Coders For Charities

Please note that registration is currently closed for the 2010 C4C event. We have received registrations for the maximum number of charities and participants for this event, and many thanks to those who will be volunteering this year! Please stay tuned for information on the 2011 event!

 

Questions Charities Ask:

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Q: So let me get this straight. You will devote an entire weekend with a team of developers and designers working round the clock on OUR organization's web site, database, or online application, and this is all free to us? Surely you can't be serious...?

A: Well we are serious, and don't call us Shirley. We do this to give back to our community, and make Kansas City a better place. We have the skills to bring to the table, and we're willing to demonstrate them and we want to see them used to help worthwhile organizations and make Kansas City a great place to live and work. Web teams get some great portfolio and resume material, interaction with other professionals, and a chance to improve our skills, working with people outside our normal "comfort zone." Plus, we love to see the end result put to good use. There's free food, vitaminwater, and caffeine. And Rock Band. We don't need sleep anyway!
  

Q: What is required of me (charity representative) during the weekend?

A: We need you (or a decision-making member of your staff) to be present as much as possible during the weekend, particularly early in the process (Friday night) as we work up requirements and specifics, and on Sunday afternoon (when finished sites are unveiled and the awards distributed). You don't have to sleep on the floor, though -- we'll let you come back into the building at all times during the weekend to work with us. The main requirement is your willingness to be available and "on call" while we work on your project, in case questions arise. You'll need to give us a cell phone number and other contact information so we can reach you as needed if you're not in the building at the moment something comes up.
 

Q: Once the event is over, what happens?

A: The work done on your behalf becomes yours. We'll give you the files and the assets from the work we complete, and you can implement your new site right away. It would be great if we could deploy your site "live" during the weekend, but that's not necessarily the way it works -- there will definitely be some work for your organization to do (dealing with hosting, email, etc.) once the code and design are complete.

 

Questions Developers Ask:

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Q: I'm a beginner / I'm just learning / I'm not a powerful programmer / I don 't write code in my sleep / I want to help but don't know an enormous amount about web development!

A: That's OK. We'll ask you to be honest with us about your skills as we divide volunteers into different teams. There are plenty of computers, chairs, and labs in the building -- so we'll assign you to a team and a role that best fits your level of skill. You may work on  a variety of "pieces" in your team, or you may have one critical chunk to do. Either way, we'll do our best to match you up with the project that fits you.
 

Q: I only do .NET / I only do Java / I'm a SQL Server or Oracle guru / I can't code but I can design with Adobe products like Flash or Fireworks / I'm HTML-only / I take great pictures / I edit video / I write everything in regular expressions / my life is a JavaScript function / I design valid forms / I am a great proofreader -- etc.

A: Excellent! We are not completely platform- or language-specific with this project. We will work with your skills but you have to tell us what they are! Each web site or online application may have unique requirements, so we are very flexible. A lot of this will happen during Friday night's "requirements gathering" and will be fleshed out as we draw up specifications for each team's project.
 

Q: I can put in some serious hours including late Friday night / part of Saturday / Sunday late morning / etc. because I have a kids' soccer game / prior commitment / breakfast date / car malfunction / medical emergency on Friday / Saturday / Sunday. Can I still participate?

A. The key to making this event work well is the level of commitment by each team member. We also aren't in the prison business, and we understand you have a life. So we'll do the best we can to work with your schedule of availability. We realize you're dedicating time to the cause and want you to be comfortable doing that -- so just make sure your team leader knows "up front" on Friday night when you will be available or out of the building. We'll take the hours you have and make them work. Just be honest with us so we don't over-commit anyone.

More questions? Ask away...

info@coders4charities.org