Our vision is to strengthen the technology ecosystem for the social sector.
When we talk about building capacity or strengthening the ecosystem, one of the most direct ways is by bringing more senior technology talent into the social sector. There is a clear need for experienced technologists who can help organizations navigate technology, data, and AI more effectively. With this in mind, we designed the Technology Leadership Development Cohort, through which we aim to attract, support, and retain senior technology professionals in the sector.
The design of the cohort is as follows:
- Tech leaders are embedded with an assigned NGO for a period of 12 months on a full-time basis.
- The engagement is primarily remote, supplemented by quarterly field visits to the NGO office/field.
- We subsidize two-thirds of the cost of each tech leader, with the remaining one-third contributed by the NGO partner.
- Throughout the engagement, tech leaders receive ongoing mentorship and support from Tech4Dev’s Fractional CxOs.
Through an open call for applications, we received strong interest from both experienced technology professionals looking to transition into the social sector and NGOs seeking senior technology leadership.
We received the applications for both – candidates went through a rigorous hiring process and discussions were setup with NGOs to understand their technology needs, leadership commitment, and financial readiness for the program.
Based on these conversations, we matched candidates and NGOs by considering their interests, experience, working styles, and preferences to maximize the likelihood of a successful engagement.
This week, we officially kicked off the cohort with an in-person onboarding for the first seven technology leaders.
We had an energising start to the cohort by having the tech leaders in the same room, interacting with one another, and hearing their curiosity about the sector, how it works, what to expect and what not to expect. There was a lot of excitement, thoughtful discussion, and eagerness to begin the journey. Krishnan S, head of strategy and partnerships at Janaagraha and Murugan Vasudevan, CEO of Veddis Foundation spoke about their experiences in the social sector and answered many questions from the cohort. Their sessions were particularly valuable in helping participants understand the realities of working in the sector, navigate common challenges, and learn from years of firsthand experience.
The engagements officially begin this week. We have put in place a governance structure, regular check-ins, and support mechanisms to help the tech leaders navigate their transition into the social sector. Like any new initiative, we expect to learn along the way, and we will continue to evolve and refine the cohort based on our experiences and feedback from both the tech leaders and NGO partners.
