Nonprofit Tech Support Program Connects Computer Science Students to Community Work
By Greta Kerkhoff
The Casey Feldman Foundation Nonprofit Tech Support Program funds internships for computer science students seeking real-world experience and, in doing so, allows small nonprofits to get tech assistance without cost.
Tyler Arboretum, located in Delaware County, Pennsylvania operates as a nonprofit. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Arboretum struggled to bring folks in, creating a need to interact with the community more digitally.
Rachel Keane, the digital media and marketing manager for the arboretum explained that the website exploded with new pages and content, expanding in a way that wasn’t organized for users.
Through the Nonprofit Tech Support Program, Tyler Arboretum was able to have a student, under the guidance of a university professor, update their website to meet their needs.
Amaya Raye, a senior computer science major at Villanova University, was contacted by a professor about the opportunity. Within a few short weeks, she began working alongside Keane to implement her ideas for the website.
In the spring, Raye was searching for summer work opportunities, but wasn’t sure what she wanted to do with her computer science degree.
“I did not know what I wanted to do, and this has kind of guided me, in the right direction, I do want to go into user experience [or] user interface design,” she said.
Kathleen Malone, an instructor in the Computing Sciences department at Villanova University, served as a mentor for Raye throughout the project. Stating, “It was a perfect opportunity for her to get some experience.”
Throughout the updates, Raye had the freedom to make suggestions and work alongside Keane to make them a reality. Throughout the project she focused on reorganizing pages and user accessibility.
“I just think it’s necessary to always kind of keep up with aesthetics as time goes on, because things are always changing,” she said, “Users’ needs are always changing. What was working back then may not be working now.”
The experience has left a positive mark on the arboretum. Keane spoke about the ease of navigating the updated website for customers, “Finding the information they need or sharing it with other people, and it just makes it easier for them to come to Tyler,” she said.
Similar to many nonprofits, Keane wears many hats in her role such as the website, social media, and all marketing. This can make it hard for updates to happen. “It can really be helpful to have someone come in from the outside and say, I can take this off your plate, and we can make it really good,” she said.
Malone agreed, stating the experience was just as beneficial for Amaya, “a student’s first internship experience is often hard to get, so a lot of internships and jobs will ask for students who already have experience,” she said, “At Villanova, our mission is service to the community, where we can get our students to go out and provide service, and also, at the same time, get some experience and a little money.”
Dianne Anderson from the Casey Feldman Foundation said “We love this program and view it as a win-win. The non-profit benefits and the student benefits by gaining experience and perhaps also encouraged to do more non-profit work in the future.”The Casey Feldman Foundation Nonprofit Tech Support Program is looking to support other students and Nonprofits. Nonprofits seeking to find out more about the program can e-mail [email protected]
