Tech From the Heart
Insight Teammates Host Hackathon Benefiting Local Charities
Written by Joyce MullenPresident & CEO, Insight
Joyce leads Insight’s evolution as an industry-recognized Solutions Integrator that helps organizations accelerate their digital journey and maximize the business value of technology.
Contributors:Shelby Payne, Beth Wolfset
Every community has philanthropic groups dedicated to helping others. But who do they turn to when they are the ones in need, especially for a shortage of technical resources?
Our teammates have hosted weekend hackathons for the New England GiveCamp since its inception in 2010. Since then, Insight’s volunteers have supported nearly 150 projects for more than 100 nonprofit organizations. The goal of GiveCamp has remained simple yet profound: To give back to the givers of their community through free technical assistance that they may not have otherwise been able to afford.
The annual weekend-long event unites technology professionals, including designers, developers, project managers and web strategists. Together, they donate their time and expertise to create software solutions and other technical tools to aid organizations in achieving their goals.
This year’s 13th annual event on May 18–19 demonstrated the lasting power of how the fusion of personal expertise and technology work together for a common good. For two straight days, 31 Insight teammates created a lively collaborative environment where innovative solutions were developed and implemented for seven nonprofits.
The charities they helped are diverse, ranging from youth services and wildlife conservation to international healthcare assistance. Since IT budgets for these nonprofits are typically limited, their challenges are just as wide-ranging as their missions.
Projects included website and logo design, creating mobile applications, and building custom software solutions to help with accessibility. Also, the groups gained new ways to manage data analytics, operations and social media content.
New England GiveCamp is a personal journey for many of our volunteers.
Beth Wolfset, a senior data architect at Insight, has played a key role in organizing the event since 2016 and has witnessed the profound effect it has on both the volunteers and the nonprofits they assist. It serves as a reminder that behind every technological advancement is a human story waiting to unfold.
And, in some cases, a story you’ve likely seen on the big screen.
This Star Won’t Go Out is an initiative inspired by the story of Esther Grace, who became the basis for Hazel Grace in the book and movie The Fault in Our Stars. The initiative helps families of children and young adults with chronic illnesses by covering non-medical expenses.
This year, our team had a multifaceted involvement with the organization. Our team enhanced the website, introduced Google Analytics to better understand visitor interactions, and initiated an ongoing accessibility review to ensure inclusivity for all visitors.
Previously, we developed a database to manage volunteers, donors and recipients, aimed at improving the charity’s operations. Addressing common challenges like email campaign management, CRM, online donation processing, security and technology updates is easy for us. But this is technical support that the foundation’s small staff, with their limited resources, couldn’t handle alone. With our assistance, they can now concentrate on their mission of easing the burden of families facing childhood cancer.
Working closely with our local charities, who are working so hard to make our community better, has a profound impact and brings deeper meaning to our work.
“GiveCamp is not only about technology; it’s also about building personal connections and finding ways to make people’s lives easier. Working closely with our local charities, who are working so hard to make our community better, has a profound impact and brings deeper meaning to our work. It’s a personal reminder that great solutions should prioritize people and place their needs at the heart of everything we create,” says Wolfset.
GiveCamp is a legacy that Insight is proud to be a part of and will continue to support through our In it Together Gives Back initiative and the unwavering spirit of our team.
Our teammates’ efforts aren’t limited to making a difference only in New England. More will participate in the Cleveland GiveCamp from July 26–28 and other GiveCamps nationwide throughout the year.
GiveCamp is always in need of additional technical expertise. If you’re interested in volunteering, see their events page to find a local chapter nearest to you.
To check out other ways our teammates give back, look over our Corporate Citizenship Report. It showcases how we routinely leverage our expertise and resources to support non-profit organizations, empower communities and drive positive change.
That’s a force for good we can all be proud of.
See more ways Insight gives back in our annual Corporate Citizenship Report.
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