TUGG: Where We’re Headed

Written by elizabeth dobrska , Executive Director, TUGG.

Hi, my name is Elizabeth Dobrska. I’m TUGG’s new Executive Director. Nice to meet you!

I’m beyond excited to be at the helm of one of the most innovative organizations at the intersection of tech and social impact in the country. TUGG has made a major impact in its relatively short time in existence. The organization was started by a small group of friends — Jeff Fagnan, Hemant Taneja, Dana Samuels, among others — over a few bottles of wine and has grown into a community of thousands.

TUGG has raised over $1 million for local startup nonprofits like Resilient Coders and InnerCity Weightlifting, helped groom the region’s latest generation of social entrepreneurs, and inspired the tech community to perform thousands of hours of volunteer work. It’s a remarkable achievement that an organization this small has had such an outsize impact on the Boston community. And we’re just getting started.

This is me! Feel free to say hi at any event you see me at and/or reach out elizabeth[at]tugg[dot]org or @dobrska.

A Bit About Me

I joined TUGG because I want to be a part of a movement focused on social impact and disruption for the benefit of the greater good. Nonprofits that I was already involved with and cared about had been catalyzed by TUGG, some of my favorite events in the tech community were organized by TUGG… all roads led to TUGG. I believe that in ways big and small we all have the power to make a difference in our community and TUGG embodies that belief.

I’m a people person who loves to learn. Most of what I’ve learned, I’ve learned by doing. A Jill-of- all-trades, scrappy with resources (probably due to my immigrant upbringing), and an eternal optimist — I’ve never been afraid to roll up my sleeves. My perfect storm of experience in the startup, nonprofit, and venture capital sectors, is what gives me the perspective to help TUGG’s nonprofits succeed and think differently about their businesses.

Prior to joining TUGG as Program Director in 2016, I worked at Bolt where I received a hands-on education into the realities of running a successful startup and fund. Among other things, I ran marketing and events for both Bolt and its portfolio companies so I understand the value of branding in creating buzz and driving engagement.

More than anything else, though, I care about impact and improving our communities. At TUGG I’m taking traditional philanthropy and flipping it on its head. The tech community plays by its own rules and I’m pumped to work within those parameters to get my peers excited about paying it forward. Because when tech gives back, everyone wins.

TUGG’s mission is twofold: we’re the nonprofit arm of Boston’s tech community and we’re one of the only local funders of experimental, youth-focused social enterprises.

Community First

Rapid7 volunteering at Tech Gives Back last year.

First, we want to harness the tech community’s energy and channel it into social innovation. We are going to pilot various ways to take a programmatic approach to a sustainable future and make it easy for Boston’s greatest companies to do good.

People outside our sector watch shows like Silicon Valley and see the tech community stereotyped as either socially inept weirdos in hoodies or relentless, though thoroughly vapid, investors and executives. But I know better.

Our tech community has a big . TUGG’s job is to make it as easy as possible for individuals and companies to give back to their community and catalyze social entrepreneurship — whether it’s through Tech Gives Back, TUGG Makes Boston, Pledge 1% Boston or through one of our many other engagement opportunities.

To better connect with the TUGG community, we will be kickstarting some initiatives aimed at empowering you to recommend nonprofits that should work with TUGG. We want you to be invested in the nonprofits within our portfolio and want to give you a voice in the selection process. TUGG’s portfolio criteria will remain the same.

First $$$ In

Me with Resilient Coders’ Founder David Delmar. TUGG was the first check in Resilient Coders.

The second priority for TUGG is to foster innovation within the nonprofit sector. Simply put, we want to be the first check that New England’s most innovative social entrepreneurs receive. Social entrepreneurs are no different than business leaders and should be treated as such. While traditional foundations do an incredible job of supporting mature nonprofits, there is a huge gap that needs to be filled. We want to back local organizations with life-changing ideas that other funders deem too risky.

We’ll do this because we understand what it’s like to pour all of your heart, soul, and savings into a project and be rejected because your business model isn’t “proven.” If the tech sector knows one thing to be true, it’s that often the biggest successes come from challenging and disrupting traditional models, often unproven from the start. We root for the moonshots.

We’re already in the process of developing resources specifically for social entrepreneurs so they can learn the benefits of operating like a lean startup. We’re in a unique position to provide insights and resources to social entrepreneurs and are going to do everything we can to help them succeed.

Learning by Osmosis

Early next year, we’ll be launching a pilot for our Nonprofit-In-Residence Program. It’s an ambitious program aimed at drawing out the benefits of embedding social entrepreneurs within a highly successful tech company. The benefits go both ways. Social entrepreneurs will learn by osmosis; simply being in a fast-paced office and seeing how a successful business is operated is hugely beneficial to nonprofit leaders. The companies that choose to be hosts will be able to take an active role in improving their community and engaging their employees from within. Interested in having your company participate? Let me know!

What We’re Made Of

My goals as Executive Director of TUGG are to grow our community and help the organization become an even greater catalyst for social innovation within the nonprofit sector.

I want to make it easy for you, Boston tech, to give back, get involved and support the burgeoning movement of social entrepreneurship.

At a time when communities seem more divided than ever, TUGG will strive to bring together Boston’s most dynamic business professionals under a common goal for good. We will do this through the same qualities that have made Boston one of the top cities in the world: a refusal to accept norms, hard work, and the desire to lead by example.

Let’s show the world what Boston tech’s made of!

TUGG (Technology Underwriting Greater Good)

Written by

TUGG harnesses the power of the tech ecosystem to source, fund, and grow programs that promote entrepreneurship, education, and life experiences for youth.

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