Digitunity

Digitunity is a 501c3 not for profit charity, founded to promote the reuse of technology coming out of its first place of use so that it will be given a second productive life to enable people with disabilities, students at risk and economically disadvantaged persons lead more independent and productive lives. Digitunity is the only organization of its kind that focuses its work throughout the United States to support the successful reuse of computer and related technology to benefit people in need, at no cost to recipients and donors alike

The Alliance for Technology Refurbishing and Reuse (AFTRR), a project of Digitunity, consists of a growing number of nonprofit technology refurbishers seeking to increase the awareness of the contributions of their organizations, individually and collectively, to a wide range of populations in need. AFTRR seeks to establish a common national voice for all such organizations as well as affiliate organizations who stand to benefit directly or indirectly from an increase in the volume and availability of low cost and no cost computers for their respective populations. AFTRR member organizations vary widely in size, organizational model, populations served, staffing and related resources. Regardless of these parameters, each was established under a similar set of circumstances and targets the elimination of the Digital Divide as their ultimate goal.

The Digital Opportunity Network consists of a wide range of actors and stakeholders, aligned behind the shared purpose of eliminating the technology gap. We believe that the collective action of a diverse array of members in a national network is much more impactful than siloed individual interests. It is a community hub for information-sharing, networking, and problem solving amongst member organizations. We facilitate alignment and efficiency across a diverse group of practitioner, developing initiatives to accelerate and increase our collective impact on eliminating the technology gap at scale.

Our proprietary technology donation platform helps connect individuals and corporations who wish to donate computers with more than 1500 (and growing) member organizations across the country serving people in need. Hundreds of thousands of computers have been placed since the platform’s inception, providing an incalculable positive impact on recipients’ lives.

Digitunity conducts reviews/reports of existing research, and promotes data-gathering and original research on the impact of the digital divide between those with technology ownership and digital skills, and those who struggle to overcome barriers to technology access and successful use. Additional focus includes the growing social and economic gap between those who are connected and those who are not, as the technology gap continues to widen in our nation.

While there is a large spread of literature discussing digital inclusion / exclusion - what is is, who it affects, and potential ways to combat it, more work is needed to evaluate or assess potential solutions and understand their impact or cost-effectiveness. Additional data and research is also needed to understand and measure the long-term social and economic benefits of these initiatives.

The Technology Gap Map™ is designed to educate people and help them understand the impact of the technology gap on marginalized and vulnerable people in their states, cities, and neighborhoods. Closing the digital equity gap is not a one time process, but rather a continual effort that requires communities to understand both their needs and the opportunities for growth. Unsurprisingly, data itself can play a significant role in guiding that process. The map become a type of thermometer, monitoring the temperature of equitable access to digital resources and alerting entire communities of when and where there is more work to be done. This initiative's objective is to continually track the status of digital equity and includes several planned additions to the map including disaggregated data to achieve racial equity, and other enhancements.

Vision: K-12 students and their families have the tools needed to succeed in a digitally connected world both today and in the future.

Outcome: Creation of a comprehensive system to advance device ownership in 10 major metropolitan cities that combines existing and new resources in a sustainable network so that city residents have reliable access to free and low-cost computers as well as associated support services. Evaluate the effectiveness and desired outcomes to ensure the system is replicable. Expand to other metropolitan and rural regions as guided by our research, our Technology Gap Map™, funding sources, and other measures of program effectiveness.