Benetech

Three short years ago, the idea for SocialCoding4Good began forming at OSCON, O’Reilly’s annual open source conference. When we presented SocialCoding4Good at last year’s OSCON, we were struck by the number of people who shared their own experiences contributing to global Humanitarian Free and Open Source Software (HFOSS) projects. It’s time for us to take the next step, and support this growing contributor community. To that end, we’re thrilled to officially introduce our new Developer Community Manager, Emma Irwin. In Portland? Meet Emma Irwin in person at OSCON this week.

Information technology organizations seeking to redefine the idea of service in the digital age can learn from Benetech and CEO Jim Fruchterman, argues business and technology magazine CIO Insight. In a story titled “Creating the IT Organization of the Future,” author Charles Araujo highlights Benetech’s social enterprise business model and names Fruchterman a “Digital Renaissance Man.”

In June, at the company’s Mountain View headquarters and in Hyderabad, India, dozens of Google employees participated in SocialCoding4Good events through this year’s GoogleServe, an annual volunteer service where Googlers come together to give back to their communities. In particular, Benetech is thrilled that they were able to contribute their skills to help advance accessibility for students with print disabilities.

Legislative staffers appreciate hearing from Benetech in our role as a Silicon Valley technology-for-good pioneer. Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to join Benetech CEO Jim Fruchterman and VP of Human Rights Enrique Piracés in Washington, DC, for a series of meetings with Congressional staffers to present Benetech’s Human Rights Program and its role supporting the global human rights community. We also briefed members of the press who were interested to learn about our human rights work.

10X: ten times the impact. That’s what’s been on my mind lately. How can our existing successful programs reach ten times more people? How can we use technology in a new way to improve people’s lives that is an order of magnitude better? Can we help stimulate the creation of far more technology-for-good ventures? At Benetech, we want to help lead the charge into a future where the advantages of digital information touch the lives of all people, not just of the richest and most able five percent of humanity. As always, I’m delighted to share the latest Benetech highlights as we work on these ambitious 10X dreams!