Held between October and November in recognition of the Canadian and U.S. Thanksgiving holidays, TKW’s annual TEKSGiving event awards a complimentary technology upgrade to a deserving recipient. Beginning in February, members of the TKW community submit organizations “who are near and dear to their hearts,” explains Ray Cline, president of TKW. Following the online application process, a committee then reviews the submissions and narrows it down to three finalists. “We usually look at who can we help the most, who we feel are the most deserving, and how we can involve as many technology partners as possible,” Cline says.

From there, the three finalists compile informational videos about their organizations and the technology desired. Videos are then presented to TKW’s 600 members, who vote to select the winner. The TEKSGiving concept was born out of a project that Cline took on several years before TKW was established. In an effort to instill excitement about history in students, Cline tried to drum up support for a tech upgrade at a Philadelphia museum. “I started calling vendors and businesses that I worked with like Eaton, and asked if there was any chance they’d be willing to donate some technology to this cause,” he recalls. “I was overwhelmed by the number of people who said yes. Despite being at the height of COVID, we were still able to get 25 people to come on site and build out the complete technology overhaul.”

The project’s success subsequently fueled the creation of TEKSGiving in 2022, which has awarded tech upgrades to a bilingual preschool, a youth fitness gym, a Philadelphia church, with Sojourner House honored as the 2025 recipient. “TEKSGiving is the heart of who we are and what we do,” Cline emphasizes, noting that the event has generated approximately $1 million in product and service donations since it began.

“We are grateful we were able to partner with Sojourner House to help fulfill its mission of helping those in need,” Cline adds. 

Eaton, which has contributed to the last three TEKSgiving events, donated a 1500 VA Eaton Tripp Lite series cloud-connected uninterruptible power system (UPS) to each of the four sites. The systems provide manageable, scalable and flexible protection ― filtering potentially disruptive line noise, safeguarding connected devices from the harmful effects of power surges, keeping connected equipment running during short outages, and saving data and safely shutting down equipment during an extended outage. As cloud-based systems, the units simplify remote monitoring and control, allowing users to keep an eye on UPS status and battery levels in real time. Included with each unit is remote monitoring software with an intuitive dashboard that is accessible from a mobile app or web browser.

To help raise funds for the TEKSgiving event, TKW also hosts an annual TEKFest trade show, where vendors such as Eaton converge to share technology solutions. Cline, who notes he just purchased a dozen Eaton UPSs for his own clients, acknowledges that the vendors and community members who put in the most effort get the most out of it. “They’re on-site with our members getting real-time feedback on how their products are being used and how they might be able to improve,” Cline explains. “That’s where the real value comes in.”  

While primarily an online community, TKW members seek out one another to partner for projects, learn new skills, and share the unique challenges and joys that come with working in technology. Through collaboration, members have increased their presence and grown their individual businesses, guided by one of the organization’s principles: community over competition.