362. That’s how many people applied by our Sunday night deadline to become one of the first Code for America Fellows. I’m stunned and thrilled. Code for America is built on an assumption that a few talented and passionate people from the technology world would be willing to give a year of their lives, work for a minimal stipend on challenging projects, and even uproot themselves for the year to move to the Bay Area. We hoped they would do all this because they believed that we can remake government and that we should. It was a bit of a leap of faith, but one that’s been validated and rewarded by an outpouring of support and enthusiasm. Never did I think 362 passionate, thoughtful people would apply in our very first year.
I’ve been reading One Day All Children, written by Teach for America founder Wendy Kopp, about the early days of that organization, which as you may know, served as one of the inspirations for Code for America. Wendy chronicles her own inspiration, but most vividly, her own struggle to make the fledgling TFA succeed operationally in its early years. The story includes tales of constant funding crises, resentful corps members angry about logistical nightmares and unkept promises, and attempted coups by the staff. It continues on to describes how the organization grew past these challenges, held tight to its vision, and became the institution it is today. Her story was comforting, encouraging, and also humbling. It made me grateful for starting small (that is, an inaugural class of 21, not 500) and for all our fantastic supporters, but it also reminded me of what’s at stake: not only the credibility of the organization, the buy-in of our partners in City Hall, and the trust of our funders, but a year in the lives of 21 people who, above all, want to make a difference.
Until recently, the Fellows were an idea; now there are names, hometowns, project URLs, statements of intent, and soon faces attached to that idea. With that exciting and also sobering reality in mind, I’ve drafted the following letter to all our applicants, and I felt it appropriate to share it with everyone here as well. (I’ve left out some of the more logistical parts).
Dear Prospective CfA Fellow,
Thank you for applying to be one of first Code for America Fellows. You and 361 others have proven that the will for change exists. On the one hand, the high number of applications is exhilarating; on the other, it’s embarrassing, since 341 of you will be told that we can’t bring you on as a fellow, at least not this year. We’ll only be able to take 5.8% of the people who applied, making the first Code for America class twice as competitive as Teach for America’s twentieth. While it’s nice to be selective, there’s clearly more talent to be harnessed than we can take advantage of right now, and that’s a shame. In some ways this makes me want to expand the program as quickly as we can, creating more opportunities for more Fellows. But first I want us to follow our own advice to cities; start small, learn, adapt, iterate.
Our 2012 fellows will probably have an easier time of it than those of you chosen in this round: our resources are still slim, our entire staff is new, our model is untested. Let me paint a more vivid picture: on your first day, you’ll probably have to assemble your own desk. We’re still working on securing office space, either in San Francisco or Oakland (we’re committed to a public transit-friendly location), and still hashing out the details of health coverage for all the Fellows (and staff, for that matter!). There will be questions we don’t have immediate answers to, because it’s the first time we’re being asked them. The 2011 Fellows will need to be optimists and self-starters, and from time to time be willing to employ that all-purpose tool: a sense of humor.
This is not to sell the program short. Code for America has a solid funding base and a sound financial plan, a world-class, experienced staff, and a model that I think we all agree is worth testing. Moreover, you’ve applied knowing it’s our first year, and that’s made you all the more willing to raise your hands and say “I’m in.” As the first Fellows class, you’ll shape the program as much (or more) than it shapes you. You’ll shape the perceptions of the city staff you’ll work with. You’ll shape the educational program, and later on, the alumni program. You won’t just build technology for your city, you’ll be building the program that we hope will drive change in government for years to come. That you’re willing to take this on is inspiring. I’m humbled by your collective talent, passion, and dedication, and by your belief in this new program. Together we can rise to the occasion.
I’m looking forward to getting to know many of you.
Last week I wrote a bit about how the reality of having such a great group of applicants is driving home the importance of providing these talented passionate fellows with a great experience. Here’s one of the ways we’re going to do this: we’ve hired Meghan Reilly as our director of operations. Meghan and I worked closely together at TechWeb on the Web 2.0 and Gov 2.0 events. Meghan makes the trains run on time, but she does it while making the people around her smile. Smart, organized, practical, tough and experienced, Meghan makes her team feel safe because you learn that she simply won’t tolerate her team walking into a situation unprepared. She also has integrity of the highest order. She has a big job here, ranging from HR to finance to logistics to the fellows program, and she’s the only person I absolutely know can do it. When I finally convinced her to come to Code for America, I can tell you I danced quite a happy dance. With all that we need to do to bring 23 fellows on board at once and help them succeed in their projects, we – and the Fellows – are very lucky to have Meghan.
