The Golden Wrench Award
The Golden Wrench is an annual award that DARO gives out to recognize people doing incredible work that addresses real-world problems in the social sector.
DARO awarded the first Golden Wrench at Good Tech Fest in 2023, recognizing Andrew Means for his ability to bring together a group of inspiring and impressive people ever year, — people who all work to drive real change and make an actual, positive difference. To celebrate his contributions, we awarded him an (enormous) gold (working) wrench, which meant he definitely had to check his bag for his flight home. A tradition was born.
Every year since, we’ve handed the Golden Wrench to a new Good Tech Fest attendee who does the hard — and often unappreciated or unseen — work to chip away at the complex problems in our world. The wrench is about fixing things, continuously, because the work is never done. We always need to keep up with change, deal with the unexpected, learn more, and make things better.
The Golden Wrench Award recognizes people who embody this ethos. They see what’s broken that needs to be fixed, and maybe even more importantly, what needs breaking so that it can be fixed.
Golden Wrench Recipients
2023
Andrew Means
Founder, Data Analysts for Social Good
For over 30 years, nonprofit social enterprise TechSoup has led the way in creating social impact through supporting over 1 Million nonprofits globally. TechSoup helps these organizations gain access to the technology and services they need to build a more equitable planet.
Data Analysts for Social Good is the largest network of data professionals in the social sector. It offers regular webinars and Good Tech Fest, an annual conference for those interested in how data & technology are changing how the social sector works
2024
Marnie Webb
CEO, Tech Soup
2025
Nithya Ramanathan
Co-Founder and CEO, Nexleaf Analytics
Nexleaf Analytics is a tech non-profit dedicated to partnering with countries to make sure they have the data they need to improve the health of people. Nexleaf’s unique approach brings together sensor design, data analysis, software engineering, and field engagement to identify and address big problems.