Help Techlabs Educate the next Generation of Digital Shapers

What is Techlabs?

TechLabs is a globally acting non-profit organisation led by volunteers that builds and offers free cohort-based learning programs in technology skills: Web Development, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence & UX Design.

Our programs follow a blended learning approach comprised of a self-learning phase and a project phase where students apply their learnings together as a group. The courses are part-time and the work usually takes place in evenings and on weekends.

Anyone can participate in our programs. Two of our main target groups are students and professionals who participate alongside their studies or main occupation.

Our programs are currently offered in nine locations: Aachen, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Dortmund & Ruhr area, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Münster, Rotterdam, as well as online through the Remote Bootcamp. Between all Techlabs locations, we have educated over 2000 students since 2018 – all through the power of volunteering and a passion for tech education.

We believe that every person, regardless of their background, should have access to digital education and that this will create a better future for all of us. Do you believe the same?

What is this funding campaign about?

We are crowdfunding for the entity called Techlabs Global, which is the connective tissue between the individual Techlabs locations, the ‘mothership’ so to speak. We supply the software infrastructure, learning materials, and we own the Techlabs brand which is licensed to the individual Techlabs locations.

At Techlabs Global, we also offer the Remote Bootcamp where 100+ participants from over 20 different countries learn tech skills every year. In 2022 & 2023 we also organised a conference where we brought together interested people from all walks of life to learn more about tech.

By supporting this campaign you directly support the Remote Bootcamp and enable us to plan another conference in 2025. Both initiatives contribute directly to our mission of creating more Digital Shapers.

The funding will also indirectly help stabilise the Techlabs eco-system because it will help us maintain the infrastructure, communication channels and documentation for all the Techlabs locations (which each are their own non-profit organisations).

How else can you support?

Volunteering & mentoring: At TechLabs we are always looking for motivated helpers & mentors. If you have a professional background in Web Development, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence or UX Design check out our volunteer page to find locations that are looking for mentors or volunteers.

Sponsoring: Become a sponsor for our next Digital Shaper Summit! Click here for more information.

--------------------------

FAQ

1. How did Techlabs finance itself before this campaign?

In the past, we mostly financed ourselves by partnering up with companies who supported us financially in exchange for visibility. This year finding sponsors has been difficult. We need to act now so that we don’t run out of cash soon. The purpose of the crowdfunding campaign is to make sure we can continue operations uninterrupted, while we are also looking for sponsors to help us with the conference in 2025.

We also partially finance ourselves through membership fees of our volunteers – yes, our volunteers work without compensation and even pay a small fee to support the cause!

2. What exactly will happen with the money?

Running a non-profit in Germany is not easy, nor cheap. We need to pay our tax accountant as well as keep a buffer to pay the tax office (Finanzamt). We have some insurance costs we need to cover at the start of the next year as well. And even though we get to use a lot of software for free due to our amazing partners, we need to cover some running costs for software such as Zoom, Typeform, and EasyVerein.

3. What happens if we overfund?

5000€ will get us operational stability at least for the next 6 months. If we get more than 5000€, we can maintain that stability even longer and also spend some of the money to directly improve the educational experience of our participants by providing better-quality, paid learning contents.

4. Do you have paid employees at Techlabs?

No. Everyone, both at Techlabs Global as well as at the individual Techlabs locations is a volunteer and works 100% for free for the cause.

5. Can I get a donation receipt (Spendenbescheinigung) for my donation?

Unfortunately, we are currently in the process of getting our non-profit status acknowledged by the tax authorities in Germany (Gemeinnützigkeit). We need the non-profit status in order to give out donation receipts, so the answer is currently no.

https://www.techlabs.org/