Data + Donuts: Building Community in Public Service Tech

Access to tech and creative industry employment

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

Government is particularly bad at hiring. In the tech space, this is exacerbated by the rapid pace of change in technology. This problem is defined by opaque and difficult to understand application procedures, lack of access to community and mentorship in govtech, and lastly a lack of awareness that these types of jobs are available. Government agencies know there is a tremendous amount of work to be done rebuilding public services and Angelenos are eager to do this work, but there is a gulf between them. A 2023 poll found 61% of job seekers felt they were unqualified for a career in tech, and 40% said they didn’t know where to begin looking for a tech job. Even among those who have started their tech careers, 58% say that they experience impostor syndrome about their abilities. But government agencies have also lost the ability to find and hire people. The city of LA alone has about 7,500 vacancies, while the county of LA and the state have 16,025 and 47,920 vacant jobs, respectively.

Data + Donuts is a breakfast lecture series that focuses on the use of technology and data to deliver public services. Designed to be accessible to a non-technical audience who are curious about public services or technology, our events welcome anyone who shares a love of Los Angeles. Our events provide a forum for telling the story and impact of public sector work. These stories facilitate peer networking and cross-pollination of ideas across departments and agencies, helping build a more data-literate workforce. We believe that building a community of data literacy leads to better service in government. It is also a welcoming space for new professionals and those seeking a career change to develop the connections that can help them enter the public sector tech workforce. Each event as well as our monthly newsletters highlights relevant open opportunities with government agencies in the region. With this grant, Compiler proposes to expand the series to include a career fair hosted with our local government partners as well as a two-day, three track training event, School of Data LA. Last organized in 2019, School of Data LA brings together government data analysts, systems analysts, and project managers to address their biggest needs: to improve analytical skills, and to learn from peers across the region. Programming is driven by community feedback and includes keynotes, workshops, and lightning talks moderated and led by regional government employees who work with data.

Compiler believes a future is possible where innovation doesn’t refer to a get-rich-quick scheme, but rather means finding new and better ways to care for each other and for our communities. We envision accessible public services that enable joyful and dignified lives. Where regardless of technical literacy, the language you speak, or the support you need – the technology we use to deliver a social safety net meets individuals where they are. Where staff have the time and resources to look to the future, to evaluate programs, and improve policy and outcomes instead of fighting with broken databases and memorizing workarounds to process applications. Where no one is rejected or missed by a computer program because their name has a space or a hyphen. While our team is small today we envision a growing annual career fair and more online digital resources such as a jobs board that helps more candidates find appropriate government jobs. As our community grows so will their needs.

Data + Donuts events are free and open to the public, with attendees being required to RSVP. Since 2023, all events have been livestreamed on Youtube. Livestreaming provides a low-barrier way for those in LA and beyond to participate and learn from our speaker and helps to expand the reach of Data + Donuts. Compiler’s tracked performance metrics for the program include newsletter subscribers, Youtube livestreams, Youtube views, newsletter subscribers, newsletter open rate, RSVPs per event, number of government agencies participating, government and non-government attendees, govtech jobs posted or promoted, and unique RSVPs for the year. Across three events in 2024, we have had 127 unique attendees with hundreds of additional views online. Data + Donuts has been able to attract speakers from all over the state of California working for planning agencies, transit agencies, and IT departments, while maintaining an exclusive focus on public sector tech projects.