iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Jim Fruchterman @jimfruchterman.bsky.social · 30/01/2026

𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮! We launched the complete Better Deal for Data standard this week! After two years of co-developing this, version 1.0 is now ready, including the BD4D Playbook which walks nonprofits through how to adopt the standard. #techforgood bd4d.org/time-for-the...

bd4d.org

Time for the Better Deal for Data

We are delighted to announce v1.0 of the BD4D Standard and Playbook, a practical data governance standard bringing trust and transparency to the social sector.

100

Jim Fruchterman @jimfruchterman.bsky.social · 02/01/2026

Delighted that my article with Nithya Ramanathan was the number two most read article in SSIR in 2025!

020

Reposted by Jim Fruchterman

drmikeregan.bsky.social @drmikeregan.bsky.social · 22/10/2025

Had a great time at @caltech.edu hearing @jimfruchterman.bsky.social and @rmichaelalvarez.bsky.social discuss how technology can be used for good in support of nonprofit organizations! Always love the community events here and witnessing the school’s synergistic connection w / @nasajpl.bsky.social.

021

Jim Fruchterman @jimfruchterman.bsky.social · 12/10/2025

Looking forward to coming to Pasadena (and LA) next week! #techforgood

131

Reposted by Jim Fruchterman

Somini Sengupta @sominisengupta.bsky.social · 03/09/2025

Happy book birthday to my friend @jimfruchterman.bsky.social He has spent many years figuring out how technology can help the global majority. He distills the lessons in his new book. Details are here: fruchterman.org

fruchterman.org

Homepage - Jim Fruchterman, Tech for Good Champion

Jim Fruchterman is a social entrepreneur, tech-for-good field leader, public speaker, and author of the book Technology for Good (MIT Press).

011

Reposted by Jim Fruchterman

MIT Press @mitpress.bsky.social · 02/09/2025

In "Technology for Good," tech-for-good entrepreneur @jimfruchterman.bsky.social delivers a visionary guide on how to leverage technology for social good for nonprofit leaders and technologists alike: mitpress.mit.edu/978026205097...

Copy of "Technology for Good: How Nonprofit Leaders Are Using Software and Data to Solve Our Most Pressing Social Problems" by Jim Fruchterman on a white background. The cover is blue with a pixelated heart at the center.

111

Jim Fruchterman @jimfruchterman.bsky.social · 02/09/2025

𝗠𝘆 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗟𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆! I'm pysched that the day has finally come for 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱 to be available for download and purchase. I believe it's the first book on how to start a deliberately nonprofit tech company! www.amazon.com/dp/0262050978

040

Jim Fruchterman @jimfruchterman.bsky.social · 02/09/2025

This was a fun interview with @fastcompany.com about my forthcoming book on #techforgood!

041

Reposted by Jim Fruchterman

Commonwealth Club World Affairs @cwclub.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

NEXT WEEK: @jimfruchterman.bsky.social will be in conversation with @camcritt.bsky.social in San Francisco for a timely discussion about how nonprofits are using tech to solve pressing social problems. Find out more: Details and tickets available at: www.commonwealthclub.org/events/2025-...

011

Jim Fruchterman @jimfruchterman.bsky.social · 24/08/2025

𝗜𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗖𝗹𝘂𝗯 My book tour launches next week in SF with a conversation with Camille Crittenden of CITRIS. Looking forward to talking about #techforgood! www.commonwealthclub.org/events/2025-...

commonwealthclub.org

Technology for Good: How Nonprofit Leaders Are Using Software and Data to Solve Our Most Pressing Social Problems

Join us to hear from a MacArthur genius awardee, former rocket engineer, and passionate leader in the social enterprise movement—Jim Fruchterman—about using technology for positive social change.

000

Jim Fruchterman @jimfruchterman.bsky.social · 20/08/2025

𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗡𝗼 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲𝘀! New Better Deal for Data Major Questions paper. The issue of no surprises turns out to be critically important in a data governance approach designed to promise trustworthiness. bd4d.org/good-intent-... #techforgood

bd4d.org

Good Intent and No Surprises

What does it mean to have "No Surprises" under the Better Deal for Data?

000

Jim Fruchterman @jimfruchterman.bsky.social · 12/08/2025

𝗠𝘆 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿 𝗪𝗲𝗯𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲! Yes, my book, Technology for Good, launches next month and I want to announce my new website. Of course the home page features eight places where you can preorder the book, beyond your favorite local bookstore. fruchterman.org

fruchterman.org

Homepage - Jim Fruchterman, Tech for Good Champion

Jim Fruchterman is a social entrepreneur, tech-for-good field leader, public speaker, and author of the book Technology for Good (MIT Press).

010

Jim Fruchterman @jimfruchterman.bsky.social · 25/07/2025

Amazing Birding in Zambia Last month I was able to attend the global child helpline conference in Livingstone, Zambia, and was able to use a free day to see birds! Here are two of my favorites (an Openbill stork and Pied Crows attacking an African Fish Eagle). #birding

021

Jim Fruchterman @jimfruchterman.bsky.social · 14/07/2025

Looks Like I Have a Book About to Come Out!

010

Reposted by Jim Fruchterman

Stanford Social Innovation Review @ssir.org · 24/04/2025

Who will preserve nonprofit knowledge? At a time of intense disruption, leaders and funders should plan carefully for what happens when organizations are forced to shut down. New article by @jimfruchterman.bsky.social and Steve Francis of @techmatters.bsky.social:

ssir.org

Exit to Open (SSIR)

In a difficult time when many nonprofits will be forced to close, nonprofit leaders and funders must act to preserve data and other intangible assets.

073

Jim Fruchterman @jimfruchterman.bsky.social · 10/06/2025

Alcatraz today. Not a prison at the moment.

000

Jim Fruchterman @jimfruchterman.bsky.social · 11/04/2025

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗝𝗠𝗙 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝘂𝗯 The McGovern Foundation is one of those rare tech-forward funders. Not only do they make grants, but engage to spread the word about how to do tech and AI well. Their latest resource is their Learning Hub, vetted #techforgood resources. learn.mcgovern.org

learn.mcgovern.org

PJMF Learning Hub | Notion

About This Hub

010

Jim Fruchterman @jimfruchterman.bsky.social · 09/04/2025

My Nonprofit AI Treasure Map! I wrote up this diagram for nonprofit leaders to navigate the pressure to adopt AI solutions, often without regard to whether they make sense! I'm a big fan of AI, but it is far from solving every interesting social problem.

000

Jim Fruchterman @jimfruchterman.bsky.social · 08/04/2025

𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀! I was delighted to see that Cadasta has become a public supporter of the need for a Better Deal for Data. More nonprofits are being moved to endorse a new approach to data governance. Thanks, Cadasta!

cadasta.org

Cadasta Joins the Better Deal for Data Initiative to Strengthen Ethical Land Rights Data Stewardship

Cadasta Foundation is proud to announce its commitment to the Better Deal for Data (BD4D) initiative, joining a global coalition dedicated to responsible, inclusive, and community-centered data…

000

Jim Fruchterman @jimfruchterman.bsky.social · 07/04/2025

Just back from Skoll World Forum week in Oxford, and catching up on my reading from last week. This article from Candid's Laia Griñó really caught my eye. It is such a great example of responsible data stewardship! blog.candid.org/post/balanci...?

blog.candid.org

Balancing transparency and data protection

Candid insights | Data sharing is key to sector transparency. Learn how Candid is balancing data sharing transparency and protection to prevent the misuse of organizations' contributed data.

000

Jim Fruchterman @jimfruchterman.bsky.social · 26/03/2025

Benetech Podcast! Benetech CEO Ayan Kishore and I were just featured on the Eyes on Success podcast. It was great to have a chance to talk about Benetech's past (me) and future(Ayan)! Thanks to Nancy and Peter Torpey for the interview!

eyesonsuccess.net

Eyes On Success

Eyes On Success - radio show / podcast for the visually impaired

120

Jim Fruchterman @jimfruchterman.bsky.social · 25/03/2025

eyesonsuccess.net

Eyes On Success

Eyes On Success - radio show / podcast for the visually impaired

000

Jim Fruchterman @jimfruchterman.bsky.social · 25/03/2025

When nonprofits start talking to me about putting significant funds into crypto-currency solutions (like DAOs), I caution them about the challenges of putting a bucket of money onto something connected to the internet. There have been a steady stream of hacks.

nytimes.com

How the Biggest Crypto Heist in History Went Down

The cryptocurrency exchange Bybit lost $1.5 billion to North Korean hackers last month — and it all traced back to an account on a free digital storage service.

120

Jim Fruchterman @jimfruchterman.bsky.social · 21/03/2025

𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲! Looking forward to speaking at the upcoming Data on Purpose 2025 conference in early May, organized by the Stanford Social Innovation Review. I'll be talking about open source and collaboration for social impact!

ssirdata.org

Schedule « Data on Purpose 2025

DATA ON PURPOSE 2025 “Reimagining the Digital Future: Harnessing AI for Social Good”

000

Jim Fruchterman @jimfruchterman.bsky.social · 12/03/2025

𝗔𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗡𝗼𝗻𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗜 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝘀 Because doing #techforgood is challenging, I love a piece like this highlighting a handful of nonprofits with highly capable tech teams doing it well.

theagencyfund.substack.com

Bridging data divides at scale through tech & AI

By Kailash Raj Pandey (‘24 Strategy Fellow)

000

Jim Fruchterman @jimfruchterman.bsky.social · 05/03/2025

𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀! We are working on our lightweight data governance initiative, the 𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮. We set out to apply these principles to one of our own projects, this approach is commonly called "dogfooding!"

buff.ly

What's Dogfood Got to Do with It? Testing the Better Deal for Data - Tech Matters

We declared our alignment with the Better Deal for Data directly at the beginning of the new Terraso Terms of Service.

000

Reposted by Jim Fruchterman

Nexleaf Analytics @nexleafanalytics.bsky.social · 19/02/2025

AI can transform lives, but only with inclusive data! Nonprofits and funders must invest in shared data infrastructure to unlock AI's full potential for global good. bit.ly/3EXek9u @jimfruchterman.bsky.social @techmatters.bsky.social @ssireview.bsky.social #AIforGood #DataForGood #SocialImpactAI

bit.ly

Gather, Share, Build (SSIR)

Why data is one of the biggest challenges to leveraging AI for social good—and how the social sector can address it

021

Jim Fruchterman @jimfruchterman.bsky.social · 19/02/2025

𝗚𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿, 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲, 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝘖𝘶𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘚𝘚𝘐𝘙 𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘭𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺! Nithya Ramanathan and I just published a piece on AI and data for social good. AI could be doing a lot more for impact, but our current approaches lack critical mass. We can do better through more collaboration! ssir.org/articles/ent...

ssir.org

Gather, Share, Build (SSIR)

Why data is one of the biggest challenges to leveraging AI for social good—and how the social sector can address it

011

Jim Fruchterman @jimfruchterman.bsky.social · 17/02/2025

My Book Has Cover Art! I just spotted that my upcoming book, Technology for Good, is now showing the cover art that MIT Press developed! Step by step we will get to September.

010

Jim Fruchterman @jimfruchterman.bsky.social · 12/02/2025

@Callstack has has been recognized with the Tech For Good Badge 2024 from @TechToTheRescue! 🏆 Their pro-bono expertise in React Native for our LandPKS software was very helpful: we just released the full version of LandPKS! Thank you for being a partner in creating lasting change! #ProBonoTech

020

Jim Fruchterman @jimfruchterman.bsky.social · 05/02/2025

This is a signal of things to come. AI training has long depended on vacuuming up the data produced by humans. Here's an example of AI training making work for humans valiantly trying to maintain open source projects! #techfornotgood

buff.ly

AI Is Spamming Open Source Repos With Fake Issues

A maintainer tracked down an AI company that said the spam was a mistake. But reports suggest the problem is more widespread and growing.

010

Jim Fruchterman @jimfruchterman.bsky.social · 03/02/2025

Stepping out of a field where you spent three decades is that you lose touch with so many people. This weekend I found out that Monthian Buntan, one of the most dynamic leaders I met in the global movement for the rights of blind people, had passed away last year at only 58 years of age. Sad news.

000

Jim Fruchterman @jimfruchterman.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

Yesterday it was the global development field, and now it's the domestic nonprofit sector, and state governments, trying to figure out if they no longer have the funds to do their work.

000

Jim Fruchterman @jimfruchterman.bsky.social · 26/01/2025

This is insanity. But, given the penchant of AI orgs to outsource their content development by freeloading off the work of others, perfectly consistent with the lack of ethics.

000

Jim Fruchterman @jimfruchterman.bsky.social · 20/01/2025

On the train to Davos! Mountains with (some snow) and mountain lakes. I'm already into the swing of Davos, starting with my Schwab Foundation fellow social innovators, always one of the main highlights of Davos. The opening dinner on Sunday night and most of Monday's programming is with my crowd!

Mountain lake in foreground, mountains behind.

010

Jim Fruchterman @jimfruchterman.bsky.social · 16/01/2025

𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝗗𝗮𝘃𝗼𝘀 (7X edition)! I'll be heading back to Davos next week for the World Economic Forum's annual giant meeting. My biggest highlight is speaking on a panel with rockstars like Vilas Dhar, Frank McCourt, and Jon Clifton about the 𝘍𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘋𝘢𝘵𝘢. More to come!!

010

Jim Fruchterman @jimfruchterman.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

𝗠𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗨𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲! Once a year, I send out an update about the latest goings-on for me and Tech Matters. And, it's time for that update. Check out all the cool stuff happening with Aselo, Terraso, the Better Deal for Data, and my forthcoming book!

buff.ly

Jim's 2024 Update - Tech Matters AI education for non-profit leaders and BD4D

In 2024, Tech Matters launched a new data governance movement, the Better Deal for Data, and continued AI education for non-profit leaders.

020

Jim Fruchterman @jimfruchterman.bsky.social · 14/01/2025

I am trying to engage on BlueSky, having stopped using Twitter/X for some odd reason. I have mainly migrated to LinkedIn, but want to see if I can set up the Buffer tool to echo my posts on both places. If this works, I will try to do more and more dual posting. #TryingNewTech

020

Jim Fruchterman @jimfruchterman.bsky.social · 24/11/2024

Like so many people, trying out Bluesky. We'll see where this leads!

450