PLATINUM2023

COMMUNITY TECH NETWORK

Transforming lives through digital equity

aka Community Tech Network   |   San Francisco, CA   |  https://www.communitytechnetwork.org/

Mission

Community Tech Network transforms lives through digital equity.

Notes from the nonprofit

We believe that access to the Internet is a human right and that those without the skills to use a computer are at risk of social and economic disadvantage. As public services and essential information are increasingly moving online, many people are left without access. All too often, America’s broadband internet gaps mirror its racial gaps. Given the health and equity benefits we know that broadband can deliver to people and communities, this disparity is unacceptable. Digital opportunities will become just another marker of racial inequity unless we support and empower communities of color through equal access to affordable broadband and the digital skills to use it. Community Tech Network strives to address these systemic inequities by providing digital skills training while helping our learners acquire home internet and a device. We recognize that access to technology is only a partial solution to systemic and persistent inequities. Connectivity needs to be coupled with digital

Ruling year info

2008

Executive Director/Co-founder

Kami Griffiths

Main address

1390 Market Street, Suite 200

San Francisco, CA 94102 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

26-2119465

NTEE code info

Management & Technical Assistance (P02)

Employment Training (J22)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Communication

Blog

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

The mission of Community Tech Network (CTN) is to transform lives through digital equity. CTN believes that access to the internet is a human right and that those without the skills to use the internet are at risk of social and economic disadvantage. To achieve its mission, CTN delivers programming by directly serving the clients of partner agencies to help individuals acquire technology skills that are essential in today's society. Digital literacy classes are offered in person and online in seven languages. CTN also works with partners to provide capacity building and training for their own staff. CTN’s community-based model addresses digital equity in locations where learners are, such as senior centers, housing developments, community centers, and libraries.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Curriculum & Licensing

Adults and seniors new to using the internet need more than a link to a training video to help them become independent and safe users. CTN has training material for various devices and 8 languages, including English, Spanish, Mandarin, Chinese, Russian, Korean, Vietnamese and Tagalog. The material can be utilized for online or in-person training and includes a learner booklet, in-class activities, and homework assignments.

Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people
Ethnic and racial groups
Older adults
Seniors

In partnership with over 50 referring agencies across San Francisco, Home Connect provides older adults at risk of isolation with a customized 10-inch Android tablet, assistance enrolling in-home internet, and up to 17 hours of remote digital literacy training. Training is available in English, Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin, Tagalog, Russian, Korean and Vietnamese.

Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people
Seniors

CTN believes that for projects to be sustainable, there must be people who are dedicated to the cause and take a lead in their community.

Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people
Seniors

CTN helps staff and volunteers get up to speed on understanding the digital divide and the training techniques best suited for adult learners new to using the internet. Participants receive access to online training with links to video clips of actual training sessions and access to a live session with a lead CTN trainer to address questions

Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people
Seniors

Implementing a digital inclusion program requires much more than a curriculum and a trained trainer. Partnering with CTN means receiving the support and access to a community of practice to assist with administrative tasks such as client intake, program reporting, understanding internet connectivity options, device set-up, distribution, and evaluation.

Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people
Seniors
People of African descent
People of Asian descent
People of Latin American descent
Economically disadvantaged people
Seniors
People of African descent
People of Asian descent
People of Latin American descent

Where we work

Affiliations & memberships

Webby's Anthem Digital Equity and Inclusion Award 2021

NATOA Covid-19 Response Digital Equity Project of the Year 2021

Videos

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.

Number of sector award nominations earned by the organization

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Related Program

Home Connect

Type of Metric

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Decreasing

Context Notes

Decreasing loneliness scores/ increasing digital literacy

Number of program graduates

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

People of African descent, Seniors, People of Central American descent, Older adults, Low-income people

Related Program

Home Connect

Type of Metric

Context - describing the issue we work on

Direction of Success

Decreasing

Context Notes

Total from 2017 7300 unique learners with 43,926 learner visits

Number of volunteers

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Extremely poor people, Older adults, Seniors, Multiracial people, People of African descent

Related Program

Home Connect

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Number of hours of training

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

People of African descent, People of East Asian descent, People of Central American descent, Low-income people, Older adults

Type of Metric

Context - describing the issue we work on

Direction of Success

Increasing

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

Our mission is to unite organizations and volunteers to transform lives through digital literacy.
The ability to use digital tools to find, analyze, create, and communicate information is a critical skill for the survival and quality of life of people everywhere. We seek to improve the quality of life, the capacity, and the self-sufficiency of CTN’s learners, trainers, and our partner organizations.

Community Tech Network strives to address systemic inequities by providing digital skills training while helping our learners acquire home internet and a device. We recognize that access to technology is only a partial solution to systemic and persistent inequities. Connectivity needs to be coupled with digital skills training that is relevant and accessible to all learners, no matter their language, age, or socioeconomic status.

We train directly to a partner's community with our Home Connect Program. CTN provides capacity building for non-profits that want to solve their digital literacy issues with three programs- Train the Trainer, Program Overview, or our digitalLIFT program.

By 2021, CTN had trained 7300 unique learners with 43,926 learner visits to digital instruction classes, both remote and drop-in lab sessions. This includes the hours spent by 1226 volunteer tutors. This training was conducted in 7 languages (English, Spanish, Russian, Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean, and Tagalog). A total of 37,292hours of instruction were delivered, and 3079 devices (laptops and tablets) were awarded to learners who completed the curriculum.

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We demonstrated a willingness to learn more by reviewing resources about feedback practice.
done We shared information about our current feedback practices.

  • Who are the people you serve with your mission?

    Community Tech Network envisions an Internet with equitable access to inclusive and diverse content and technical support. We believe that access to the Internet is a human right and that those without the skills to use a computer are at risk of social and economic disadvantage. As public services and essential information are increasingly moving online, many people are left without access. All too often, America’s broadband internet gaps mirror its racial gaps. Given the health and equity benefits we know that broadband can deliver to people and communities, this disparity is unacceptable. Community Tech Network supports and empowers communities of color through equal access to affordable broadband and the digital skills to use it.

  • 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 strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals

  • What significant change resulted from feedback?

    In 2020 Community Tech Network (CTN) pivoted its business model within 6 weeks of the pandemic striking. Older adults were no longer able to go to libraries, labs, senior centers, or senior housing for in-person digital literacy training. With the SF Office of Aging support, CTN moved to remote-only training. CTN helped senior learners get low-cost broadband, we provided an internet-capable device, up to hours of digital literacy training including telehealth, and how to use zoom to say in touch with family and friends, (reducing isolation) order medications, and groceries. We aimed to protect the most vulnerable and underserved communities. Since our pilot we have expanded across the country and have added other programs base on the need of the community partner.

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

    We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback

Financials

COMMUNITY TECH NETWORK
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

Subscribe

Build 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.

COMMUNITY TECH NETWORK

Board of directors
as of 01/20/2023
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board co-chair

Marcine Jansen

Story for All

Term: 2022 - 2024


Board co-chair

Dr. Chris Brooks

University of Calfornia San Francisco

Term: 2022 - 2024

David Knego

Curry Senior Center

Celia Hannan-Cueto

SF Foundation

Serena Dang

Teacup

Keri Vogtmann

Blink

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • 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? Yes

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 3/17/2022
info Candid has made improvements to the race and ethnicity options.

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
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Female
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or straight
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

 

Sexual orientation

Disability

No data

We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.

Equity strategies

Last updated: 03/21/2022

GuideStar 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

Data
  • We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
  • We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
  • We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
  • 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 disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
  • 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.
Policies and processes
  • We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
  • We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
  • 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 measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
  • 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.