Coffee carafes were nearing empty and there was a focused silence inside the Plexpod Crossroads on Sunday. It was the last day of Compile KC, a new event dedicated to bringing resources to Kansas City-based nonprofits.
Local designer and software consultant John Caldwell took his cue from an event called Coders for Charities, which paired charities with software developers.
"Coders for Charities was very developer oriented," Caldwell said. "We wanted to branch out and bring in a more diverse group of people — marketers, designers, and SEO people — to provide more services to the nonprofits."
So, he and his friend Cody Inman co-founded Compile KC. Tech and marketing professionals were on hand until 2 a.m. both Friday and Saturday nights to help the groups build new websites, polish their brands and improve social media engagement.
"There are local nonprofits that are just getting started, and they don't have the resources necessary. A lot of them are trying to do it by themselves, or they don't have the budget to hire people," Caldwell said. "We wanted to get some good people together to give back to the community."
Five nonprofits participated in the workshop: Kansas City, Kansas based short-term housing service On Eagle's Wings, children's literacy volunteer group Lead to Read KC, Redemptorist Social Services Center, maternity home Angel Eyes, and Myasthenia Gravis Association, which provides support for people suffering from the autoimmune disease.
Andrea Tudhope is a reporter for KCUR 89.3. Follow her on Twitter @_tudhope.
