Coding for a cause

It's 2 a.m. on Saturday morning. And while many people are tucked in their beds, a group of IT developers are huddled around a computer in an office building. There will be very little sleep tonight. But when you have less than two days to finish a project, sleep has to wait.

Good thing it's for a good cause.

Welcome to GiveCamp, an annual event where IT professionals volunteer one weekend to complete IT projects for regional nonprofit organizations. It's an opportunity to give back to their community by assisting nonprofits who need their expertise. And an intrepid group of Progressive IT professionals love being a part of it.

We sat down with Howard—an IT project portfolio analyst and five-time GiveCamp participant—to learn more about GiveCamp and how Progressive employees have contributed to this unique community involvement event. Here's what he had to say.

What type of projects have you worked on during GiveCamp?

"Most of the time, we're tasked with creating a new website. But in years past, the Cleveland GiveCamp teams have also worked on a volunteer tracking system for a food bank, an app that guides people through an outdoor cultural garden, and even an educational video game about the ways worms help plants grow."

What's it like working on a project that has to be completed by the end of the weekend?

"It's tough. But getting the opportunity to apply the skills we use every day at Progressive for a good cause makes it all worth it. I've found that the keys to a successful project are having the nonprofit with you making decisions, a reasonable project scope that mirrors your limited time, and keeping several 'nice to have' items standing by once you've achieved the primary objective for the weekend."

What are the biggest challenges?

"There's not a lot of time to work. You only have from dinner on Friday until lunch on Sunday to finish the project. We're often successful, though, because we drive home the concept of getting projects to Minimum Viable Product (MVP). MVP is what it sounds like: a basic, functional version of the project. It doesn't matter if it's ugly; if we can get it to work by noon on Saturday, we're in a good place. We then use the remaining time to make it work better and look pretty."

What's been your favorite project?

"I worked on a project which helped a veterans' organization connect with veterans in the greater Cleveland area. Being a veteran myself who loves working for a military-friendly employer, I had a strong connection with the organization. It felt good to build something that I, and people like me, needed and would use."

What was the most interesting experience you had while working at GiveCamp?

"Probably the most interesting experience I've had was working on the educational video game. The game featured a worm named Wiggles who went through a garden, ate food, and aerated the soil to make plants grow. But these aren't the only ways worms help plants … they also fertilize the soil. And we had to put that in the game, too.

"Given the game was for first and second graders, we knew we had to find a sound that would make them crack up whenever Wiggles did his business. So, in the middle of the night, the team spent an hour trying to find just the right one. We were howling with laughter."

How does it feel at the end of the weekend to have completed the project?

"The Sunday Wrap-Up is a celebration where teams show off what they've completed and hand it off to the nonprofit. I'm always amazed by what the teams can achieve in such a short period of time. It's so satisfying to share what you've worked on with everyone and see what others have accomplished, as well. Plus, knowing we've helped a nonprofit make something they couldn't do on their own is incredibly rewarding."

How does the involvement of Progressive people in an event like this provide a glimpse into our IT culture?

"Given our headquarters is in Cleveland, Progressive has a huge presence here. But despite this, it's surprising how many people have misconceptions about the company. We frequently hear, ‘Oh, you're just an insurance company' from other IT professionals. They really don't know what we do. But through our involvement with GiveCamp, we're able to show them what Progressive IT culture is like and dispel some of the myths about the company. It's great to repeat to them what Peter B. Lewis used to say: 'Progressive is really an IT company that happens to sell insurance.'"