Teresa Valenzuela, Marketing Coordinator, San Diego Futures Foundation

In 1999, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted to outsource all of its computer and telecommunications operations to a private enterprise.

As part of the proposal process, the County Board of Supervisors required all competing entities bidding on the outsourcing contract to include in their proposals an "added value" plan for giving back to the community of San Diego.

The result of the “added value” requirement was the creation of the San Diego Futures Foundation, a nonprofit organization with the purpose of giving back to the citizens of San Diego County. This alliance demonstrates how private/public partnerships can work to meet the needs of the community for the benefit of all involved.

The San Diego Futures Foundation was specifically established to:

·         Ensure all residents of San Diego County have access to IT resources

·         Increase computer literacy

·         Provide computer-related job training to a broader range of county residents

Since its inception, San Diego Futures Foundation has provided computer hardware, software, services, training and technical resources to qualifying residents, disadvantaged small businesses, and nonprofits throughout the county.

One of San Diego Futures Foundation’s core services includes its Computer Donation Program. Each year, the County of San Diego donates roughly 1/3 of its computers to the Foundation. These computers are then re-imaged, re-loaded with new operating systems, and re-distributed, free of charge, to nonprofit organizations for a second life span. Nonprofits often create computer labs within their communities, to serve a diverse variety of people within the local neighborhood. These donations also help to increase organizational capacity and create centers of opportunity by providing access to resources and services that may be beyond their clientele’s current reach.

When refurbished computers are donated, it is not only environmentally-friendly but helps to harness the power of community collaboration and make a greater impact. Whether it’s building confidence, developing job skills, improving communications, or promoting community development, technology helps San Diegan’s achieve their goals. More importantly, it provides hope.

To date computers have been donated to over 1,200 nonprofits and over 53,000 computers have been distributed to Veterans, nonprofit employees, seniors, students, persons with disabilities, and low-income households. In doing so, San Diego Futures Foundation has diverted over 3 million pounds of e-waste from landfills.

For more information or to collaborate, please visit https://sdfutures.org/ or contact Teresa Valenzuela at Teresa@sdfutures.org.