WIMPgives: Paying it Forward

On November 1, 2014, WIMP volunteers donated $75K worth of services to local nonprofits

About two years ago, the Wimptators and I were sitting in our office brainstorming. We had done a great job up to that point making WIMP known as the go-to community for web and digital media industry professionals in Sonoma County, but we knew something was missing. We lacked a connection between our group and the outside world.

We knew what we wanted:

• To give our members an opportunity to collaborate with one another
• To let the outside world know who we are as an organization and just how much talent there is in our local industry
• To challenge and grow our skills by putting them to the test under pressure
• To genuinely make a difference in the community

And so WIMPgives, our annual ‘charity hackathon’, was born.

It’s impossible to quantify the impact these websites, and the relationships these projects catalyzed, will continue to make on an ongoing basis.

Last weekend we held our second WIMPgives. We had over 50 volunteers (twice as many as last year) donate 750+ collective hours building seven websites for Northern California nonprofits in one day. It was impressive to witness on so many levels.

This event has become something so near and dear to my heart - easily one of the highlights of my year. Since it brings together individuals who normally don’t work together, it’s very interesting to study the dynamics of the teams.

I loved seeing those members who are role models and trend-setters taking charge and inspiring and leading their teams.

I loved seeing people who normally work in isolation realize they do know their craft in comparison to others in the group.

I loved seeing the teams’ apprentices hold their own, gaining the confidence they need to attack their next project.

I am both humbled and awed by the genuine generosity and desire to give these amazing nonprofits the tools and knowledge they need to continue to effectively make a difference for the communities that they serve. It’s impossible to quantify the impact these websites, and the relationships these projects catalyzed, will continue to make on an ongoing basis.

While I’m always flattered when people thank us for making the event possible, we wouldn’t be anywhere without the folks that stepped up to brave the challenge and take time out of their lives to work so hard and not expect a darn thing in return.

Here are the websites completed during this year’s WIMPgives:

• Nuestra Voz Lideres del Valle de Sonoma: http://www.nuestravozsonoma.org
• La Raza Centro Legal: http://www.lrcl.org
• Foodies Project: http://foodiesproject.com
• Wallace House: http://wallacehouse.org
• Migrant Education Advisor Program: http://kvfv.org/meap
• Mission Atletica: http://www.missionatletica.org
• Slow Food Russian River: http://www.slowfoodrussianriver.org

A massive thank you to everyone who helped make this day possible: each one of our project managers, designers, developers, marketers, content specialists, apprentices, photographers, film-makers, crew and fellow organizers.

A special thanks to our sponsors including Monster Gardens, SoCo Nexus, 1 Day Web Designer, O’Reilly Media, Beaver Builder, Mr. Pickle’s Sandwich Shop, VOM Productions, WIMPspace, and especially TriNet and Pantheon who swooped in at the last minute to feed all of our volunteers breakfast and dinner!

Photo credits: Arken Studios