“After being part of this program, I think we need to invest in a good computer for our grandsons.” 

Ms. S approached me at the end of a 3D creator program for families that we provided in our neighborhood. She, her spouse, and their two grandsons had just participated in the event - a collaborative effort with the Upper Darby Arts and Education Foundation’s music program - which helped new creators compose music with support from AI tools, import their compositions into Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN), and configure devices so their songs played when the Fortnite player approached a photogrammetry model of a real-life musical instrument. She shared that it was wonderful to see her grandsons engage with these technologies and be able to express themselves in a new way.

It was a small moment, a quick conversation as the boys wrapped up their exploration in UEFN before heading home, but to me, it confirmed the importance and significance of the past year of work, and amplified the reason why I’ve pushed through every moment of uncertainty, doubt, and overwhelm since CreateAccess’ inception.

I’m not your typical tech nonprofit leader. A career social worker who touched my first 3D creation tool less than a year ago and has still never written a line of code, I never saw myself engaging with technology beyond the bare minimum needed to get by in a fast-changing world. I resisted getting a smartphone until it was no longer practical not to have one, and printed paper MapQuest directions for road trips for longer than I’d like to admit. I’m not someone who likes to fail or not know what I’m doing, and technology, with its ever-changing functions and dauntingly limitless capabilities, seemed like a space where I would always feel like a failure.

Honestly, so did starting a nonprofit.

So building a new nonprofit focused on increasing access and lowering barriers to using some of the most sophisticated, leading-edge technologies available isn’t exactly how I envisioned transitioning into middle age. But when my life partner, Patrick, wanted to use his resources and connections to support positive social impact, and when he invited me to be part of the journey and do things our own way, I couldn’t refuse the opportunity.

In social work, we talk a lot about “parallel process” - the idea that the helping professional often experiences similar processes in supervision as their clients do in session. I think about this a lot when I think about the beginner creators we engage through CreateAccess’ programs alongside my own beginner journeys - as a creator, an advocate for engagement with technology, and a nonprofit co-founder and executive director.

Trying something new can be incredibly scary - especially building something that doesn’t exist yet. The first time I opened UEFN, I was overwhelmed by the buttons and menus and toolbars that included terms I had never even heard, nevermind knew how to use. I’ve felt the same way sometimes considering our organizational strategy, or completing government forms, or setting up our accounting system, or learning to build a website, or writing employee policies, or editing videos, or doing any of the countless other things that come along with trying to get a new nonprofit like ours off the ground that I hadn’t done before. I often don’t know where to start, and have more than once thrown up my hands in (temporary) defeat.

And yet, these instances happen less and less as time has passed. I’m learning that sometimes, the best thing to do has been to just…start. Click a button. Start writing. Find a tutorial or ask an expert, and then jump in. Send the email, publish the video, put yourself out there before things are perfect, and be vulnerable and honest about where you are and what you don’t know. Don’t compare yourself to others who have been doing this for years. Ask them for help or advice instead - because people are amazingly supportive and helpful when they see your heart’s in the right place and you’re willing to put in the work.

I draw a lot of inspiration and energy from our program participants, who need just a small boost to be willing to experiment, explore, and play with new technology. They are naturally curious, and quickly achieving a small success almost inevitably ignites a fire and the confidence to keep going. They, like me, have been given a chance to try something new, to get support to build something that didn’t previously exist, and most of the time, they dive in headfirst once they have a little help getting started. I try to be more like them every day.

In our programs, we celebrate every success, creation, mistake, and lesson learned. We recognize that, with technology, things not going as planned always teaches us. I try to remember this on our organizational journey, too. From a bird’s eye view, the joys have outweighed the challenges many times over, and the challenges have led to asking hard questions, exploring untapped possibilities, and pushing ourselves to think critically about what we’re trying to achieve.

We have much we still need to figure out - about our model, our future, our goals - and it can be overwhelming. But two young boys found a channel for expressing themselves in 3D creation, and might get a new computer soon, because of one of our programs. With support, they and their family courageously and meaningfully engaged with something new. I’ll carry them with me as I work every day to do the same.

I draw a lot of inspiration and energy from our program participants, who need just a small boost to be willing to experiment, explore, and play with new technology.

Lessons from Beginner Creators About Starting a New Nonprofit