Leadership
Mark Sherman
Executive Director
Mark Sherman has more than thirty years experience in Information Technology. He has worked as a programmer/analyst, IT strategic planner, consultant, manager and business owner. Prior to his work in the technology field, he worked as a community organizer and researcher, welder and janitor.
He's founded two information technology businesses and currently serves on the board of a third. He received an "innovative technology" medal from the state of Minnesota for a software product to manage information and referral (I & R) databases. For the U.S. Department of Defense in Germany, he developed software systems that distributed publications to the "Stars and Stripes" bookstores. He has provided pro-bono services and/or computer donations to Banco Nicaraguense in Managua, the African National Congress in exile in Lusaka, and many Minnesota organizations.
He has acted as business advisor, developer or founder to a number of entrepreneurial social enterprises ranging from a furniture import operation to an on-line bookstore that specializes in progressive Latin American issues.
In 1984 he co-founded a software-consulting firm that provided information technology services to local Fortune 50 businesses as well as a number of smaller enterprises. Mark managed the business as it grew from one employee to seventy-five staff members at the time that he sold it to a growing multinational firm in 1997. He became a Vice President of Sales and Operations of the purchasing company and continued to run his former company as a branch of the multinational company for a short transitional period. His work in the firm gave him an opportunity to develop a respectful entrepreneurial workplace where workplace diversity met with respect and appreciation. He also gained extensive experience managing sustainable organizational growth over several business cycles.
Following his exit from his consulting business, he provided a wide range of information technology services to Twin Cities non-profits and unions on a freelance and pro-bono basis until he joined Progressive Technology Project in November of 2002. He has primary responsibility for program development, fundraising, strategic planning, staff management and communications. He has a degree in Urban Studies from Macalester College in St. Paul.
Arif Mamdani
Capacity Building Program Director
Arif Mamdani came to the Progressive Technology Project in 2003 with extensive experience in applying technology to grassroots organizing. Prior to coming to PTP, Arif worked as a Circuit Rider at the Low Income Networking and Communications (LINC) Project at the Welfare Law Center. At LINC, Arif worked with welfare rights organizers to identify and implement technology to support and enhance their organizing campaigns.
Arif’s interest in technology and organizing is a result of a campaign against police brutality that he participated in while in college. The college was a relatively “wired” campus, and as a result, the organizers tried to identify ways to use the campus technology to broadcast their message. For Arif, this formed the beginning of a lifelong interest in the ways that technology can support social change efforts.
In addition to work with technology, Arif also has experience as an educator. After graduation with a degree in Sociology and Political Science from Drew University, Arif worked as an adult education teacher at a number of organizations in New York City. At one time or another, Arif has taught ESOL, beginning reading, math, writing, and GED classes. In his last teaching position, Arif coordinated the writing program at the Fortune Society, an organization in Manhattan that provides services to people coming out of prison as well as people in alternative to incarceration programs.
Organization’s Objective
Research in the last few years has shown that local organizers can have the biggest impact on voter turnout in marginalized communities. Yet the effort to use community-led organizations (CLOs) in voter projects has failed to have the desired full impact.
CLOs working with marginalized constituencies face daunting challenges: 1) fewer foundation resources are allocated to CLOs than to other types of non-profit organizations; 2) scarce resources mean that CLOs tend to have fewer staff and more limited internal capacity than other non-profit groups; 3) resources specific to building technology capacity are limited; 4) technology training specific to the needs and skills of CLOs is largely unavailable; and, 5) good, affordable technical assistance is difficult to find, especially in rural areas.
We’ve gathered the lessons-learned through extensive interviews with CLOs engaged in voter projects. Organizations identified their database as the central element in their efforts. When their database was well organized and integrated easily with enhanced voter lists life was good – unfortunately this is the exception rather than the rule. Groups that had database problems found voter engagement work pretty heavy going. Universally groups identified up-front planning and training combined with on-going (and on-call) technical assistance as key. Other lessons learned include:
• Few groups were able to achieve their full potential
• Multiple databases (which most groups have) are cumbersome and inefficient
• Groups need to understand data and how to use it strategically
• Integrating data collection for electoral work with on-going programmatic work is key
• Maintaining the database with a high degree of integrity is critical -- make sure input is accurate and that bad info is weeded out regularly
• Voter files have to be in formats groups can use
• Losing data during the list enhancement process is the norm rather than the exception
• Testing everything in advance to make sure things work is critical
• Thoroughly assessing staff and technology capacity to do work is key to success
• Learning takes time, so it’s important to plan ahead and allocate the time.
