Technology Support Social Venture

Income-Generating Business Provides Technology Support & Repair For Businesses & Individuals
Triple Bottom Line Positively Impacts Business, Community & Environment

OUTCOMES

  • Business model: follow a business plan to
    • provide technology support and repair for area businesses and individuals
    • generate a profit that can support the ICT training mission and contribute to overall organizational sustainability
  • Training, internships and jobs: provide closely-supervised work, internships and training opportunities for clients that result in better employment outcomes for graduates
  • Low cost tech support: provide low-cost alternative technology tools and technology support for individuals and small-to-medium size businesses
  • Bridge the Digital Divide: assist in bridging the digital divide through jobs, equipment, training and support in the technology arena

PROGRAM STRUCTURE

  • Technology support business, specializing in first- and second-level technical support to individuals and business, including
    • PC support
    • Server and network services
  • Capitalize on internally-trained, readily available talent and technical know-how to build strategic business services
  • Deliver products and services through a combination of retail stores, technical support deployed to the business site, and depot (drop-off) strategies
  • Provide jobs for training program graduates
  • Provide paid and non-paid internship positions for ICT training program students
  • Refurbished computer product line is ideal for entry level workers and nonprofit business model

PROGRAM ALTERNATIVES

  • Service and product offerings can be narrowed or broadened, depending on local consumer market, staff technical ability and investment fund availability
  • May employ some high-level technical staff who are not graduates of training program
  • Retail location not necessary, if providing only technical support deployed to the business site
  • Higher level of funder-based subsidy, to perform more social purpose such as internships, free tech support, etc.

CHALLENGES

For the organization

  • Establishing appropriate board support and oversight for a social venture
  • Creating a strong business plan before program launch
  • Dedicating resources necessary to complete and evaluate market research
  • Raising funds for program development and launch
  • Hire separate staff to develop and administer a program, without distracting from the organization’s primary mission
  • Anticipating a ramp-up period during which the business will not turn a profit

For the client

  • Compliance with professional behavior and dress standards
  • Lack of confidence and/or work experience in the ICT environment
  • Completion of technical training
  • High level of computer understanding (A+, MCDST, Network+ Certification)

RESOURCES

ELEMENTS OF SUCCESS

  • Mission-relevance: business must be relevant to organization’s mission, stakeholder/funder, community and client needs
  • Double bottom-line: metrics to measure measuring overall financial and social costs and benefits
  • Baseline funding: subsidy from funders for business start-up
  • Market research: assessment of local markets and competition
  • Strong business plan: details products/services, market size, key financials, milestones, staff responsibilities
  • Staff: Administrator (1FTE) whose primary responsibility is running this enterprise; trained, certified technicians (2 FTE) to supervise technical support work

Collaborations

  • Other nonprofits
  • Individuals

Sources of Funding

Contributed

  • Corporations
  • Foundations
  • Government
    • Local (City/County)
    • State
  • Individuals

Earning Income

  • Fees
  • Other earned income