.

In this time, it’s important to let go of ideas about perfection or finish lines. Realize everything may be 2 steps forward and then 1.5 steps backward for awhile. Keep take little steps, even if they seem very little. One foot in front of the other. Eventually, you’ll see that you have walked out of the darkest parts and you can see light up ahead again. Maybe you’ll even start to run.

The post Stay the Course appeared first on Software for Good.

Instead of panicking, take a lesson from improv and try saying “yes, and…” It’s great to think things through beforehand, but that can also become paralyzing. So instead of overanalyzing, just get started! Start writing that speech, start writing that code, start drawing that picture—say yes and get started, even if you don’t know where you’ll end up.

Still not sure how to improvise, or what value it will bring to your work? Stay tuned—we’ll have more on the blog about that this week!

The post Improvise appeared first on Software for Good.

This week, work on creating some intentionally left blank space in your mind. Use that space to take notes and think things through. Alternatively you could use that space as to reflect on out of balance things in your life. Use this space to even things out and find your balance. In a world that is constantly blurring the lines between “On” and “Off”, “Working” and “Not working”, use this blank space buffer as a way to mentally separate being on/off, working/not working.

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