Hena Doba:
Welcome back to chedHER, brought to you by JPMorgan Chase, the bank that advances women everywhere.
Nora Ali:
Well, according to Charity Digital News, 72% of nonprofits believe tech would help them deliver their strategy more effectively, but 49% of nonprofits still don't have the basic skills and technology to operate efficiently. Tech for Social Good is a suite of programs at JPMorgan Chase, on a mission to innovate the social sector. Force for Good is a program that allows employees to come up with tech solutions for nonprofits. Joining us now is Maddie Hutchinson, Program Manager at Tech for Social Good at JPMorgan Chase.
Hena Doba:
Hello Maddie.
Maddie H.:
Hello.
Nora Ali:
Yes, thank you so much for joining us.
Maddie H.:
Thank you for having me.
Nora Ali:
Okay. Give us the inside scoop on this Force for Good program. What is it and who can participate?
Maddie H.:
Sure. Force for Good is one of our skilled volunteerism programs here at JPMorgan Chase that we allow our tech employees the opportunity to spend about 10% of their work week over an eight month project cycle, building out tech solutions for nonprofits. We really take on a variety of different projects, but it's a really cool opportunity for first year technologists at JPMorgan Chase who are just getting used to their careers as a software developer, to participate on these project teams with more experienced technologists who kind of help guide and mentor them along the way to ensure that we have a product that's sustainable and maintainable for our clients.
Hena Doba:
So Maddie, what are some of the tech needs and changes that nonprofits face and how does your program aim to help?
Maddie H.:
Yeah, so as you can probably imagine, there's a big gap between the wealth and resources for technology in the for profit sector and the non for profit sector. So we really try to bridge that gap. A lot of nonprofits come to us with very operational challenges that they are doing very manual processes to solve, such as tracking in spreadsheets or using emails to blast out hundreds of newsletters every day. So our aim is to really help them find technology that's not only going to help them better process all their wants and needs, but also being able to sustain and maintain the solution after we step away.
Maddie H.:
We know that a lot of these nonprofits aren't technical, so being able to really find a product that's already existing on the market that's really easy for nontechnical organizations to use, is really our main focus.
Nora Ali:
Do you have some specific examples of some of the projects some of your partners have worked on and who are the nonprofits you've been working with?
Maddie H.:
Definitely. We really take on a variety of different projects for clients. We do a lot of databases to help them track their donors or volunteers, app development, websites, data analytics projects. But one project that was really cool that we just wrapped up was with a organization in San Francisco called Money Study, and they're doing a lot to help low income students in high school to fill out the FAFSA forms, to get the financial aid that they need to go to college.
Maddie H.:
So our team was able to build an app that walks the students through that process step-by-step so that they can more effectively fill out the application and make sure they're getting access to the thousands of dollars that they need.
Hena Doba:
Now you mentioned some of these amazing projects. This is a unique program, right? So how do both employees and employers benefits from this?
Maddie H.:
Definitely. We kind of see it as like a win, win, win actually. A win for our clients as they're getting access to technology that maybe they otherwise wouldn't have had access to. Our employees are not only giving back in their skills, but learning new skills as well on the program, so being able to work with an external client, learn project management, even being able to learn new technologies that maybe they don't use at their day jobs at Chase. And then obviously as JPMorgan Chase, it's an opportunity for our employees to give back at work. We really see that as a great opportunity to build a culture of giving back and social good, which we really feel is in our DNA in order to invest in the communities where we are.
Nora Ali:
What are some of the major skills that you think you've learned personally from this role?
Maddie H.:
You know, it's funny, with a finance background, I was a little apprehensive to take on a job in technology, but one of the coolest things I think I've learned is just the whole product development process. Being able to see how they constantly get feedback, iterate based off of that feedback, and deliver something with the client in mind has been really helpful.
Hena Doba:
Maddie, how do you bring together major tech players to make such a positive impact? I imagine it being challenging. Am I wrong?
Maddie H.:
Definitely. We know at JPMorgan Chase, we can't do this alone. There's a lot of people in this Tech for Good space, so we've started convene major players in this space such as Amazon, Salesforce, Twilio, to come together and really find ways that we can collaborate and really make an impact in moving the needle to promote social good and help nonprofits further their impact.
Nora Ali:
Is this where you thought you'd be in your career, in technology and social good? Is this what you had pictured for yourself?
Maddie H.:
Never, but I'm so happy it's where I am. It's a great mix between the two, being able to do something I love and giving back at such an awesome organization.
Hena Doba:
All right. Thank you so much. Maddie Hutchinson, Program Manager, Tech for Social Good at JPMorgan Chase.
Nora Ali:
And of course, JPMorgan Chase is committed to lifting up communities through the power of people and technology. Learn more on jpmorganchase.com/techforsocialgood.
Hena Doba:
And that's going to do it for today's chedHER, brought to you by JPMorgan Chase. We'll be back next Friday, 9:30 AM. Stay with us for more of Opening Bell, up next.
