Compudopt
Providing Technology Access and Education to Underserved Youth
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Low-income families and children without ready access to computers face significant challenges as employment services, and other critical life needs become increasingly reliant on new technology. But access is only half the battle. We know that without adequate training and education, these tools can't be leveraged to their fullest potential. Without computer literacy and regular access, a world of content and knowledge is unwittingly beyond the reach of these families, setting them further back on the path to success. Without programs like ours, students fall behind their peers and lack the skills to leverage technology advancements that could help them achieve their goals.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Computer Drive-Thru Program
To meet the increased demand for in-home technology for students as schools closed due to the COVID19 pandemic, Compudopt developed a Computer Drive-Thru. This hyper-efficient model allows families in need to register on our website to enter a lottery. Recipients are then selected randomly in line with available inventory and sent a text message to RSVP to attend a drive-thru in their area. On arrival at the Drive-Thru, they check in, and a computer is placed in their vehicle. The computers are theirs to keep and 100% free of charge. We also provide two years of tech support and information about free and low-cost internet tailored to the family’s neighborhood and qualifying subsidies.
Learn to Earn
The Compudopt Learn2Earn Program is for high school students grades 9-12 who have an interest in gaining tangible technology skills for the workforce today. In this enrichment program, students work with real-world programs and technology up close and personal. Students not only learn to code and program in relevant languages, but also get hands-on with drones, networks, and computer hardware. At the end of the program, each participant receives a refurbished laptop computer to keep. We also strongly encourage these students to give back to their communities and further their technical education by volunteering to help train future Learn to Earn program sessions. This program directly expands the career options and the technical knowledge base of the students served in addition to providing them with valuable tools to help them be successful in their educational pursuits.
Early Adopters
Our Early Adopters Program is an in-depth exploration of today's cutting-edge technologies for upper elementary students (grades 3-5). Students learn to pilot drones, develop and test their own video games, build and program robots, explore new worlds through virtual reality and bring their own creations to life using the Scratch programming language. As an out-of-school time program, Early Adopters provides students a structured, engaging enviornment to explore and learn.
STEAM Team
STEAM Team is a hands-on, project-based, after school program serving underserved 6th-8th graders. Each STEAM Team module gives students a sense of what their world would be like if they were engineers, scientists, or business professionals, all while reinforcing their in-school education. The program challenges students to problem solve, think critically, and collaborate to design, build, and explore skills essential to the project areas. Project activities include engineering a prosthetic hand that can grip and hold objects, exploring green energy concepts, leveraging forensic accounting and code-breaking to solve a "whodunit," learning to build a computer from scratch, and engaging core concepts of design technology to produce and edit their own multi-media project.
Where we work
Awards
Strategic Partner Award 2013
World Youth Foundation
External reviews

Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of students enrolled
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Related Program
Computer Drive-Thru Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Long term, we aim to continue to develop our program curriculum to ensure it stays relevant and effective for students and opens up the world of technology for them in terms of tools but also in terms of long-term career prospects. In addition, we plan to partner with more community organizations and leverage our programs to deliver better, higher quality services to the populations who need them as cost-efficiently as possible.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
To achieve our goals we are passionately committed to:
- Strengthening our existing relationships with school, corporate and community partners
- Driving new relationships to successful collaborations
- Ensuring high-quality execution of our programs through regular evaluation and follow-ups as well as continuous quality improvement.
- Expanding our ability to deliver programs at multiple sites including hiring additional training and program staff.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Currently, our capabilities to achieve our long-term goals are only hindered by our ability to increase our internal resources to match the demand in the community. Our current staff are well-equipped to ensure our current goals are being met as effectively and efficiently as possible. Our community, school, and corporate partners are engaged and actively work with us, thereby ensuring a committed stream of students and equipment continues to come into our warehouses for refurbishment. Our incredible volunteers are able and ready to help us refurbish these machines and get them into the hands of the children who need them. All in all, we are in an extremely exciting position and looking forward to serving even more youth and families in 2023.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
In 2022 we handed out our 60,000th computer to a child without access to a computer at home and reached over 22,000 students. For the past 5 years, we have almost doubled the number of students in our education programming each year.
In 2023 and beyond, we are looking to expand our curriculum and tie programs together to build a pipeline of opportunities for the students we reach and increase our geographic footprint to ensure more students get the tools they need.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Compudopt
Board of directorsas of 12/21/2022
Mr. Brian Williams
John Osha
Scott Harlan
Carlyn Burton
Art Huffman
Kimberly Penn
Laurie Tuzo
Varun Babbili
Curt Morgan
Allison Porterfield
Robinne Eller
Jill Billhorn
John Sousa II
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Not applicable
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 12/21/2022GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.