Category Archives: Women in Technology

Black Geek Girl Series: Top Charitable Giving Applications of 2014

Tis the season for giving!  The holiday season is not just a time of shopping and opening presents.  In many households, doing good for charity and donating to philanthropic causes is an important part of celebrating the Winter Holiday Season.  Technology has made charitable giving all the more easy.  My top 5 charitable giving apps for 2014 appeal to many different types of users, but all make a huge impact.

1) I Can Go Without (iOS only)

I Can Go WithoutI Can Go Without is a Canadian micro-fundraising app that encourages you to reduce consumption and give what you save to people in need.

  • Whenever you feel like you can skip routine expenses, such as coffee or an iTunes download, you can use the “I Can Go Without” app to create small pledges, which are then converted into donations to charity partners such as Thirst Relief and Oxfam. The idea is to funnel some of the capital Americans spend on tiny, negligible purchases into more lasting causes

2) Charity Miles (iOS and Android)

CharityMilesLogoCharity Miles is an exercise app that works double-time, tracking mileage and raising money for different causes. All users need to do is turn up the volume and go.
By using your smartphone’s GPS to track your time, distance and impact, Charity Miles allows people to earn corporate sponsorship for charity whenever they walk, run or bike. Users select a charity before they begin exercising, and each step they take pledges a certain amount of money from a corporate donorship pool to the fund of their choosing

3) Check-in for Good  (iOS and Android)

CheckInfor GoodCheck-in for Good is a location-based mobile solution connecting individuals and their social networks with companies in order to (1) simplify cause fundraising and (2) generate new customers for local businesses. Check-in for Good is a system of online and mobile tools that leverages the power of groups through emerging mobile, social and location-based technology.
Receive exclusive offers from participating businesses when you check in.
Browse a list of causes, choose as few or as many as you want to support or add your own cause.
Choose to see the businesses that are supporting your causes.
Privacy settings are available (i.e. delayed check in notifications).
No personal information is shared about you at any time

4) VolunteerMatch (iOS only)

VolunteerMatchVolunteerMatch for iPhone is a pro bono collaboration with imc2, a Dallas-based brand engagement agency.
If you have an iPhone, VolunteerMatch makes it easy to make a difference.
Our iPhone app, available for free in the App Store and on iTunes, puts the power of our award-winning website into your pocket.
You can search for the perfect way to make a difference even while you’re on the run. VolunteerMatch for iPhone includes opportunities from over 99,232 participating organizations. All your favorite nonprofits are here.

5) Donate A Photo (iOS and Android)

JohnsonJohnson2_-Logo-640x375Johnson & Johnson has curated a list of trusted causes, and for every photo you share through Donate a Photo, Johnson & Johnson gives $1 to the cause you want to help. That $1 does things like fix up a public park, get medicine for an infant, or help kids play sports safely. Each cause will receive a minimum donation and will appear in the app until its donation period ends or its goal is reached.
Your photo raises awareness:  When you share your photo, you spread the word about causes that need help, and you and your friends can help those causes meet their goals.
Your photos add up: You can donate one photo every day. Those days turn into weeks, months, and years. And you can see all the causes your photos have helped, and how
Your photo can inspire others: Share a picture that means something to you, chances are it’ll mean something to your friends, too. And the more photos you inspire, the more awareness you’ll raise.

Geek Girl Tech-Rec Video: Apps You Can’t Live without

I sat down with Rain Pryor and Priya Sridhar to discuss mobile apps that everyone should have to make life easier.  This segment aired on Arise TV’s, Arise and Shine morning show on November 23rd, 2014. Segment produced by Arlene Wilkinson.

Geek Girl Tech-Rec Video: Hook-up Apps

My on-air expert appearance to review my recommendations on the top “hook-up” mobile apps for 2014.  This segment aired on October 26, 2014 on  Arise TV’s, Arise and Shine weekend program. Produced by Arlene Wilkinson.

 

 

Sitting in the (NCWIT) Red Chair celebrating Women in Tech

If I haven’t mentioned it before, I’d like to remind you that I am a Tech babe for life!  For years I honed my skills as a programmer (certified by Java and Oracle) while employed by some of the best companies in the world. My apps were stellar (if I do say so myself) and clients were always happy.  However, as a young programmer, I’d look around and see very few female programmers, and even fewer people of color venturing into the world of technology.  Today, I’m so excited to be co-developing some really exciting initiatives to improve the pipeline of women and underserved minorities in technology. More to come on my technology initiatives in future posts….

Carla Franklin sitting in the NCWIT Red Chair

Carla Franklin sitting in the NCWIT Red Chair

The red chair in the photo above is part of the NCWIT Red Chair campaign to support and improve opportunities for Women in Technology.  Current data on the issue shows that NCWIT’s campaign is urgently needed.  Consider the following data published by the University of Buffalo in February, 2014:

  • Women make up nearly half of the workforce, yet they held only one quarter of all technology and computing jobs in 2011, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
  • In 2008, women earned more than half — 57 percent — of all bachelor’s degrees, but only 18 percent of the degrees awarded in computer and information science, down from 37 percent in 1985, the National Center for Women & Information Technology reported in its “By the Numbers 2009.”
  • According to a study by the Center for Work-Life Policy, 74 percent of women in technology report “loving their work,” yet 56 percent leave their careers at the “mid-level” point — more than double the quit rate for men. And they’re leaving not because of family obligations, but because they’re dissatisfied with their jobs.
  • Only 10 percent of corporate officer positions and 11 percent of board of directors’ positions at Fortune 500 technology companies were held by women, according to the 2008 census of corporate officers and top earners of Fortune 500 companies by Catalyst, a nonprofit devoted to expanding opportunities for women and business.

I hope that more women (and men) join me in this red chair.

My 2014 SXSW Interactive Session Spotlight: Feminism 2.0

Carla Franklin - SXSW InteractiveSpecial thanks to the SXSW committee, and to Megan Simpson for writing such an amazing SXSW Spotlight Post about me and my SXSW Interactive panel, Feminism 2.0: Technology and Women’s Empowerment.  Read more below….

“Former Java programmer and cybercrimes advocate, Carla Franklin, is a woman on a mission. Immensely passionate about technology and social media, she believes it holds great power to transform and empower women globally. On Monday, March 10th, she’ll host a panel at the 2014 SXSW Interactive Festival titled, “Feminism 2.0 – Technology and Women’s Empowerment.”

 

SXSW: Tell us more about Feminism 2.0.
Franklin: The feminist movement entered a new era with the emergence of the internet and social media. Key advances in software development and mobile innovation allow women to better balance work and life, further career goals and boost advocacy initiatives. Feminism 2.0 is the evolution of the feminist movement in this high-tech age. By empowering women through digital innovation, feminism today continues to improve opportunities for women worldwide through technology….click here for the full SXSW Spotlight interview.