Bridging the Digital Divide:
How One Young Entrepreneur is Changing Lives

When Dylan Zajac was only 15 years old, Dylan Zajac started Computers 4 People out of a storage unit in his hometown of Hoboken, NJ with a clear goal in mind: Ensuring everyone has equitable access to technology. Five years later, he’s the Founder and Executive Director of what’s now a leading non-profit in the Northeast, that has distributed over 4,500 refurbished computers, provided internet access to more than 1,000 individuals, and raised over $1.6 million in funding, all in an ongoing effort to achieve digital equity. Driven by a desire to create sustainable solutions to increasingly difficult challenges, Dylan’s commitment has remained steadfast, leading to launching two separate offices in New Jersey and Massachusetts, being recognized as a Green Business by the city of Hoboken, and forming over 300 partnerships with like-minded organizations as part of an effort to create meaningful change.

 More at – https://www.computers4people.org/

Summary:

In this episode of The Nonprofit Exchange, I had the pleasure of speaking with Dylan Zajac, the founder of Computers for People, a remarkable organization dedicated to bridging the digital divide and promoting environmental sustainability. Dylan, who was recognized in Forbes 30 Under 30, started his journey at just 15 years old, inspired by a side hustle of refurbishing old computers with friends.

Dylan shared how he identified a significant opportunity in the recycling and refurbishment of electronics, particularly given that 80% of computers end up in landfills while millions lack access to technology. His organization has since distributed thousands of refurbished computers and provided digital literacy training, all while diverting e-waste from landfills.

We delved into the challenges Dylan faced as a young leader, including fundraising hurdles and the importance of partnerships with nonprofits and corporations. He emphasized the value of collaboration, which not only broadens reach but also strengthens grant applications. Dylan also highlighted the impact of their work through inspiring stories of individuals who have transformed their lives with the help of technology.

Listeners will find Dylan’s insights on managing growth, creating sustainable revenue models, and the importance of digital education particularly enlightening. We wrapped up by discussing how Computers for People empowers communities and the ease with which individuals and organizations can get involved through their website.

This episode is a testament to how one person’s vision can lead to meaningful social change, and I hope it inspires others to take action in their own communities.

 

The Interview Transcript

Hugh Ballou:

Welcome to the non-profit exchange. This is Hugh Ballou I’m the host of the Nonprofit Exchange and I have a fascinating guest today, Dylan Zajac. And Dylan has just such a great program I want to tell you about. But, you know, the title for today’s show is Forbes 30 Under 30 Founder of Computers for People. You know, it’s a computer donation program. Dylan is the founder of this. He began his organization just 15 years ago, driven by a desire to close the gap in technology for underserved populations while reducing electronic waste. Today, Computers for People has distributed thousands of refurbished computers, provided digital literacy training, and diverted tons of e-waste from landfills, all while creating a model of sustainable, mission-driven entrepreneurship. This conversation we’re going to explore how Dylan has scaled this vision from a grassroots idea to a nationally recognized social enterprise featured in Forbes 30 under 30. Dylan, what was your inspiration for this? And tell us about this Forbes 30 under 30. That sounds fascinating.

Dylan Zajac:

Have you never, you haven’t heard of it?

Hugh Ballou:

No, I’m over, I’m way over 30.

Dylan Zajac:

I couldn’t tell, actually. You said in that starting thing there that I started 15 years ago. If I started 15 years ago, I would have been seven years old. I started six years ago, so I was 15 when I started. But I appreciate the introduction. My name is Dylan. I’m the founder of Computers for People. And I originally started in high school after actually like a side hustle business, where my friends and I used to go to thrift stores on weekends, and we would buy and sell old computers. So we would go to these thrift stores on the subway in Brooklyn, New York. bring our skateboards, buy old electronics, pack them up on our skateboards, stack them up, and then bring them back on the subway where we fix them up in our house and refurbish them and sell them online. And through that business, we saw how much opportunity there was in the recycling and refurbishment business. And I also got very curious about where these computers actually came from. And after doing research, I found out that majority of computers, actually 80% still end up in the landfill. And that’s mostly from universities, from companies, 10% is from individuals. So you can see there’s majority from corporations where computers are just being thrown out and burned and the toxic chemicals are leaking into the water, soil and air. Meanwhile, there’s still 30 million people in the United States that don’t have access to the internet or to computers. So that was sort of the point, the pivotal point where I was like, I can collect all these computers, refurbish them and donate them to people in need. And it’s only grown from there from that point on.

Hugh Ballou:

That’s amazing. Now you started at a, regardless of my wrong numbers, you still started 15. That’s very, very young. So what was stirring in your spirit that you actually wanted to do this?

Dylan Zajac:

Yeah, I think I was just like very energetic as a kid. Like when I was nine years old, I started like doing filmmaking work and posting videos on YouTube. I would do like content and product reviews for technology. So I was very into technology, but also very into telling my story, telling the stories of other people and other products. And also just like running a business in general just excited me. The idea of like making money through doing my own thing and carving my own path. So I think that led to Computers for People because I saw this massive opportunity to build something beyond just buying and selling something on eBay. I saw the opportunity to build a brand, to build nationwide systems and do things better than they’ve been done before. And that just like fired me up. I was just so excited to learn a lot about how to make a nonprofit, what a board of directors was. how to do the QuickBooks and accounting work for real business. And then just like kind of growing from there. And also just learned from a lot of cool people and very smart people that have done it before me and were able to give me advice on, you know, what you need on a team of people, you know, what kind of board of directors, what directors do you need to help you execute your mission and so on.

Hugh Ballou:

That’s amazing. That’s amazing. And there’s still this, there’s, um, I think 1.6 million nonprofits in America. And there’s a large portion of people that could not articulate those things. So I commend you for that. So. How does computer for people, and we’ll go to your website later so people can get a sense for that. So how does your organization address both the digital divide and environmental sustainability? You talked about it a little bit. Dig into that a little deeper, please.

Dylan Zajac:

Sure. Well, whether you’re an individual with one computer or a company with thousands of computers, you can go onto our website and donate those devices. If you have under 10 computers, then you can drop it off at any FedEx or Walgreens across the country, and it ships to our closest facility. If you have over 10 devices, then we do free pickup. So if you have a company, you have over 10 computers, you fill out the form on our website. Within a week or two, someone from our team will come to your facility anywhere in the country and pick up those computers for free. They go to our nearest facility and that’s where they’re responsibly reused or recycled. So if they don’t meet a certain cut line and they’re too old, then they get broken up into all the raw materials, into all the precious metals and turned into new things in the future. If they meet our cut lines, then they get refurbished with Windows 11 most of the time. And then we partner with over 400 nonprofits across the country that help so many different people that are low income, whether they’re, you know, formerly incarcerated or senior citizens or students, or, you know, new to this country. We help so many people across the country that want to achieve their goals and want to achieve the American dream, but may not have that computer, that technology, or that first spark to get there. So I always say, we’re not just donating laptops to people, we’re unlocking people’s dreams through technology.

Hugh Ballou:

If I’m quiet, that’s because I’m amazed at what you’ve done in such a short period of time, scaling nationally, picking up computers anywhere that people have. And then just there’s a huge amount of waste in the landfills that could be reused. So I commend you for that. As you were growing this and you’re You’re just getting started. I’m sure because you got great ambition and great insights What were the leadership challenges that you faced getting this to scale to this level? You’re you’re nationwide.

Dylan Zajac:

So that’s pretty remarkable Yeah, i’ve uh in a short amount of time. I think i’ve dealt with like so many different challenges, starting off with just being like a young person starting a non-profit. I started in high school and most of the people that start some sort of non-profit or social venture or company in high school, it’s usually like a project, a small project that, you know, when you go to college it kind of fades out. So that was like the first hurdle was just making sure this lasts beyond my little, you know, starting up in high school. And that was like, it was very close to not getting past that point, because I just didn’t have enough money to do that. I applied for dozens of grants, I got rejected so many times. And it was actually like three or four weeks before I went to college, and I was going to college 300 miles away from where my work was being done. And I held a fundraiser event like three weeks before I went to college and I advertised it like crazy. I went to all the businesses in town. I was like, come on, come to this event. I got all, you know, invited all the politicians that I could possibly invite. And it ended up being a massive success. We had like over 150 people there. We raised $40,000 in one night, which was, you know, the most amount of money we ever raised. And we were able to hire someone a week later to take over just the in-person operations. while I went to my freshman year of college, which you need to focus on a little bit in your freshman year. So as school went along, I focused more and more on computers for people, and it led to even more challenges. I opened an office in Massachusetts, and I would drive between Massachusetts and New Jersey every week while doing full-time studies. So I was driving like crazy, traveling like crazy, just to grow the mission. Yeah.

Hugh Ballou:

So what lessons have you learned about managing your growth, your teams and partnerships in this organization? You’ve got a lot of partnerships and we’ll talk more about that later, but what lessons have you learned to help you grow your skills?

Dylan Zajac:

It’s a tough question. I think you just need to like learn by doing because Yeah, too many people around me are too scared to just get started. Meanwhile, I think I’m the complete opposite. When I think of an idea, I want it to happen instantly. I just need it to happen right now. So if I have an idea for a partnership with Mark Zuckerberg or whoever it might be, I will find their email and email them right now if I think it’s a good idea. Meanwhile, I think too many people are just like, oh, that’ll never happen. Even with the partners of ours, it’s like, oh, how would someone donate computers to my clients? That’s too expensive to do. Or how am I going to find someone to just donate laptops? It’s like, well, if you actually look online, then you’ll find an organization like ours that want to help you out, and it’s mutually beneficial. I think that’s my best advice and be confident and just like get started I love it.

Hugh Ballou:

I love it. So, um stories You’ve worked with a number of people through the years. What are some stories of how? This this work in educating and hardware and internet connection. What are is there one story? You don’t have to use names that Has impacted somebody’s life

Dylan Zajac:

Yeah, yeah, we, I get stories every day, probably two to three times a day of how a computer allowed someone to get a job or access school, finish school, something along those lines, which is amazing. And it motivates my team so much every day, because it sends all of us an email, when someone writes a testimonial, all everyone on our team internally. But one really amazing story that I heard recently that came in. She actually came to our fundraiser event that we had two or three weeks ago and spoke about her journey. She got a computer through Computers for People last December. And I didn’t like, you know, I didn’t pay her to say anything. I didn’t tell her what to say at all. I just said, like, you have five minutes to just like talk about your story. And, you know, if the computer helps you, great. And it was the best testimonial like sales pitch I’ve ever heard. It was great. She was like, the computer itself is amazing. It has a touch screen, it’s amazing. But then on the other side of that, she said she was in a shelter before getting the computer and she wanted to complete her education as a peer specialist to help other people. So she applied for a computer through her shelter got a device for C4P, through C4P, was able to finish all of her school on the device, and then applied for a job and got a job and got out of the shelter through her computer, which was just like an amazing story and a testament to, you know, it costs We usually ask for a donation between $50 to $100 to donate one computer to someone in need. And I think if you just think about the impact of that donation on one person’s life, it can change the trajectory of their entire life. So that was a pretty awesome story I heard recently.

Hugh Ballou:

Oh, that is touching, touching. So, you talked about partnerships. It’s sort of a collaborative space, which people don’t understand that word, but partnerships sounds like awesome. But you partner with corporations, schools, community organizations, I guess churches and synagogues. How does that work? How does that amplify your mission? And how does that as a win-win for those organizations as well?

Dylan Zajac:

Yeah, our processes, our system is somewhat complex, but we make it look very simple from the side of any individual that’s engaging with our website or our portal. We work with so many different stakeholders, whether it’s companies and universities and governments that donate their old computers to us or individuals that donate their old computers to us. There’s the in-between part where we work with a lot of companies that work in the data destruction and recycling industry. We partner with a lot of companies that help us do that work across the country. And we also work with 400 plus nonprofits. And what a nonprofit usually looks like is either a small local community center. We work with the Hoboken Shelter, the Hoboken Library, the Hoboken Lunchtime Ministry, all the way up to some of the more national nonprofits like Goodwill, Easter Seals, Boys and Girls Club, the Red Cross, so many different organizations that have national presence, but also local chapters all across the country. which we can build systematic partnerships with, so those larger organizations we can partner with, so that they can nominate individuals in their programs in any of their centers across the country, which opens it up.

Hugh Ballou:

That’s quite amazing. For the Boots on the ground organization like a local charity, it’s important for them to have a partner so they can actually broaden the scope of the work. Say a little more about the scale with the national corporations is good. Talk about some of the local, like I talked about the homeless shelter here where I live. And people are homeless, they don’t have a computer, they don’t have internet, but they’re trying to get out of that situation. So talk a little bit more about how your benefit, your program works with the small charities to add more value to their work.

Dylan Zajac:

Definitely, definitely. And the majority of our computers go through small charities on a smaller scale. So how it works is Let’s just say that you have one person that comes into your center, your homeless shelter every day, that says, hey, I’m trying to get off the street. I want to apply for a job, or I want to apply for housing. But one of the main barriers is internet access, or a computer, or something along those lines. What Computers for People is, is like a tool in their toolkit. It’s something that they can say, hey, we can help you. Come here to our center. We can help you apply for a computer. There’s an application process. So they would fill out the application either online, or we have a paper version, obviously, for those who don’t have any computer access. And then that nonprofit is able to nominate or recommend that individual, because they’re already a partner of Computers for People. So by becoming a partner of us, you can recommend individuals in your program for free computers. Then there’s a waiting process where we review the application, make sure it’s eligible, make sure you’re approved nonprofit. Once it’s approved, we ship the computer straight to the nonprofit for them to handle the client. And it’s a pretty smooth process from there. And And beyond that, I know we haven’t talked about it yet, or I don’t know if we want to talk about it, but we also offer some other services to our nonprofit partners. We are able to provide the lowest costing internet in the entire country, along with digital skills classes where we teach people how to use their computer. So it’s not just a brick. They’re able to use the internet and be safe online and all of those important things that are essential in this day and age.

Hugh Ballou:

Think deeper into that. You’re integrating the digital education and literacy for digital stuff and access. And you’re really giving people hope when they really haven’t had hope before. Dig a little bit more in how you do that. That’s fascinating.

Dylan Zajac:

Yeah, I think a big part of what we do is not just giving people a laptop. It’s inspiring them, is really giving them on the form that we give to people when they get a computer. It doesn’t just say, congrats on your new laptop. We put on there actually over 100 different things you can do with your laptop. So create a resume, apply for a job, just this list of all these different things that you can do that I spent a couple hours just writing down. But beyond that, it’s really important that people know how to use their computer. 92% of jobs require digital skills now. So if you don’t have digital skills, you’re likely not going to get a job. And for that reason, we’ve created a curriculum where we teach people in person actually how to use their computer, how to navigate online, how to be safe, how to create an email, how to create a slideshow, how to create a spreadsheet. all of those different skills. And within the class, we also have them make like a LinkedIn account and apply for their first two jobs. So we integrate all these different concepts and workforce development solutions into a digital skills class.

Hugh Ballou:

So do you work with the local workforce development agencies to do this work?

Dylan Zajac:

In some areas we do, in other areas we work just one-on-one with schools and non-profits.

Hugh Ballou:

I want to highlight an important piece of what you’re talking about that so many non-profits don’t get, and others don’t get either, but it’s essential, I think, for our work to build these relationships with other organizations. Because we broaden our reach. We don’t increase our cost. We actually save money. We reach more people And you know, it’s kind of fun with working with other people and not just in your own little shell So we don’t really understand the power of partnerships collaboration And what you’ve done is a living model of why this works and why people need to do it plus I’m willing to bet you’ve been turned down for a lot of funding for grants, but I think as you have these partnerships, that’s what the foundations are looking for. They’re looking for organizations that are working with other organizations. So that really strengthens your ability to write grants. So I commend you on that. Any more you want to say for my next question on that piece?

Dylan Zajac:

Yeah, yeah, I think, I mean, I said I’ve been rejected a lot, but we also, you know, in that rejection, we’ve had quite a few big successes. We have like about a 30 to 40% success rate on all the grants that we apply for. And some of our biggest, our first largest grant for around $150,000 came through a partnership with one of our partner nonprofits. And so, I wouldn’t recommend it more. I talk about that all the time when talking to young founders or young nonprofit founders about, how do I raise money? Well, I say, go to those nonprofits that have been raising millions, if not billions of dollars for decades. And all you need is 10% of a grant, and that’ll be your entire budget for the year, or multiply your budget. So I think there’s a lot of opportunity where people don’t really understand. It’s like, well, nonprofits don’t have any money. That’s probably your nonprofit. That’s not other nonprofits.

Hugh Ballou:

I see you flip obstacles into opportunities. I love it. There’s an option here. There’s an option here. So talk about you’re impacting people’s lives. How do you create long-term sustainability with this program?

Dylan Zajac:

Yeah, good question. And that’s something that I think about every day, because I’m constantly fundraising. And we’ve been lucky enough to receive funding from some large foundations, such as AT&T, Comcast, Crown Castle, MetLife, that have been able to allow us to scale our work across the Northeast and across the country. But also, we’ve been able to create some really good earned revenue models. So the computers that we’re not able to donate that get recycled, that brings in quite a bit of revenue for us. And hopefully, one day, it’ll actually cover 100% of our expenses. That’s one of my goals, is to be fully sustained on our earned revenue. We’ve also been able to create a couple other earned revenue models through our digital skills classes. where there’s grant funding and funding to do a fee-for-service contract for us to teach classes somewhere. We do a couple of those. We’re doing those right now. Someone’s actually teaching. It’s about to finish up a class in seven minutes. So those are the types of things where you can diversify your revenue. We also get a lot of government funding, government grants. We used to have way more a year ago. A lot of that money just disappeared somehow. Um, but it’s good to diversify and I think it’s really good to have her in revenue sources so that, you know, you’re sustained through very big dips in philanthropic giving important words, folks, and you didn’t get it down.

Hugh Ballou:

There’s a transcript. The nonprofit exchange or you can get all these ideas brilliant ideas. So let’s let’s take a look at your website. It’s computers with the number four People dot org computer computers for people dot org. So what will people find when they go to that website?

Dylan Zajac:

Yeah, when you go to our website computers for people dot org You’ll see on the homepage, we actually have a picture of two young kids who were recipients in West New York of laptops. And we try to make it super easy for people to donate their old computers. So there’s two buttons. One is to donate your old computer. You would click on that button. And you can actually, anyone across the country can submit to donate their computer in less than 60 seconds. But if you go to the top, we have a drop down menu saying programs. And you’ll see there’s a also a subsection called nonprofit partnerships. And if you’re a nonprofit, I really encourage you to go on this website, go to computers for people.org slash partner. And here’s where you can apply to be a partner organization, whether you’re a tiny nonprofit or a massive nonprofit or a library or a school, you can go on here and apply to be a partner. And then you can join our network of partners across the country that are helping bring digital access to their communities. So please reach out to us there.

Hugh Ballou:

Wow. Wow, Dylan. You’re amazing. Your wisdom far exceeds your linear years. So, folks, as Dellon’s journey illustrates, meaningful innovation doesn’t always begin in a boardroom. It starts with simple desire to solve a problem, make a difference. Computers for People demonstrates how technology, sustainability, and community partnerships come together to create social change. Leaders in every sector can take inspiration from this model. It’s mission-driven entrepreneurship. and the belief that one person’s idea can impact thousands of people. Remember, their site is computers, number four people, computers, four people. Dylan, you’ve inspired me today and you will inspire a lot more people as they watch this and listen to this show. Thank you so much for being our guest today on the Nonprofit Exchange.

Dylan Zajac:

Thanks so much.