I'd like to pose a challenge. There will be 100 programmers in a room building technology for nonprofit organizations in October (see announcement below).
How many NTAPs and nonprofits will be in that room to make sure the techies build something useful?
In just a few days, hundreds of programmers solved the problem of multiple databases of missing persons during Katrina (the PeopleFinder Project). Imagine what would have been possible if the Red Cross and other relief organizations contributed their energy and expertise? Something even more amazing and sustainable. This is the role you can play... making sure a whirlwind of innovation can actually be incorporated into the technology work of the NPO sector.
We'll already be starting on open source built specifically for nonprofits: Drupal, CiviCRM and CivicSpace. This means that all we need to build is the last mile: things that precisely meet real nonprofit needs. We need you to help define what that is.
I'd be fascinated to find out what the nonprofit technology community thinks needs to be built with the building blocks we have: content management (Drupal), online communities, yahoo groups functionality, CRM, mass email (CiviMail), online donations (CiviContribute), membership management (CiviMember), etc.
A two day project isn't likely to save the world, but it certainly doesn't stand a chance without intermediaries involved that can harness this energy and focus it toward long term goals. "Never doubt a small group of committed folks can change the world..."
Start by participating on the wiki: http://lotv-lockin.pbwiki.com/ Password is: transparency
End by standing shoulder to shoulder with a programmer in Austin in October and getting their work product into the hands of a nonprofit that needs it.
*The League of Technical Voters is sponsoring a programmer lock in!*
*What
We are going to lock in 100 programmers for 48 hours developing Open Source Software for non-profit organizations.
*When October 13-15th 2006
*Where Austin Texas at Ventana Del Sol
*Why To make the world a better place, have a great time, and look cool doing it. To top it off, Austin Texas is great in October!
*How http://lotv-lockin.pbwiki.com/ Sign up, catch up, and pipe up! Password is: transparency
*The Madness*
We are going to have 5-15 minute events happening every 3-4 hours to keep all the programmers motivated. Everything from surprise guests to various styles of performers (like firespinning at 2 am.) We will keep everyone fed all 48 hrs (not just pizza) and hydrated (not just coke). However, we aren't promising showers or beds. This event is only for the most hardcore programmers out there, 'cause this is gonna be intense.
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FAQ
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- How the hell is this gonna work?
We are using Drupal and php. We'll have a list of modules and feature sets that people will grab and run off to develop. We will also have a few optional speakers and tutorials on getting started in Drupal if you are new to the environment.
- Why Drupal, you may ask?
Mainly because of the supportive community, modularity and feature rich pre-existing code base. We have a large set of features that we will have to implement or fix in a short amount of time. If you wanna program in something else... lets talk about version 2.0. When the LOTV site reaches the amount of traffic that will break version 1.0, we should have the resources to build the next one.
- Why php?
'Cause we are using Drupal... duh...
- Nothing will work and you guys suck.
So who pissed in your wheaties this morning? We don't honestly think that at the end of 48 hours everyone's code will miraculously work. We just want to get this organization kick started and create some useful tools for other Non Profits... and maybe raise a little awareness about Open Source Software and Non Profits. No other groups out there understand more about collaboration than Non Profits. So come on out and save the world for 48hrs! It may make you less grumpy.
- Who is this League of Technical Voters?
Our primary goal is to involve more technical people in the political process, especially in relation to the use of technology by government. We plan on doing this through tying together blogging, social networking and community management tools. We aim to rule the world and make the world rule! Join us!
http://www.leagueoftechvoters.org