Digitunity, Inc.
Owning a Computer is Fundamental to Achieving Digital Equity - Everyone who needs a computer should have one, and no one can be left behind.
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Programs and results
What we aim to solve
An estimated 36 million people in the United States are unable to benefit from the vast opportunities provided through the internet, simply because they do not own a computer. Digitunity is a national nonprofit organization on a mission to make owning a computer possible for everyone. As a systems-level actor, Digitunity is working to unlock a robust supply of computers for those in need, advising states and municipalities on developing and implementing sustainable device access strategies, and sharing its unique subject matter expertise to move the work forward.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Device and E-Waste Donation Drives to promote Technology Reuse and Environmental Sustainability
Partnering with corporate organizations, computers, laptops, tablets and other large screen devices are decommissioned from their first place of use and donated to Digitunity through bulk donations of devices during a technology refresh cycle, or through employee engagement partnerships utilizing computer drives and e-waste collection events.
Digitunity is a 501(c)3 nonprofit public 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.
Alliance for Technology Refurbishing & Reuse (AFTRR)
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.
Digital Opportunity Network - Program and resource support for a network of nonprofit practitioners
The Digital Opportunity Network is a constellation of over 1,550 frontline organizations serving and supporting marginalized populations, including those with disabilities, economically disadvantaged individuals, older adults, veterans, children, people without homes, and more. It 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 that are working to end the technology gap in their local communities. We facilitate alignment and efficiency across a diverse group of practitioners, developing initiatives to accelerate and increase our collective impact on eliminating the technology gap at scale.
Technology Donation Software and Services: Linking Donors with Communities in Need
Our donation matching platform has been specifically designed in-house to streamline technology donation process, facilitating effective distribution of both individual and corporate-donated computer devices to marginalized communities. In the last 4 years this proprietary platform has played a pivotal role in the donation of 144,700 units from 5,320 donors, aiding 555 local organizations, and strengthening environmental sustainability by diverting 46,985 tons of electronic waste from landfills. Nonprofits and public agencies can join our Digital Opportunity Network at no cost, detailing their technology needs through their online profile. This streamlines the donation coordination process and ensures that the technology reaches those who need it most. A key component of this program is our Donation Concierge Service, guiding donors to make informed decisions about where their contributions will make the most difference and optimizing outcomes for both donors and recipients.
Reports, Reviews, Original Research on Digital Equity, Sustainability, and Technology Reuse
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™
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.
Pilot Project to Address the Homework Gap through Sustainable, Community-based Systems
Vision: K-12 students and their families have the tools needed to succeed in a digitally connected world both today and in the future.
Develop a robust, sustainable device ecosystem in each of the 10 cities. The project will create lasting pathways to large-screen device ownership for underserved K-12 students and their communities to address the homework gap.
Outcome: Creation of a sustainable, community-based 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.
Digital Equity Ambassadors - Mentor/Youth
Pivital to the Digital Equity Ambassadors program is the idea that in developing long-term, sustainable solutions for digital equity, we must center the needs and expertise of those directly impacted by this inequity and the people and organizations working on the ground with them. This program is embedded in the 10 cities Pilot Project, which is focused on developing a robust, community-based sustainable device ecosystem in each of the 10 named pilot cities.
Members of Digitunity’s Digital Opportunity Network (DON - a network of organizations across the country who are committed to digital equity and recognize the intersections between digital equity and their specific fields) who offer youth programs nominate an early career staff member to serve as a DON Adviser, whose role is to mentor and partner with a young person (most often of High School age) to investigate and document the pathways to K-12 device ownership in their city (1 DON Adviser & 1 Student Ambassador per city).
Digital Equity Plans - Design and Implementation
A national 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, Digitunity advances device ownership by sourcing computers and placing them in communities nationwide. Together with its predecessor organization, Digitunity has been working on this issue since the mid-1980s.
With the recent passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, communities across the United States have an opportunity to make that a reality. The device aspect of digital equity plans cannot be an afterthought. As states begin creating federally-mandated digital equity plans, it is imperative that plans include robust efforts to ensure individuals and families have ready access to free or low-cost computers. Digitunity’s framework for building sustainable systems to advance device ownership is in action in cities across the country. As a result, we are uniquely suited to support digital equity plan design and implementation, and we stand ready to collaborate on this important work.
Where we work
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Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Total number of organization members
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Digital Opportunity Network - Program and resource support for a network of nonprofit practitioners
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Digitunity's Digital Opportunity Network includes 1,600 frontline organizations dedicated to serving marginalized populations. It serves as a vetted distribution channel for donated technology.
Number of tech devices donated and placed with non-profit organizations
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Digital Opportunity Network - Program and resource support for a network of nonprofit practitioners
Type of Metric
Context - describing the issue we work on
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
49,594 devices were distributed to 188 nonprofit organizations throughout the Digital Opportunity Network in 2023
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 and remedy poor client service experiences, 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 identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, 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 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
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, The people we serve tell us they find data collection burdensome
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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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.
Digitunity, Inc.
Board of directorsas of 07/31/2024
Jeremy Hegle
Assistant Vice President and Community Affairs Officer (CAO), Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
Term: 2025 - 2023
Darla Strouse
Former Executive Director, Maryland State Department of Education (retired)
Angel Pineiro
VP, Strategic Academic Relationships , CompTIA
Yvette Marrin
Co-Founder, Digitunity (retired)
Charles Hill
Public Sector
Jeremy Hegle
Senior Community Development Advisor, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
Caroline Goles
Vice President, Digital Sales Strategy, Pax8
David Bernstein
Chief Executive Officer, AnythingIT, LLC
Larry Acker
Executive Technology Officer, ACT Inc. D'MAND SYSTEMS
Aaron Woods
Customer Success Executive, CEX Services, LLC
Bradley Gross
Founder & President, Law Office of Bradley Gross, P.A
Kenneth Rogerson
Director of Graduate Studies for the Master of Public Policy Program, Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy
Thiruvallur Srikanth
Chief Information Officer, Phenomenex, a Danaher company
Allison Strobel
Chief of Staff, Director of Resident Empowerment and Community Engagement @ Jersey City Housing Authority
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? Yes
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
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data