21.07.2020 - Professionalisation is important

demand for IT equipment continues to grow unabated. It is therefore important that the good purpose behind the association can continue in the medium to long term. To this end, I will be dealing with various strategic issues this quarter. As of 1 August, I will no longer be acting alone, but can count on additional help.

Since 1 April, I have invested a lot of passion, time and also my own money in "Wir lernen weiter". I am very satisfied with the result that could be achieved and I see further big challenges for many people with the curriculum 21 and the ongoing digitalisation. For example, the situation in many places is that BYOD (bring your own device) is now also an issue for many vocational schools and upper schools. This also makes sense, but presents many parents with major investments that are not always easy to make. 

Growth in the association

In order to meet this challenge, I will be supported by Anand Weber and Robert Hilty in the association as of 1 August. Both will help on a voluntary basis with the strategic orientation; Anand will also help with the operational business. We expect further growth in the coming weeks in processing, as well as in marketing and service management. This consideration comes from the fact that my resources are also finite and the association now also needs one or two new members. media mention has received. We will then post a short profile of the newcomers here on the blog.

Next target: tax exemption

In order to become more attractive to donors, we must be able to demonstrate the charitable purpose of the association to the outside world within a reasonable period of time. To this end, Anand and I have completely revised the statutes. We will then embed these statutes publicly on the website after the general meeting on 29 July - because transparency is very important to us.

With a tax exemption, donations to "Wir lernen weiter" can be deducted from taxes. This has not been the case so far, but we are on track here so that we can get this application through to the canton of Aargau this year.

Cooperation with municipalities

Until now, it has been possible for each family in need to enter an application on the website itself. As already explained in past blogs, we want to standardise these processes and outsource the decision-making power of individual applications. We are currently working on a framework agreement with municipalities, which will enable a possible application process through them. 

For example, in future the social welfare office of a municipality should be able to write applications itself in order to really help the families who need help. This enables us to qualify upstream, which frees up important resources. We are aware that this represents an additional expense for municipalities, but we are also convinced that there may also be an added benefit here for all parties involved. Every municipality should be interested in well-educated and solvent residents.

The new application process

Procedure:

1. A family or individual in need applies for a laptop via the respective municipality by filling out a form.
2. The municipality examines the application and decides on the further procedure
3. If everything fits, a help ticket is created via the service desk of "Wir lernen weiter".
4. The laptop will be delivered to the needy family.
5. A contribution towards the cost of this service will be conveyed by the municipality.

In the case of cost sharing, it is up to the municipality to decide how much the aid recipient pays and how much the municipality pays. Part of the contract between the municipality and "Wir lernen weiter" will be to clearly specify this cost sharing. 

It is important to us that the unit itself remains free of charge, but that the service for the community and those in need can be paid for. With these contributions towards expenses, we can cover rental costs, pay off shipping costs, professionalise marketing activities, and also collect amounts to provide for further steps. We will also inform you about this accordingly

Outlook for the next half year

Even though the initialisation phase of the above-mentioned collaborations will take a lot of time, we are sure that this is the right way to go. The project represents a "public service" that was raised and provided by a private person. With this reorientation, we can plan better and no longer have to carry decision-making power ourselves, which also helps emotionally. With the cooperation with municipalities, a certain professionalism can also be shown - and this is particularly important to us in this phase. 

In addition to these topics, we are also involved in other business. A small overview of what is coming up in the coming months can be found in the development plan below:

Development plan for the coming quarters

Of course, it is also possible that this plan will be revised again soon. This would not surprise me personally, because the project is currently in the ramp-up phase. However, we are currently moving forward with this "battle plan" and are also open to corrections. 

Participants wanted!

Would you also like to work on this project or do you know someone who could be involved in such a project? Send your CV with a short justification and your areas of expertise to the following address: 

tobias.schaer@wir-lernen-weiter.ch

Tobias Schär