Customer-Centric Approach to Effective Tech Pro Bono

Today every organization needs technology to succeed and scale and yet, a digital divide still exists for the nonprofit sector, primarily due to constrained resources, so they are unable to fully realize the benefits of technology. At VMware, we are committed to equipping and strengthening the operational capacity of social sector organizations as they take on some of our world’s most challenging and complex issues.

Whether you are a person working in technology, for a nonprofit, leading a company engagement program, or a donor, we invite you to discover how we can co-create solutions for a brighter future. Together, through our collective impact, we can advance the direction of technology pro bono and bridge the growing technology divide.

Getting Started


The Taproot Foundation and VMware Foundation collaborated in 2017 to explore how we can better address social sector needs with pro bono technical talent. Through Transforming Technology Pro Bono, we introduced the Solution Development Framework, a customer-centric approach to Discover, Design, Implement, and Maintain successful tech pro bono projects.

The research continued through 2019 with the release of Transforming Technology Pro Bono, a compilation of practical resources that pro bono consultants and nonprofit staff can use to maximize the impact of technology by ensuring the solutions are useful and sustainable. In the blue box, you’ll find the guide as well as a few other helpful resources for getting started with your pro bono programming.

Tech Pro Bono in Action: Good Gigs Projects


In May 2018, the VMware Foundation launched Good Gigs Projects, a program that leverages Transforming Technology Pro Bono as the theoretical framework and invites VMware people to apply their pro bono talents to co-create a sustainable solution with a nonprofit of their choice. The program enables the technology, processes, and people it needs to thrive and serves as leadership development opportunity for employees to embody VMware’s Leadership Code.