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The Ruby for Good DC event is an annual event held every year since 2014, based out of the DC-metro area where Ruby programmers from all over the globe get together over a long weekend to build technology solutions in support of nonprofits with meaningful missions that benefit our communities. In-person events consist of hanging out in communal space for a weekend with a bunch of developers and designers to build something vital to mission-driven work. Participants stay in on-site dorms; hacking and socializing takes place in communal areas. However, given travel and gathering restrictions, the 2020 event will be virtual. Join us for a gratifying weekend that is more critical now than ever before! Questions? Check out the FAQ below or send us a note.
Our mission at Ruby for Good is to deliver specialized software development solutions to nonprofit organizations to bolster their critical missions, build an inclusive technology community, and provide technology-focused educational opportunities to underserved communities.
All experience levels are definitely welcome! We have a wide variety of skill levels ranging from beginners, all the way up to very senior gooders, with years of experience, who work at places like Github and Salesforce. The event is as much about learning as it is about building lasting solutions. Groups are very collaborative and you’ll definitely have the opportunity to work closely with others and push a lot of code. :)
Developers, designers, product, and project managers, marketing and website designers are all welcome at Ruby for Good.
You don’t HAVE to be a Ruby programmer but it does help. We’re more than happy to welcome programmers of other languages, especially if you’re interested in learning some Ruby. :)
We partner with nonprofits with missions that are vital to the communities they support and effect change in many different ways from social justice to environmental conservation, and much more. Our Organizers Committee goes through a rigorous process of vetting potential projects and selecting them based on the scope and scale of their missions, and the viability of completion, criticality to mission success, open-source status, and impact on business functions.
Potential projects are those that can be completed in about a weekend, help improve the overall efficiency of a nonprofit, and are open-source, so we can help give back to the tech community as well. Have the beginnings of an idea? Suggest a project!
If you’d like to work with a specific mission or project, recommend one here!
Given the unique needs of communities created by the global pandemic in 2020, this year projects are focused around issues facing local communities and we have some great organizations lined up! We’ll announce project details, including mission-centric teams you can join, around the beginning of August, after registration closes.
During registration we’ll ask if you’d like to lead a team - say yes! We’ll be in touch in mid-to-late August with potential projects. We’ll brief you on expectations and put you in touch with your nonprofit stakeholder so you can work with them in advance of the event to set up project requirements, milestones, and plan the initial set up so you can hit the ground running with your team at the Ruby for Good event. Setup includes creating a GitHub repo under the Ruby for Good GitHub, filing issues, and making some technology suggestions. You can read about the team lead process here.
In general, leading a team entails connecting with stakeholders, initial architecting, planning out project milestones, and keeping your team moving forward. Here’s more information about leading a team from Brandon Rice, a team lead in 2015! Still unsure and want to connect with an organizer to learn more? Send us a note.
- Recommend a project: we are always looking for potential partnerships! Suggest a project!
- Lead a team: a great way to up your skills, especially if you’ve been programming for a while and are eager for the experience of leading a team.
- Donations/Sponsors: we need a lot of support with fundraising! The Ruby for Good event has significant costs associated with it, and we’d like to offer economically priced tickets and low registration fees to those who attend. This is only possible with donations and sponsors! Reach out to your employers to see if they would be willing to help us give back to our community. Here’s more information on sponsorships!
- Attendees: we need developer, designer, UX/UI expertise, along with product and project managers, and marketing gurus!
No, this is definitely not a hackathon!
Ruby for Good events focus on using a specific programming language to build technology solutions toward a clearly articulated goal, working hand-in-hand with nonprofit stakeholders to solve issues and challenges that serve communities in need.
The majority of the fee goes toward event costs. We try to raise as much as possible through sponsorships and donations but that is not always enough to cover the cost of operations, domain purchases, server costs, and swag. The registration fee enables us to break even for the event and more importantly, provides scholarship opportunities for those that would otherwise be unable to attend.
The event is exclusively volunteer driven and fees are not used toward the compensation of anyone involved.
Tickets go on sale to the public on July 13, 2020!
So glad you asked! For insight from former attendees, here are a couple of blog posts written up by past attendees:
We have a limited number of scholarship tickets. Criteria for selection includes a documented financial need, and a short essay. Apply for a scholarship here.
We are proud to have a code of conduct.
Due to COVID-19, the 2020 event will be virtual. We look forward to transitioning back to an in-person event as soon as it is safe to do so.
A big virtual bear hug from all the organizers!