Programs and Activities
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This is the scheme Free Geek uses to calculate how much time, space, and money are dedicated to what kind of activity when reporting how much of these resources go into program related and other activities. The same scheme is used to categorize revenue sources. This is necessary for properly filling out our 990 forms for the IRS, due yearly in May.
Program Related Activities
Free Geek runs many programs, and sometimes we loosely refer to our activities as programs in an unstructured way. However, in order to analyze how well we are doing things, we often need to have a more formal definition. This page breaks down Free Geek's activities in a structured way
Free Geek's Mission Statement is "To recycle technology and provide access to computers, the internet, education and job skills in exchange for community service."
Let's break that down in a structured way:
To ...
- recycle used technology, and
- provide access to X in exchange for community service.
- computers,
- internet
- education,
- job skills training.
Some notes and definitions:
- From line 1, we assume these activities fall under the broad definition of the word "recycle"
- reuse, re-using an item as is, in its current working state, the most responsible form of recycling, since it maximizes the life of the item.
- refurbishment, re-using an item after repairing or upgrading it, the next most responsible form of recycling, because it maximizes the life of the item with minimal components replaced.
- materials extraction (or recycling more narrowly defined), re-using items as scrap materials, rather than as useful working components, the last resort option for recycling.
- Line 2 contains an X. We can swap the items on lines 3, 4, 5, and 6 into that X to create a complete phrase, for example swapping in line 5 gives us "provide access to education in exchange for community service."
This then breaks downs to these phrases, which are grouped here with the activities that support each. Many of these activities fall into more than one category.
- to recycle used technology
- recycling, printers, build, laptops, macs, thrift store, A/V, servers, prebuild, testing
- to provide access to computers in exchange for community service.
- build, thrift store, adoption, hardware grants, laptops, macs, prebuild, testing
- to provide access to internet in exchange for community service.
- gap, adoption, build, thrift store, drop in access, support
- to provide access to education in exchange for community service.
- classes, build, library, tours, prebuild, support
- to provide access to job skills training in exchange for community service.
- internships, build, prebuild, testing, support
Administrative Activities
The IRS is interested in two other types of activities, both of which support program related activities, but more indirectly. These are fundraising activities and other administrative activities. For example running to the store to purchase paper clips is a necessary activity that can't be assigned to any of the mission related program areas listed above, but is nevertheless a necessary support activity. This would fall under the administration category. The fundraising category speaks for itself.
A coherent scheme
Now we turn to the programs that people at Free Geek commonly identify as programs and look at it that way.
Adoption
(recycle, computers, education, internet access, job skills training)
Volunteers earn computers in exchange for community service.
Volunteers volunteer hours doing receiving, recycling, etc., and are given a refurbished computer as a volunteer reward. (Some work done in the adoption program is categorized in the recycling program.)
- adoption -- providing the means for volunteers to earn computers and skills to bridge the digital divide
- printers -- hands-on eWaste refurbishment & recycling education option
Build
(recycle, computers, education, internet access, job skills training)
Volunteers learn technical skills by providing service to the community through refurbishment and support of computers.
Volunteers learn to build computers from reused parts. They may receive a computer as a volunteer reward. Tech support is included in this program since it is a feedback loop for quality assurance purposes. This work is primarily educational for the volunteer, but also produces technology for the reuse program.
- prebuild -- hands on education in identifying and evaluating computers and computer components
- build -- hands-on education in computer refurbishment to ultimately build your own machine
- laptops -- post-build option to hone specific advanced computer evaluation & repair skills
- support -- ongoing support for new computer owners as they work with their new tools & skills
Alternative/Advanced Build
(recycle, computers, education, internet access, job skills training)
Volunteers learn technical skills by providing service to the community through evaluation and refurbishment of other technology.
This is similar to the regular build program, but focuses on more offbeat types of items, than the standard computer.
- macs -- post-build option specializing in mac refurbishment
- testing -- post build option using advanced skills to troubleshoot
- servers -- post-build option specializing in enterprise class components
- A/V -- reuse, refurbishment & recycling of audio-visual electronics
Reuse and E-Waste Diversion
(responsible recycling through maximizing the life of technology)
Diversion of e-waste through encouraging reuse of used technology.
By encouraging reuse of electronics, we extend the life of the gizmo and have the highest possible environmental impact. Activities not elsewhere classified that fall under this program are classified here.
- thrift store -- active reuse of recycled & refurbished items, offering steep discounts for volunteer work
- hardware grants -- granting non-profits the tools to keep up with a digital society
Internet Access
(providing internet access to the community)
Providing internet access to the community.
This is for direct internet access and associated activities. Disbursement of computers through the hardware grants, adoption, and build programs are elsewhere classified.
- drop in access -- providing on site Internet access resources to the public
- Geek Access Point -- providing Internet access resources in community spaces
- library -- educational materials accessible to all volunteer
Education
Education about technology and how to implement our mission outside of our organization.
Education in general.
- classes -- training and job skills to increase computer aptitude
- tours -- educating the public & potential volunteers about FG, opportunities to earn tools & access resources
Replication
Education about technology and how to implement our mission outside of our organization.
Education about how Free Geek operates. By having open source documentation and developing open source software, we encourage other organizations to fulfill our mission and replicate our activities.
- intergalactic
Internships and Job Training
(job skills training)
Job skills training.
Paid apprenticeships go here. Volunteer internships not elsewhere classified also go here.
- internships -- job skills training & experience (not on payroll)
- apprenticeships -- job skills training & experience (on payroll)
- volunteer desk (part of front desk work)
Recycling
Environmentally responsible recovery of usable materials from e-waste.
When reuse is not feasible, we dispose of the e-waste in the most environmentally way possible. There is also an educational component for volunteers, as they learn the components of the gizmos as well as basic job skills.
- recycling -- an eWaste hands-on education
Mixed
Some jobs are spent performing tasks for two or more different programs. The amount of time in each program needs to be estimated. When possible, these jobs should be split into distinct jobs that relate to a single program, but sometimes that is not feasible.
Administrative Activities
There are also activities that are not tied to any specific program, but are necessary parts of the operation.
Fundraising
- fundraising -- activities (such as grant writing) that may raise funds to support the activities above
- outreach events
- donor desk (part of front desk work)
Overhead
- administration -- other general overhead activities such as hiring, bookkeeping, and the like
Job Listing
Adoption
- Adoption Supplies
- Offsite Donations
- Printer Admin
- Printers
- Receiving
Build
- Build
- Laptop Admin
- Laptops
- Prebuild
- Production Coord
- Production Floater
- Spanish Build
- Spanish Build Admin
- Spanish Prebuild
- Tech Support
- Tech Support Admin
Alternative/Advanced Build
- Advanced Testing
- Mac Build
- Server Build
Reuse and E-Waste Diversi
- Floater and Stocking
- Free Computers!
- Grants
- Institutional Outreach
- Online Sales
- Safari
- Sales Admin
- Thrift Store
- Thrift Store Admin
Internet Access
- Librarian
- Meet and Greet
Education and Replication
- Advanced Linux
- CommandLine
- Education Coordination
- Intergalactic
- NPA Admin
- Teaching
- Tour Guide
Fundraising
- Event Floorwork
- Event Planning
- Outreach Projects
- PR Admin
Overhead
- Accounting
- Action Tasks
- Bean Counting
- Bookkeeping
- Close
- Data Entry
- Facilities Maintenance
- Feeding Loki
- Food Run
- HR Admin
- Interviews
- Inventory
- Monthly Close Out
- Mtg Prep
- Office Coordination
- Payroll
- Phone Work
- Reply to eMails
- Scheduling
- Supply Check
- Supply Run
- Tech walk thru
- Volunteer Appreciation
- Weekly Reconciling
Internships and Job Training
- Front Desk
- Inreach Projects
- Training
- Volunteer Program Projects
Mixed
- Coding & Sysadmin
- Documentation
- Floor Work
- Meeting
- Office Work
Recycling
- Group volunteers
- Recycling
- Recycling Coordination
- Truck Deliveries