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PHILANTHROPY NEWS DIGEST
Vol. 6
Issue 17
April 25, 2000
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Site:
OpNet
URL:
http://www.opnetwork.org/
Mission:
"To create significant economic opportunities in the new media industry for low-income young adults."
Purpose of Site:
The OpNet site offers a comprehensive look at the organization's recruitment and training program and offers information to prospective trainees and companies seeking to hire OpNet interns. Information about volunteering or making a donation to the OpNet is also available.
Main Office:
OpNet
A Project of LEAP, Inc
965 Mission Street #750
San Francisco CA, 94103
Tel: (415) 882-1555
Fax: (415) 882-1554
Chief Executive Officer:
Dan Geiger
Organization Description:
OpNet was founded when friends E. David Ellington, founder of multimedia service company NetNoir, and Dan Geiger of the San Francisco-based Local Economic Assistance Program decided to organize a program to help minorities get involved in the digital revolution. Through an intensive instructional program, and internship placement, OpNet trains disadvantaged youth between the ages of 17 and 24 in basic technology areas such as JavaScript and HTML. Trainees are also instructed in professional phone manners and in appropriate dress codes. Because many startup positions offer stock options, OpNet also teaches trainees how to make investments and manage their accounts.
The successful program currently places 80 percent of trainees in internships, with 55 percent of trainees ultimately obtaining full-time positions. OpNet's model is now being sought in communities nationwide and the organization is working on setting up an outreach program for communities seeking their own OpNet. You can read E. David Ellington's account of starting the organization in a recent article on Entreworld.org, "Giving Resources to Create Wealth."
Home Page:
OpNet's well-designed home page expresses the organization's technologically advanced side while simultaneously evoking its positive community message and mission. Visitors are greeted by changing photographs of OpNet's training program and can easily navigate to other areas of the site by simply clicking the clearly labeled buttons.
Outstanding Feature:
The site's
OpNet Stories section shares the success stories of OpNet trainees who used the skills gained from the program to land a competitive position in new media.
Honorable Mention:
Watch a news clip and view snapshots of Al Gore's recent visit to OpNet in the section highlighting the ways OpNet exemplifies succesful nonprofit efforts to help bridge the digital divide — Al Gore Visit .
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