Give To Nashville Software School

Mind The Gap: Supporting Grads Amid COVID-19

We have overcome most of the challenges NSS has faced in 2020, but there’s one big gap we haven’t been able to close - the slowdown in hiring of junior software developers, data analysts, and data scientists that started in mid-March. 

The coronavirus triggered a major recession so companies in most industries froze or significantly cut back in hiring plans, furloughed staff, or even worse, laid off staff. The tech job market in Nashville went from 2019’s incredibly robust growth, with NSS grads having the shortest average job search times we’ve even seen, to a much slower market and thus slower job searches and relatively long average job search times. This has resulted in a build-up of NSS graduates that have not yet found their first tech job - who we call Seekers - that need our help and support while they are in their job search.

We are seeking your help to close this gap through two levels of giving. (You can learn more about our initiatives to support our Seekers below.)

2012 Society

Join the 2012 Society with a gift of $2012 or two gifts of $1006, one in 2020 and another in 2021.

Founder's Circle

Give what you are able. No matter how large or small your gift, your contribution will make an impact. Our recommended gift to join the Founder's Circle is $300.

Don't forget to ask your employer if they'll match your donation.

Did you know?

The CARES Act passed by Congress earlier this year allows individual taxpayers who do not itemize their tax returns to deduct donations to charity up to $300 on their 2020 federal tax return with the standard deduction. Married-filling-jointly tax payers may deduct donations up to $600.***

How Will My Donation Help Mind The Gap?

The donations we raise this year from our alumni, the broader grassroots community, and corporate partners will go to fund a series of new or upgraded initiatives all designed to support our Seekers, including our Fellowship Program, and help us provide more scholarships to students

1. The Fellowship Program is designed to create an alternative way to help employers and Seekers (recent graduates) connect to provide Seekers with a short-term contract assignment that builds resume value and offers a lower cost/lower risk way for employers to identify talent for permanent employment or longer-term contracts.
2. The pandemic has resulted in a higher percentage of applicants needing Opportunity Tuition or partial scholarships. Many of them lost jobs, had their hours reduced, or have been forced to leave jobs to protect themselves or family from potential infection by COVID-19. Now is a great time for them to change their career, but they need some financial support to do it. Additional scholarship funding means that we can offer some level of support to more people.

What are our fundraising goals?

Our goal for the overall 2020 portion of the Mind the Gap campaign is $250,000, with a stretch goal to raise $300,000. That will allow us to fund a robust program of Seeker support, especially the Fellowship program, through 2020 and well into the first half of 2021. It will also allow us to increase our level of scholarship giving in the first half of 2021 to help meeting the increased level of economic need on the part of our applicants. We expect to continue our grassroots fundraising efforts in 2021 to ensure we can continue to fund Fellowships and increased scholarships until we can put the COVID-19 recession behind us, but the next three months are crucial to supporting our 2020 Seekers. 

Donations will fund our initiatives to support our Seekers and our general scholarship fund. 

***This information is not intended as legal or tax advice. Please consult your tax advisor to learn how the CARES Act donation tax deduction effects your 2020 federal tax return. 

2012 Society

Join the 2012 Society with a gift of $2012 or two gifts of $1006, one in 2020 and another in 2021.

Founder's Circle

Give what you are able. No matter how large or small your gift, your contribution will make an impact. Our recommended gift to join the Founder's Circle is $300.