The Genesis Program functions through a four step process. These steps are Collection, Refurbishment, Donation, and Support.

Collection

The first step of the Genesis process is the collection of donated computers and equipment. This equipment is donated by individuals, private companies, and public school districts. Accepted equipment includes working computers, computer hardware, mice, keyboards, monitors, cabling, and software licenses. The Rural Technology Fund is a 501(c)(3) organization, therefore all donations are fully tax deductible.

Refurbishment

After computers and equipment are collected, they are refurbished by RTF staff and volunteers. This refurbishment happens on a daily basis by RTF staff and through regularly scheduled work nights/days for volunteers. We rely heavily on volunteers from the communities we service in order to provide working computers to students in need. All computers are brought up to a minimum working technical standard and loaded with donated Windows licenses and a collection of free software.

Donation

Once we have a completed working computer, we work with local family service organizations in our target areas to find families in need. The computers are then donated to those families and they are trained on their general operation and provided a special user manual detailing the operation of all software loaded on to the devices. These students are then known as RTF Genesis Scholars.

Support

One of the most important facets to the Genesis program is our ongoing support to our Genesis Scholars. We recognize that when distributing older hardware, there is always the potential for technical failure. That being said, computers donated by the RTF are supported for two years after they are donated. It is at this point where we measure the impact of the donated computer on the students education.