Computer Recycling & Reuse
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Computer Recycling & Reuse Program -
About us
 | Photo courtesy of Oakland
Tribune and Sean Connelly |
CompuMentor's Computer Recycling & Reuse Program is guided by Senior Program Manager Jim Lynch.
During Jim's longtime work with disadvantaged communities, he observed that refurbished computers were great tools to overcome the Digital Divide. However, Jim also noted the many hurdles to making refurbished equipment available for noncommercial use.
Being the driving force behind CompuMentor's new program, Jim now takes a lead in defining and developing the noncommercial computer reuse sector. His particular interest is exploring and remedying the obstacles that hobble reuse by nonprofits, schools and low-income families.
Supporting collaboration across the sector
We strongly believe that the full potential of noncommercial computer reuse cannot be realized without collaboration. Therefore, we work with several players in this field, including environmental agencies, computer and software manufacturers, business consultants, nonprofit refurbishers, universities, and funders.
We also strive for integration with other CompuMentor programs to optimally serve the nonprofit community.
CompuMentor welcomes the opportunity to forge additional alliances that aim to make refurbished computers a vehicle of positive social change. If you are interested in working with us, please contact Jim Lynch jimlynch@compumentor.org.
Jim Lynch, Senior Program Manager for Computer Recycling & Reuse, is an experienced and effective speaker on a variety of topics concerning noncommercial computer reuse. Jim offers a unique combination of computer recycling and reuse knowledge, tech savvy, and more than a decade hands-on experience working with nonprofits.
His recent speaking topics include:
- Appropriate Uses of Recycled Equipment in Nonprofit Settings
- The Noncommercial Computer Reuse Field and How New Programs Can Start up
- Refurbishing Program Funding, Staffing, and Program Design
Jim has been interviewed on computer recycling by National Public Radio, CNET Radio, Fox TV, NBC TV, New York Daily News, San Francisco Chronicle, Chronicle of Philanthropy and Nonprofit World Magazine. His work was also covered by San Jose Mercury News, Philanthropy News Network and others.
To arrange for Jim Lynch to speak at your conference or meeting, please email your request to Franziska Marks (fmarks@compumentor.org) or call her at 415-633-9336.
About Jim Lynch
As Senior Program Manager, Jim Lynch is developing and managing CompuMentor's new Computer Recycling & Reuse Program. The groundwork to building today's comprehensive program was laid in 2002, when Jim moved from a three-year tenure as CompuMentor's Development Director to build the Microsoft Authorized Refurbisher(MAR) Donation Program. MAR distributes Windows operating systems to noncommercial refurbishers across the country. It kicked off with a PR campaign urging consumers to properly recycle computers rather than throwing them away.
Jim's extensive experience in the computer recycling field stems from his work to develop computer learning labs, using donated computers, in homeless shelters in the late 1980ies. It also includes a number of projects he managed for CompuMentor over the years:
For the last five years, Jim has built and maintained CompuMentor's resource list of computer recyclers on the CompuMentor and TechSoup web sites.
In 1997, Jim designed the materials flow system for the San Francisco School District computer-refurbishing center. This large noncommercial computer reuse program provided 200 computers per month to district students and teachers.
In 2001, he designed the demonstration project with Resource Area for Teachers (RAFT), a computer refurbisher in San Jose, to install recycled computers in low-income schools and also train teachers to optimally use them.
During his seven-year tenure at CompuMentor, Jim has held positions as Senior Computer Consultant and Development Director.
Jim has presented at numerous national conferences on nonprofit technology and on fundraising topics. Jim has been interviewed on computer recycling by National Public Radio, CNET Radio, Fox TV, NBC TV, New York Daily News, San Francisco Chronicle, Chronicle of Philanthropy and Nonprofit World Magazine. His work was also covered by San Jose Mercury News, Philanthropy News Network and others.
Jim is a member of the National Recycling Coalition, and a participant in the National Safety Council's Electronics Product Recovery and Recycling (EPR2) Project.
He holds a degree from Arizona State University, and has done graduate work at UC Berkeley. Before his work at CompuMentor, Jim developed community technology centers in Berkeley, Oakland, and Hayward, CA for the nonprofit Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (BOSS). All of his programs had computer recycling and hardware maintenance as core curricula.
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