GGCS originated in 1981 as the Marin-Sonoma PC Users Group. From its beginnings, membership was comprised of both highly skilled and new users of personal computers, novices were welcomed by more experienced users, and the notion of “Users Helping Users” came into being.
By 1989, membership had grown, and meetings were drawing attendees from San Francisco and the East Bay. In addition, Special Interest Groups (SIGs) were established, including the School Support SIG. The latter received donated used PC’s, repaired and/or upgraded them, and gave them to local schools, as well as providing maintenance and support to recipient schools.
In order to better reflect the membership and scope of the group’s activities, the name was changed to Golden Gate Computer Society, and the organization was determined by the IRS to be an exempt organization under section 501(c)3 and a public charity under section 509(a)2, allowing tax deductions for donations to the organization and the School Support Program in particular.
Along with growth came a classroom and workshop, better meeting facilities, and our monthly 16-page newsletter. The scope of our interest has expanded beyond personal computers to the many digital devices that now accompany computer use, such as printers, scanners, digital cameras, and, of course, the internet. Today, GGCS is one of the few remaining PC User Groups with a large and growing membership.
However, the strength behind GGCS’s growth was the volunteer nature of the organization. For over 25 years, an all-volunteer group has provided leadership, computer education, information, problem solving and fellowship.
Collaboration, Cooperation and Consensus are the “3 C’s” behind GGCS direction and operation. The Steering Committee, open to all members, meets monthly with the GGCS Board to plan activities. Board members are elected by the general membership. Expenditures and policy decisions are decided by the Board, with advisory input from the Steering Committee.
GGCS monthly General Meetings are open to the public, without charge, as is an Introduction to Computers class that is held just before each General Meeting. With attendance averaging 125 at each General Meeting, vendors, authors and computer experts are happy to be regular presenters, helping us to help you master your computer and its equipment more easily and effectively.
Click here for contact information.
Copyright © 2006 Golden Gate Computer Society. All rights reserved.