Dear Daniel Di Giusto, could you please introduce yourself briefly and share with us: what is TTTR and what is your work all about?

Yes, sure I am a co-founder of Tech To The Rescue which is a global community of changemakers, dedicated to building impactful pro bono solutions. Our core activity is matching IT companies and non-profit organizations to implement pro bono technology solutions to solve the world’s most pressing problems.

Since we started in 2020, over 1150 tech companies and 580 non-profits have joined us. We found vetted tech partners to provide pro bono IT services to over 160 projects submitted by non-profit organizations. Over 80 of those projects come from the #TechForUkraine campaign.

The projects we supported to date have had an impact on 2 million lives in 25 countries, including Ukraine, Moldova, Germany, Poland, the UK, India and the US. 

TTTR x Ashoka partnership will unlock potential and ignite impact for changemakers who are lagging behind the digital transformation. Can you please share how your matchmaking system works?

Of course! We invite all registered not for profit organizations of any size, any area of operations, and any country of origin to submit their specific projects that might help scale their impact. NGOs don’t need to determine the tech solution itself, but it is crucial for us to know the goal of the project, its estimated impact, and tech requirements (if relevant). 

After the organization fills out the project form we check if they are an officially registered non-profit legal entity in their country of origin. After that we begin to look for the best technological partner. 95% of companies in our network are software houses that specialize in building custom solutions. Thus, most of the projects we engage in require building new products for dedicated organizations.

The majority of our projects are created on a pro bono basis. In case of a very complex and lengthy project, it might happen that the company offers to create a basic product (MVP) on a pro bono basis and then further develop needed features at a discounted hourly rate (low bono basis). It is important to clarify the budget matter in the initial stage of the process.

It depends on the urgency and complexity of the project, but the average time to match is between 1 to 8 weeks. Once we find a potential partner we organize a first call where two parties get to know each other and decide if they want to cooperate. We help in signing an easy contract that protects both sides and we make sure that all the goals are understood. Then they work together and we check in during the process to provide some advice if needed or simply make sure everything goes smoothly!

In Ashoka we believe that technologists and social entrepreneurs can create greater social change through collaboration and conversation. You must have experienced this impact in practice. Can you kindly share your experience with us? 

Society can unite facing hard problems to solve and tremendous discoveries happen while humanity is at the edge of extinction. We observed many times in the past history but especially fresh memories of it resonate from early 2020.

During the first months of the pandemic, technology allowed a huge leap in science providing vaccines for Covid-19 at unprecedented speed. 

Tech To The Rescue initially was also a movement that was ignited by the will of tech entrepreneurs from Central Eastern Europe to do good and support social organizations at the frontiers of fighting pandemic. 

The last situation that is specifically important to us is the mobilization to help Ukrainians and refugees from Ukraine. We observed many different partnerships that included not only social and business partners but also governments or international corporate organizations. All working together to deliver value for those in need.

More and more aspects of our lives are impacted by technology. How do we ensure tech works for the common good & empowers everyone? 

There are a few key elements to be considered. Firstly, we need to make sure that there are partnerships where experts in the field of technology are monitoring the general development of technology and what scenarios are possible - a great example here is overlooking the AI development. 

There also need to be standards for developing technology in a way that it is accessible to many and available to everyone that has access to it.  We need to ensure that there are collaborations between experts in technology solutions and changemakers working on solving global problems. It’s the only way to guarantee that the impact is scalable and efficient.  

Lastly, we can’t forget that there needs to be a proper education to make it simple to enter the tech world and as a next step make the digitalization process faster. 

What does a world where Everyone is a Changemaker mean to you? 

No matter where we come from – we can make a positive influence on the reality around us. It all starts in us, in our hearts and minds. 

Good will and simple acts of good are the first steps to changing reality in our surroundings. Small things, like being kind to one another, a simple thank you or smile ignite positive reactions. That’s the first impact we can make on others – showing appreciation or providing help with basic things. 

What’s even more powerful is our ability to listen and hear, trying to understand different perspectives. If we do that there is a high chance that others will follow and the good will be multiplied. And this allows the connection with others to happen. To move the masses and lead the change this very basic connection is crucial.