The people who love you will try. But even your biggest fans can’t rescue you from all of life’s disasters. They won’t solve the big issues you care about or invent the solutions you wish existed. And that’s not really their job, anyway.

You are the most qualified fixer of your life and builder of your dreams. 

This week, be your own hero! Don’t wait for someone else to do the heavy lifting for you. Might be hard. Might be scary. Might even hurt a little. That doesn’t mean you can’t do it.

That hero you’ve been waiting for? It’s you. Now, get out there and save the day!

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As adults, we take our ability to do these simple tasks for granted—and in doing so, forget how essential they are to our wellbeing and success. So this week we’re going to set aside our complicated grown-up lives and problems for a minute and get back to basics.

Listen to your teacher.
Everyone has wisdom to share. Stay humble and open to learning from the people around you regardless of their age or experiences.

Use your manners.
Kindness is always the right choice. Take time to be generous and thoughtful with your speech, and try to remain cognizant of the situations and feelings of others—even in small interactions.

Share your toys.
What are you hoarding for your own benefit? Think about the toys / ideas / information / talents / knowledge you’re privileged to have at your disposal and consider how those things can positively impact someone else. Then give them freely to others.

Keep your hands to yourself.
Once you delegate something, let it go. Don’t hover or micromanage—trust the folks around you to do their thing, and keep your hands (and your opinions) to yourself unless you’ve been invited to offer feedback. If you have, do so thoughtfully and with respect for the other person’s effort.

Use your words.
Unhappy? Speak up. Delighted? Offer praise. Left out? Request to join in. Ashamed? Ask for forgiveness. Witness an injustice? Call it out. Love someone? Tell them.

Take turns.
Once upon a time, someone took a chance on you. Now it’s your turn—look for opportunities to let others shine, then elevate their ideas and work above your own.

Help clean up.
Take responsibility for your role in the messes of life, and do the work necessary to clean it up. Don’t waste time pointing fingers; roll up your sleeves and get in there. Cleanup goes much faster when everyone pitches in.

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It’s no surprise the majority of our day to day team conversation takes place on Slack. This method of communication allows us to work hard, move quickly, and stay productive. We check in briefly when we need to, then keep going. It’s great.

Until it’s not.

Have you tried to solve a serious disagreement via chat? Get a thorough answer to a complex question by text? Successfully collaborate on a long-term project using email?

Blegh.

It can be done, of course. We do it all the time. But at what cost?

When we rely too heavily on digital conversation, we lose out on some of the most critical elements of human communication: context, emotion, clarity, discovery, connection.

We also lose time. Something that could have been hashed out in 30 minutes becomes three hours of bite-size updates in between tasks or the dreaded long-winded written response that offers more questions than answers.

This week, fight your urge to send that chat, text, or email when you encounter trouble or need more information. Instead, take it offline—whether your “it” is a conflict, a question, a concept, or a piece of feedback. Invite the people involved to sit down and talk it through or work it out. Sure, it might be uncomfortable. You may not have the perfect words. It will probably cut into your headphone time. But the resulting conversation is likely to be clear, fast, and effective—not to mention a whole lot more meaningful.

The post Take It Offline appeared first on Software for Good.

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is ‘What are you doing for others?'” – Martin Luther King Jr.

Software for Good was founded on the belief that a career can be both meaningful and sustainable—that you can use your day job to make a positive impact on people and the world around you while still earning a livable wage.

Frankly, it would be easy to coast on the warm and fuzzy feelings we get from the work we do during the day. But our team? We’re organizers, activists, leaders, and makers. We’re at our best when we’re doing.

Which leads us to today, Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Today is a national day of service and a holiday for many, including our team. We give this day to our employees so they can focus on service to others in the ways that matter most to them, separate from our work together at Software for Good. So, in the spirit of MLK Day, here are a few personal stories of how, and why, we serve.

Kyle | Making a positive impact through music.
As an active member of the music community in the Twin Cities, I like to use the stage as a platform to empower social change by curating inclusive bills and calling attention to important issues. Some of my favorite memories as a musician have been playing benefits for organizations like Meals on Wheels Minneapolis or People Serving People. Sometimes I get lucky and all of my interests intersect; recently, I designed a poster for one of our shows, with all proceeds going to Ka Joog, a local organization dedicated to providing culturally specific programs and services to Somali youth and their families.

I think art of all kinds should be accessible and inclusive to as many people as possible. As we collectively face our future, creative expression will become not only a means to give back to the community, but a way to bring communities together in safety and solidarity, as well.

Peter | Helping empower the next generation of leaders.
I volunteer on the Leadership Committee with Minneapolis Boy Scouts Troop 1. We meet nearly every Monday evening, and what I love about the Scouts—and why I put my time there—is that they are in the business of training the next generation of leaders. The organization is designed to be scout-led, so the kids are presented opportunity after opportunity to develop their leadership skills: they learn how to organize, how to lead, how to make things happen. Of course the outdoor skills are fun and important, too, but learning the skill of leadership is invaluable.

Jared | Taking a hands-on role in animal rescue.
Thousands of animals wind up in shelters that don’t have room for them. Unfortunately, euthanasia is a far too common solution to this problem. One person can rescue a dog, or two, or three, but you can’t save them all. I’ve found a way to do more than that. For the last year, I have fostered dogs through Secondhand Hounds. Through fostering and supporting SHH, I directly involve myself in saving many animals and joining them with loving families. It’s not always easy to give them up, but being involved in their adoption and knowing there will always be another one to help is motivating.

Abby | Enthusiastic about education.
Fun fact: Growing up, I wanted to be a teacher. Still kind of do, actually. So it comes as no surprise that a significant chunk of my volunteer time is spent working in our elementary school—I serve on the PTA board, chair the yearbook committee, and volunteer for what my family would argue are too many classroom and school activities throughout the year. Right now our schools and educators are strapped for time, resources, and money; yet their work is critical to the success of our children and communities. So I show up. And I work alongside them in whatever way I can, because I’ve seen first hand what a small group of committed parents can do to strengthen our schools. Plus kids are awesome! It’s inspiring to see their growing minds at work.

Liz | Turning passion into action.
I’m a current volunteer with the Sierra Club North Star Chapter, working to support and protect our communities and the planet through climate change awareness and advocacy. Throughout the year I also enjoy volunteering with several organizations, most notably Open Arms, which is growing food and creating meals for people with life-threatening illnesses; Special Olympics, which is helping to create a supportive and inclusive community where every single person is accepted and welcomed regardless of ability or disability; and Technovation, which helps inspire girls in their pursuit of STEM. I love helping people using the skills that I have as a leader, technologist, gardener, and baker/chef. It’s my life passion to help people as much I can, and I find it incredibly fulfilling to use my personal superpowers for good.

These are a few of the things we’re doing. What about you? Today we challenge you to think about the people, organizations, and causes that are dear to your heart, and how you can use your time and talents to serve them. 

“Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don’t have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You don’t have to know Einstein’s theory of relativity to serve. You don’t have to know the second theory of thermal dynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love.” – From The Drum Major Instinct sermon by Martin Luther King Jr.

The post What are you doing? appeared first on Software for Good.

In the last three years alone, Software for Good has donated over $900,000 in development to mission-based organizations whose values align with our own: Minnesota Ovarian Cancer Alliance, No Time for Poverty, Twin Cities Pride, American Refugee Committee, iMatter Youth, Instruments in the Cloud, the LEAD Project, and more.

We’ve also spent significant time and money supporting local tech organizations and events like Girls in Tech, Ruby.mn, Open Source North, FTC Rubies, Clojure.mn, and Minne✱.

As a Benefit Corporation (and as decent humans) we feel a strong sense of responsibility to both the for-good and software development communities. The success of these groups is imperative to our growth and sustainability.

However, the need is great. There are many cool organizations out there with big, world-changing ideas and no budget. And just as many talented students and recent grads looking for their first chance to build something meaningful. Sometimes we can help them. Sometimes we can’t.

But we believe there is an opportunity for them to help each other. That’s why we created the SfG Intern Cohort—our brand-new giving program, which pairs for-good organizations with up-and-coming software engineers to create lasting change.

Beginning in January 2017, Software for Good will offer pro-bono mentorship, training, and hands-on experience to a semester-long cohort of students or recent graduates interested in pursuing a technology or software development career. Under our guidance, this cohort will build software for a nonprofit, startup, or other mission-driven organization. Together, our combined teams will use technology to achieve positive social and environmental change. You can learn more by visiting the new Giving section of our website.

We’re super excited about this program, and the chance to bring people together to build something meaningful with long-term impact.

We hope you’ll help us spread the word! If you know a student or recent grad who’d love to be part of the cohort, send them here. If you are part of or have connections to an organization that could use some development help, point them here. Applications for next semester are due by December 16.

Cheers to a new year, and new opportunities for giving back!

The post The SfG Intern Cohort: Our New Giving Program appeared first on Software for Good.

This week’s theme was inspired by three events from my weekend: listening to the Hamilton soundtrack for the first time, devouring When Breath Becomes Air, and watching a video of an old friend’s husband play guitar.

The common theme running between these seemingly disparate experiences: loss and legacy. Alexander Hamilton was an obsessive writer who left his mark on history (and, somewhat unexpectedly, Broadway). Paul Kalanithi was a young neurosurgeon who wrote a stunning book about facing his own mortality, which his wife finished and published to great acclaim after he tragically succumbed to lung cancer. And my friend’s husband was a music lover who quietly recorded himself singing and playing guitar—a treasure discovered on his cell phone after his sudden death on Sunday.

We can’t control who tells our story once we’re gone (fingers crossed it’s Lin Manuel-Miranda), but we can have a voice in the narrative. This week, I encourage you to write. Create. Record. Photograph. Commit. Build. Do something to document your passions, your gifts, your contributions.

This is your chance to have your say. Tell your story.

The post Tell Your Story appeared first on Software for Good.

I piped up:

And then threatened to bring my bougie faux-premium color loving self to the office along with a Mariah Carey playlist and a glitter bomb.

Is there anything more cliché than the only girl in the room liking the pink computer? Nope. Is there anything more cliché than all the boys hating on the pink computer? Nope.

Do I care? NOPE.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know you discovered that now popular band first. And you would never go to Starbucks because that is, like, way too mainstream for you. I get it. You are different. You are special. You are not like the rest of us schmucks. You are many (cool, unique) things, but you are NOT a cliche.

Suuuuure.

The jig is up, friends. Stop trying to pretend you don’t love dancing like no one is watching and long walks on the beach. The beach is the best and you know it. So this week, be a cliché. Let go and openly enjoy all the expected, popular, mainstream crap you secretly love. Things become popular for a reason, and that reason is that they make people happy. So go on. Eat McDonald’s french fries and listen to Justin Timberlake’s new song and BE HAPPY.

It’s fine to hate the pink computer. But there’s no shame in loving it, either.

The post Be a Cliché appeared first on Software for Good.

So, with the help of our friends at jabber logic, we dug in and asked the hard questions: Who are we? What do we really want to do? Who are our ideal clients? What makes a project “good”? What makes a client “good”? And how do we build a brand that clearly conveys all of this?

SfG 5.0 (as we lovingly refer to our new website) is the culmination of our efforts over the last few months. And, as it turns out, who we are and what we do can be summarized in one pretty simple statement:

We bring people and tech together to solve complex world problems. 

Behind those words is a well-defined client base, scope of services, and list of causes where we plan to focus our efforts:

People: Social Enterprises, Large Nonprofits, Benefit Corporations, Educational Institutions, Corporations
Tech: Mobile Application Development, Web Application Development, Design, UX, Digital Strategy
Problems: Climate Change, Hunger, Human Rights, Renewable Energy, Health Care, Education

We’re proud of the work we’ve done to date, and excited to move forward with clear direction and a strong mission. We hope you’ll take a minute to click around the site and share your feedback.

Or, better yet, contact us to get started on a good project of your own. Together, we can change the world.

The post Repositioned, Redesigned, Refocused: SfG 5.0 appeared first on Software for Good.

Let people in on your work. Ask for feedback, for help, for new ideas. Don’t sit there, stuck, and wait for things to happen. Speak up, and invite others to be part of what you’re doing. You don’t have to give everyone access to everything — no one wants a “too many cooks” situation on their hands. But the parts and pieces that you know could be better, that could benefit from another perspective? Share them. And don’t be ashamed of the mess you made along the way — we all start with crappy first drafts. Pull yours out, find a friend, and dig through it together.  

Similarly, let people in on your life. Don’t shy away from others or their efforts to know you. In fact, do the opposite: seek out new people and get to know them. You may not need their friendship/support/time at the moment, but you will eventually — and when that happens, you’ll be glad you’ve done the hard work of being vulnerable.

This week, make an effort to reach out. Invite those around you into your messes, and don’t be surprised by their willingness to jump in. People are good like that.

The post Don’t Be An Island appeared first on Software for Good.

You (person tasked with writing them and reviewing responses) know it. I (person tasked with reading them and responding) know it. RFPs (Request for Proposal, for those of you lucky enough not to know what this acronym means), are cumbersome, time consuming, and — in my opinion — an ineffective way to evaluate the most important aspects of a partner relationship.

So why do we keep writing and reviewing and reading and responding? 

I am always glad to hear from organizations interested in having us bid on a project. You think we might be a good fit for you? That’s great news! I would love to learn more about your organization and what you’re trying to do and figure out how Software for Good can help you get there. We know how important it is for you to find the right partner for a development project, because it’s equally important for us to find the right clients.

But then you hand me a 50-page document full of legal terminology and deadlines and forms and only one paragraph of real, helpful information about your project. With no mention of budget. And a tight deadline. And oh, can you do some spec work while you’re at it?

Cringe.

RFP-issuing organizations, I have some bad news for you: Instead of enthusiam over a potential opportunity, your RFP is most likely being met with frustration and reservation. Not to mention a host of questions: Do we actually have a shot at this? Is this project worth the amount of effort it requires to complete the RFP? And, most importantly, is this giant pile of confusing paperwork indicitive of the type of partnership we’ll have if we land this work?

Maybe not. But that lengthy, formulaic response you’re requesting might scare off a potential partner who would be an excellent fit for your needs. In fact, there are many agencies who refuse to respond to RFPs, and we’ve certainly considered it ourselves.

To be fair, I know a number of companies have no choice but to issue an RFP — many educational and civic organizations are legally required to compare bids. But for those of you who aren’t, here are four tips for finding the right agency without issuing an RFP:

Seek partners, not vendors
Many RFPs refer to development firms as “vendors.” While not technically wrong — we are, after all, selling a service — we always strive for partnership with our clients. To us, this means collaboration, mutual respect, and clients who hire us for our technical expertise, not our ability to crank out an application faster and cheaper than anyone else. A development partner will advise you, challenge your ideas when necessary, and work alongside you to achieve a successful end result. A vendor will do the minimum required to collect payment, even if what you’ve asked them to build isn’t in your best interest. Seek partners who have the insight and expertise to make your own ideas even better.

Make business personal
Open your door. Pick up your phone. Schedule a Google Hangout. Find a way to connect personally with the partners you’re considering before you ask them to submit a proposal. The role of chemistry in an agency/organization relationship is sorely undervalued in the RFP process. A quick meet and greet or phone call can be just as important to gauging the potential success of a relationship as a proposal. Our (your + my) time is valuable. We no more want to spend time crafting a proposal for a project we have no chance of getting than you want to spend time coming up with a way to diplomatically reject it. That’s a lot of work for two organizations without chemistry. Instead, let’s agree to shake hands and part amicably before anyone gets too invested.

Create space for new or different approaches
One of the most common reasons I’ve heard for issuing an RFP is the ability to easily compare agencies, proposed solutions, and cost. “If everyone answers the same questions in the same format, we can better evaluate them against one another.” Well, that’s a real creativity killer. We often struggle with how to best explain our approach or convey our ideas within the confines of an RFP format. Assuming that critical thinking and creative problem solving are integral to the success of your application, why not give your prospective partners the chance to show you what they’ve got? Try asking for proposals in whatever format an agency chooses vs. requiring them to respond in an Excel template. Not only will this give them the freedom to propose a custom solution, it gives you the opportunity to evaluate their creativity and clarity. The agency you choose should be in a league of its own — no comparisons needed.

Bring money to the table
Don’t be afraid to tell prospective partners your budget. When an RFP offers an opportunity for questions, we always ask for a budget (and rarely get one). But witholding that information is a disservice to everyone involved. A reputable development agency is not going to say “yep, it will take that exact amount!” in an effort to milk you for all you’re worth. Most likely, they will come back and say one of three things:

1. We can’t build what you’re asking for that budget, but we’d like to refer you to another agency that may be able to work within that range.
2. We think this is a much bigger project than what you’ve budgeted, but here’s what we can do for you with the amount you have earmarked for this effort.
3. Your budget is generous, and we think this can be developed for less. But we’ve provided a list of extra features you may want to consider if you have the funds available.

Being up front about your budget puts everyone in a better position — you’re not stuck reviewing proposals that come nowhere near what you’ve budgeted, and agencies aren’t investing significant effort into a proposal that has no chance of being accepted. Of course, you may not have a budget or any idea how much development will cost. If that’s the case, ask! Even if all the agency can do is throw out a “most of our projects start at $X” answer, that gives you a point of reference. If it’s too high, speak up. This probably isn’t the right partner for you, and that’s okay.

For some organizations, RFPs are and will continue to be the defacto method of partner selection. But for those of us with the freedom to opt out — well, let’s ditch the pages and pages of RFP busy work and focus on getting to know each other. Who we are and what we do doesn’t fit neatly into a spreadsheet. And if it did, would you really want to work with us?

Give your prospective partners the chance to wow you, and the right one will.

The post How to write a great RFP [Spoiler: Don’t] appeared first on Software for Good.