A month ago I tweeted my frustration about the so called #twitterjesus @markmueller1979. This thread is an update. Please, do not attack him personally. While I still don't agree with what he does, personal attacks don't help anyone. Some goes for all sides. /0 https://twitter.com/luca/status/1253748633377206272

I am writing this update to clear some things up; What happened and what didn't happen.

@markmueller1979 collected 10k€ from his followers to buy 50 laptops for pupils in need. 20 laptops will go to Stadt Mannheim. I called and they confirmed that he is in contact with them. /1

The city doesn't know yet who will get the laptops in the end, but they are working on it. As far as I understood it, they asked the various schools who needs them the most and can actually utilize them. The whole decision process is done by the city. /2

The other 30 laptops will go to adlaborem http://www.adlaborem.de/ . A gGmbH owned by Caritas. They employ long term unemployed and handicapped people, and help people get (back) on the job market.

I was surprised because I assumed the laptops would go to high school students. /3

Unemployed people need support. But @markmueller1979 should have been more clear about this. Especially because he asked for donations together with the school teacher @MelsGedanken. This may have misled people what the money will be used for. /4

Both, Stadt Mannheim and adlaborem, are clients of @markmueller1979. The situation with Stadt Mannheim is a bit more complicated (some schools use his software; contracts with the city).

People gifted money to him, which he used to buy laptops and gift to his clients. /5

In the case of Stadt Mannheim, the 20 laptops will probably be gifted to pupils, which is great. That's what the initial plan was.

In the case of adlaborem the 30 laptops will probably be owned by the company and lend to the people in training. That's not good. /6

@markmueller1979 was open with me. He provided people at Stadt Mannheim and adlaborem which I could contact to confirm his statements. I only contacted Stadt Mannheim. He answered my questions and I believe him that he wants to help people. But I question his approach. /7

He wants to provide unbureaucratic, direct help. Instant relief for people in need. There are thousands of people who trust him and give their money to him.

There is a broken system. Pupils and unemployed people who can't learn because they don't have the necessary devices. /8

Imagine the power of those people if they called and mailed politicians to improve the system. Everyone has a right to education and today that means that everyone needs to have access to the internet. Wouldn't that impact be much greater than 50 laptops? /9

It's possible to do both. But from what I read that's not what happened. People felt great and patted each other on the back for improving the situation of few.

What could have been done differently? /10

I recommended to @markmueller1979 to reduce his own liability.

When someone replied to him to buy different, much better devices, he admitted to not know much about hardware. But in the end still bought the worse product. /11

Instead of trying to do everything himself, he could have looked for someone or an organization who could make the money help even more.

He could reduce his influence even further, by asking people not to gift money to him, but to an established organization. /12

In the case of schools, directing donations to Fördervereine would have worked. In the case of adlaborem he could have asked people to donate to Caritas and ask them to use the money for laptops. /13

Instead of handling the money himself, he could switch to looking for and vetting organizations who help people directly and then direct money to one of these organizations each month.

Or help people to receive money directly. /14