Nonprofit Technology Resources (NTR) is a charitable nonprofit organization (NPO)

Nonprofit organization

Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...

 inside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...

 that "serves low-income people in Philadelphia by recycling used computers, providing hands-on work experience, and assisting community-based service organizations to use computers in their work."

NTR is affiliated with Greater Philadelphia Cares http://www.philacares.com/.

Vision

"NTR envisions Philadelphia as a city where all people, regardless of financial resources, have the skills, knowledge, and access to the information and communication technology they need to achieve their goals."

Mission

"NTR is committed to helping the people of Philadelphia, and the organizations that serve them, have access to and use of information and communication technology."

Capacity

NTR has the capacity to refurbish over 5,000 systems a year, and serves over 200 local NPOs. Its Computer Thrift Store offers complete systems (all at least Pentium 4

Pentium 4

Pentium 4 was a line of single-core desktop and laptop central processing units , introduced by Intel on November 20, 2000 and shipped through August 8, 2008. They had a 7th-generation x86 microarchitecture, called NetBurst, which was the company's first all-new design since the introduction of the...

 quality) from $89 to approximately $500 with three-year warranties. An internal repair capacity gives quick response to needed repairs or upgrades.

Donations of all sizes are accepted within limitations (see http://ntrweb.org/support-ntr/). NTR gives receipts for donations that can be used for tax deductions.

Security

An internal NTR policy is that hard drives are removed upon system receipt, and are re-imaged before being re-installed in a system. All systems are tagged with a tracking number that, with the donor's name, is entered into a centralized database.

See also

• A+ certification
• BWORKS
  Bworks
  BWORKS is a St. Louis, Missouri, United States, non-profit organization devoted to providing opportunities for youth to develop their academic, vocational, and entrepreneurial skills and to become community leaders....
  
  
• Camara (charity)
  Camara (Charity)
  Camara is a charitable organisation that sends refurbished computers from Ireland to schools and other educational institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa. Donations are accepted from individuals, and in addition, a corporate recycling programme issues recycling certificates to businesses who dispose of...
  
  
• Computer recycling
  Computer recycling
  Computer recycling or electronic recycling is the recycling or reuse of computers or other electronics. It includes both finding another use for materials , and having systems dismantled in a manner that allows for the safe extraction of the constituent materials for reuse in other...
  
  
• Empower Up
  Empower Up
  Empower Up, formerly known as CREAM , a 501, is a computer recycling center in SW Washington. Started in mid-2002, Empower Up takes old electronics in for donation, and recycles/distributes them.-History:...
  
  
• Free Geek
  Free Geek
  Free Geek is a collectively run non-profit organization started in Portland, Oregon in 2000. Free Geek has two central goals: to reuse or recycle used computer equipment that might otherwise become hazardous waste, and to make computer technology more accessible to those who lack financial means or...
  
  
• Personal computer
  Personal computer
  A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
  
  

External links

• Nonprofit Technology Resources (official website)
• A Tour of Nonprofit Technology Resources (NTR) in Philadelphia (Google video)
• Philadelphia Neighborhoods: Technology: Repairing Computers, Refurbishing Futures
• Philadelphia Inquirer article (photocopy, issue of May 29, 2002)
• Nonprofit Technology News