
Ask HN: Best ways to volunteer? - marz0
What are some of the best ways to volunteer as someone working in tech? Many of us have valuable skills that we can put to use such as software engineering, data analysis, product management, project management, etc.<p>What are some of the best ways to use those skills to help out those in need?<p>Ideas that come to mind: 
* Contributing to civic tech projects
* Contributing to open source projects
* Helping out non-profits
* Donating money made by using the aforementioned skills<p>Which methods of volunteering or giving back do you think are most effective?
======
52-6F-62
I've worked with the United Nations Online Volunteer program before.

They basically have a "job" board for different categories of tasks that can
be done remotely online including design, web site building, other tasks, etc.

It's not the easiest†, as many orgs might be overseas so working
asynchronously is almost a given. Budgets for them are often next-to-none, but
their service demands are usually relatively low.

I highly recommend giving them a look. There are a lot of great, small,
un[der]funded organizations trying to help people in despair, impoverished
children get a leg up, children in troubled homes meet new potential—all
kinds—and they need the help because they can rarely afford to pay for it, but
the ability to manage something like a website and blog that gives them
increased exposure and ease of contact is a huge boon.

They also need online English teachers, researchers, project managers,
writers, the list goes on.

[https://www.onlinevolunteering.org/en](https://www.onlinevolunteering.org/en)

Tech options:
[https://www.onlinevolunteering.org/en/opportunities?f[0]=fie...](https://www.onlinevolunteering.org/en/opportunities?f\[0\]=field_task_id:5)

† _edit: To clarify, many of the technical needs are relatively simple—though
there seem to be some more challenging options appearing as well. The harder
part may be effective communication and understanding—though the people I 've
worked with have always been great and understanding and just want to deliver
the most because they're doing what they do precisely because they care.
They're not getting rich._

------
yjhoney
Just started a coding bootcamp at a public library to teach ppl how to code:
[https://www.meetup.com/San-Jose-C0D3](https://www.meetup.com/San-Jose-C0D3)

Librarians love it when tech people come in to help. They don't have technical
skills and most techies don't seem to think about volunteering at the library.

My goal: To help local libraries provide a free coding bootcamp to anybody who
wants to learn.

Libraries are a beautiful place. They don't discriminate against anyone
regardless of social status, race, gender, etc.

~~~
omosubi
They're one of the only public places remaining where you aren't expected to
spend money.

Thanks for the great idea

~~~
toomuchtodo
See if Repl will offer you a deep discount or free use of their Classrooms
product (since you're not making money from this, but without the hassle of
forming a 501c3 or other formal non-profit entity).

[https://repl.it/site/classrooms](https://repl.it/site/classrooms)

------
kendallpark
On the contrary, I use volunteer work as a time to take a break from tech. In
the past I've volunteered as elementary school classroom help, tutored
students of various ages, and coached line for a local high school football
team.

Yes, as tech workers, we have the ability to use our valuable skills pro bono.
But I think it can also be beneficial to step out of the tech bubble and
integrate with the rest of non-tech society on non-tech terms. Most of my
volunteer work has been with students--when the topic comes up, I get to tell
them all about why they should consider pursuing programming as a career.

Most of my volunteer work has been obtained just by walking up to the people
involved and asking if they need a volunteer. I don't think you need to look
for a formal volunteer program.

~~~
jptoor
I also agree. One-on-one mentoring is fulfilling in a different way than
project oriented volunteering. I recommend doing a longer term commitment as
well. Most are 2-4 hours a week, ideally for at least a year. I was at a large
near-IPO startup, and it was super supportive of me hopping out for 3 hours
every Wednesday for a year to volunteer at underresourced schools. I brought
my classes in to meet people at my company and many kids became more
interested in design & programming careers as a result.

I worked with build.org in NYC - it's entrepreneurship oriented programs. The
students are wonderful. BUILD is large and has a strong presence in SF, DC &
Boston as well.

In SF, I worked with Reach & Rise through the YMCA, which is similar to the
Boys & Girls Club Big Brother/Big Sister program. I'd highly recommend that as
well.

------
clairity
it may seem counterintuitive since you're aiming "to help", but i've had
success choosing volunteer opportunities based on things i wanted to learn
outside my expertise. this strategy also helps keep your own ego in check (for
those of us prone to expert syndrome).

so for example, when i wanted to learn how to do home improvements, i
volunteered at habitat for humanity to help build houses for other people. for
my 5 townhome build, i helped with everything from the framing to the
cabinetry (also gratifying was meeting and working with the eventual
homeowners).

when my cat passed away and i wanted to rescue another cat, i volunteered at a
kitten nursery. i mostly cleaned kennels and fed kittens, but i also got to
socialize them and (eventually) pick the one i wanted to adopt.

~~~
matt_the_bass
That’s a GREAT idea!

------
NoNotTheDuo
I have dedicated untold hours of my life to the FIRST Robotics Competition
[0]. I participated in high school and have been volunteering for the past 15
years after I graduated. I can't count how many high school aged students I've
interacted with, but I do know that my time makes a difference. Please feel
free to reach out with any questions, email in profile.

[0]: [https://www.firstinspires.org/ways-to-
help/volunteer](https://www.firstinspires.org/ways-to-help/volunteer)

~~~
overcast
Thanks for doing this! Fond memories of participating in FIRST 20+ years ago.

~~~
NoNotTheDuo
If you haven't seen the advances made to the program in the last 20 years, I'd
highly recommend looking up some youtube/twitch videos of gameplay from the
2019 season. A lot has changed!

------
mattboulos
As the founder of a tech-driven charity and with some volunteering experience,
I want to suggest another approach.

The skills that let you deploy your technical abilities are often sorely
needed in this sector, particularly when an organization depends on volunteer
labour.

As an example, my father is an experienced civil engineer who leads the
development and refurbishment of major hydro generation facilities in his day
work.

One of his primary volunteer activities, however, is hustling casseroles for a
significant homeless shelter and kitchen in a large city. He is frighteningly
effective because of all the skills that also make him good at his job —
organization, process, people, etc. There’s often a deficit of this in
volunteer efforts.

On the flip side, if you do want to use your technical chops, consider how you
can do so in a sustainable way so you don’t create dependencies that put
important processes at risk. I found it better to fundraise and pay
professionals for important functions.

------
Matticus_Rex
Donating money is almost always more valuable than donating time, especially
if you're not going to donate a lot of time. The time may feel better (or it
may not -- I've had volunteer gigs where I didn't feel I could accomplish
much, and that sucks), but the money is more useful.

~~~
ben509
The economic consideration comes down to the real value of the labor, and that
depends heavily on the economic benefits of specialization.

A day of you doling out soup to people or picking up trash won't be worth any
more than what someone who does it for a living is paid. And it will probably
be substantially less because you're not practiced at it.

A day of you building houses (assuming you have no training) could very well
be _negative_ if someone has to come along and fix your work later.

A day of a non-profit employee's work should be worth at least what their
salary suggests. (They're chronically underpaid because of the conventional
wisdom that high wages are a red flag. This is patently insane and unfair.)

A day of you working closely to your profession is probably worth something
similarly close to your salary.

Now, if no one is picking up trash and you want it picked up, then by all
means go pick it up.

But otherwise, if in other contexts it'd be a waste of your time, it's still a
waste of your time when donating, so consider donating money.

That raises the question: why do so many non-profits have all these worthless
volunteer activities?

First, they do tend to focus on young people whose labor isn't worth much to
begin with, so they're not losing as much.

And many volunteer efforts simply need a lot of warm bodies. There's no way to
canvass for votes, for instance, without having a horde of people knocking on
doors.

And I suspect many volunteer activities are also a great way to raise
publicity and connect with donors.

~~~
hprotagonist
>But otherwise, if in other contexts it'd be a waste of your time, it's still
a waste of your time when donating,

Is it?

 _[We] seem incapable of stating the obvious truth: that we who are well off
should be willing to share more of what we have with poor people not for the
poor people 's sake but for our own; i.e., we should share what we have in
order to become less narrow and frightened and lonely and self-centered
people_ David Foster Wallace

~~~
ben509
I didn't want to get into what your motivations may be, but I alluded to this:
_Now, if no one is picking up trash and you want it picked up, then by all
means go pick it up._

The idea was that you might be doing it yourself because, in that case, your
surroundings being clean and beautiful is something you desire.

> ... we should share what we have in order to become less narrow and
> frightened and lonely and self-centered people

Wallace's view of humanity is self-serving and awful. He's a noble savior, the
poor people are helpless without their saviors, and everyone else is
frightened, lonely, self-centered, etc.

A better approach is one founded in gratitude, wherein charity is merely one
form of expression of gratitude.

~~~
hprotagonist
> Wallace's view of humanity is self-serving and awful. He's a noble savior,
> the poor people are helpless without their saviors, and everyone else is
> frightened, lonely, self-centered, etc.

Out of context i guess i could see that reading being something you could
conclude. It’s not well supported overall, though.

> ... gratitude

Sure; but the notion that “do it because it’s the right thing to do, and it’s
a good way to say thank you” is not at all at odds with “... and by way of
‘you’re welcome’, you’ll be less of a lonely prick!”

It’s kind of an open philosophical question whether or not a purely altruistic
act is even possible (where i do X to you, X is good, and I don’t get anything
in return that is also good) — why mince words about it? (cf kierkegaard,
among many others). There’s no particular shame in acknowledging that charity
rewards both parties.

------
seanmarcia
If you are a Ruby or Javascript developer I'd recommend checking out Ruby for
Good. We build projects for non-profits who really need folks with our skill
sets but would never be able to afford us -- places like diaper banks, women's
shelters, animal rescues, and other great meaningful organizations. Our
projects are on github at
[https://github.com/rubyforgood](https://github.com/rubyforgood) and you can
join our slack to get more information here
[https://rubyforgood.herokuapp.com/](https://rubyforgood.herokuapp.com/). The
important thing to note is that these projects get used! Our diaper project is
being used by about 100 diaper banks around the country and is helping over a
million children per year! While we do work on our projects all year round, we
do have events! Our next event is in the SF area in April that everyone should
definitely come out to because they are a TON of fun! They are all inclusive
(lodging and food are covered,) they are absolutely _NOT_ hackathons (which
are toxic events that burn folks out!) We have a hard stop everyday at dinner
time so we can spend our evenings socializing, playing board games, singing
karaoke, and having lots of fun! The website for the April event is here:
[https://rubybythebay.org](https://rubybythebay.org)

------
flipp
I started Pathi, a volunteer-run app/hotline for people who really need
someone to talk to. Right now we have 12 volunteer listeners taking about that
many calls every day.

[https://apps.apple.com/us/app/pathi/id1466338610](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/pathi/id1466338610)

We need volunteer listeners, someone to help us bring the app to android, and
some design assistance.

If you’re interested in helping, please reach out! (email in profile)

------
sohamsankaran
Run for office and swell the (paltry) ranks of technically literate
legislators.

~~~
hprotagonist
My advisor (PhD EE MIT etc etc) was a town selectman for 30 years.

He didn't exactly enjoy it; he merely saw his skills as bringing an obligation
to service along with them, and acted accordingly.

Never forgot that...

------
mayormcmatt
Not sure where you live, but I was able to volunteer two years with the Code
Nation organization, helping underserved students learn the basics of web
development. [https://codenation.org/](https://codenation.org/)

Some of the students were first-generation children of immigrants or came from
neighborhoods with chronic poverty who never owned a computer and are now
earning scholarships and pursuing CS degrees, so I felt we were making an
direct impact.

------
roshanj
I've heard great things about Ovio [https://ovio.org/](https://ovio.org/) \-
they help coordinate open-source project development for social-impact
organizations using volunteers like yourself

~~~
roshanj
Here's the direct link to their projects page
[https://explore.ovio.org/](https://explore.ovio.org/)

------
comboy
It seems unlikely to me that you will make use of much of your skillset this
way. Doesn't it make more sense then to use as much of it for your day job and
then using that money to contribute to charities? They can hire somebody that
can focus on the task full-time so the value received for your time spent
should be higher that way (if you are a skilled coder) than contributing time
directly.

~~~
ska

      >It seems unlikely to me that you will make use of much of your skillset this way.
    

I really don't see why that would generally hold. Particularly small charities
often don't have anything like the budget to hire full time for things like
this, even if they knew what to look for (and many don't). Many may not even
have a good idea of what is possible.

I guess if you're only focused on the "we need a website update" sort of
problems, that's less true.

------
realbarack
I volunteer as a tutor for an organization that provides academic help to
students experiencing homelessness. It's not restricted to people working in
tech but my anecdotal impression is that there are relatively few tutors who
have strong technical backgrounds and a genuine love for math/science-type
subjects

If you have such a background and enjoy working with kids you can be quite
helpful by (1.) helping students keep from falling so far behind in school
that they're unable to pass their classes (2.) providing an example of what it
looks like for an adult to be passionate about math and science topics (I
think many of these students don't have many such examples).

I'm not sure it's the highest-impact thing I could be doing (i.e. maybe I
could have a greater positive impact by donating the hourly value of my time
to some charity) but if you're interested in boots-on-the-ground volunteer
work that involves in-person work I'd highly recommend it.

~~~
jczhang
What org?

~~~
realbarack
[https://schoolonwheels.org/](https://schoolonwheels.org/)

------
closeparen
Consider “backdoor volunteering.” I find that specialized/technical work isn’t
really available on a volunteer basis. Staff have an expectation of working
with other pros and may feel threatened by undercutting. So I take some
weekend work at nominal wage and donate it back anonymously. It’s not tax
efficient, but it works for both of us.

------
ritchiea
Can’t personally vouch for this org but they were active in nyc recently and
seem interesting:

[https://www.catchafire.org](https://www.catchafire.org)

------
starpilot
Work as hard as you can at your current job to maximize your income, then
donate the money to GiveDirectly.

------
the_jeremy
Depends on what your goals are. In terms of charities, the one I see most
recommended by effective altruist communities is the Against Malaria
Foundation[0,1].

[0]:
[https://www.givewell.org/charities/amf](https://www.givewell.org/charities/amf)
[1]: [https://www.givingwhatwecan.org/charity/against-malaria-
foun...](https://www.givingwhatwecan.org/charity/against-malaria-foundation/)

------
xenocratus
This might come in handy, I've found it perspective-changing:
[https://80000hours.org/](https://80000hours.org/)

------
DyslexicAtheist
coincidentally I just saw this tweet by Katie Moussouris. It fits your
requirement of _someone working in tech_ :

 _> This organization @OSPASafeEscape helps victims of domestic abuse & they
are looking for volunteers like @hexplates to help this important mission._

[https://twitter.com/k8em0/status/1205519304046739456](https://twitter.com/k8em0/status/1205519304046739456)

------
war1025
I imagine a good place to start would be to directly contact some
organizations whose missions you feel strongly about. Likely they have a good
idea of what would be useful to them. From there you could branch into
applying your skills to things they didn't realize were shortcomings.

------
perl4ever
There are two things I've tried -

\- Choosing a place that is looking for my skills, and incidentally seems like
a good cause, vs.

\- Choosing a place with a cause I care about, that might or might not
particularly need my skills.

I find the second one works better, although it might be possible to have a
bad enough fit to try something else. If you have a pre-existing connection to
an organization, possibly have made donations, and you show up and ask what
you can do, and then you prove that you don't mind doing simple tasks, you
will likely graduate into technical stuff if that's what you want.

My impression is a lot of non-profits have a great need for technical help
that their usual interns, volunteers and employees can't provide, but if you
don't connect with them in the right way, it won't work out.

------
nrjames
My personal opinion is that you'll find it most rewarding to locate a non-
profit near you that supports a cause that you support and to volunteer to
help them with various tech/data projects as a way to improve their service
delivery. They don't have to be working with a local beneficiary community --
perhaps they support something overseas. Instead of skipping off of the top of
a lot of different projects, it will give you the opportunity to dig deep into
the needs of one organization and potentially have very significant impact on
the way they conduct their work. Just keep in mind that they're the SMEs with
regards to the beneficiaries and that you're there to support their needs,
perceived or real.

------
kmarc
To my mental health what contributed most is to volunteer at a NON-TECH
position. YMMV

I was on a SE-Asia trip when I fell in love with a small town here; my
organize trip was so bad I decided to abandon it. Found out there is a half-
pruvate English school for kids.

I notified my friends, rebooked my flights and stayed for a month to teach
school children English (around 100 of them in 5 classes every weekday).

This was probably the most rewarding experience in my life, although it didn't
really help my professional career. However, I learned a hlot about

* cultural differences

* language differences of Asian vs Western languages

* the English language itself

* kids

* ways of living a life

* myself

Effectiveness? Questionable. I saw many of the teenagers to improve their
pronounciation drastically during this month. Also helped the local management
to rethink methods of teaching etc.

------
ageofwant
Why have another job that's the same as your current job ? I volunteer at my
local botanical garden. I pull weeds, collect seed and botanise. Volunteering
can and perhaps should be a world-expanding experience.

------
larrykubin
I've spent a few years teaching Scratch
([http://scratch.mit.edu](http://scratch.mit.edu)) to kids. I've volunteered
via the Microsoft's TEALS program ([https://www.microsoft.com/en-
us/teals](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/teals)) and at the video game museum
([https://themade.org/](https://themade.org/)). You can also be an open source
contributor to code.org.

------
davidw
I don't know where you live, but where I am, housing is expensive. As someone
who is paid pretty well, I didn't want to make things worse for those who
don't earn as much, so I helped set up a YIMBY group. We've had some modest
successes.

TBH, donating is pretty good too, as it lets people who are a bit more
specialized in doing the work get on with it, rather than training up someone
who 'wants to help'. Depends a lot on the organization though, I think.

------
jkelleyrtp
FIRST Robotics! Most fun volunteering you'll ever do plus the time to reward
is pretty short as you watch the students grow and get excited by engineering
and business.

------
kazz
Check to see if your town/region has something like GiveCamp
([https://givecamp.org/](https://givecamp.org/))!

I help organize my city's spinoff of GiveCamp, called Code for Good
([https://codeforgoodwm.org/](https://codeforgoodwm.org/)), and we bring
together hundreds of volunteers every year, and help dozens of nonprofits.

------
nteunckens
Why not join the [https://coderdojo.com/](https://coderdojo.com/) community
and help out in getting young kids interested in coding? It's a great way to
'give back' and introduce the future generations in the opportunities that
software can give them. CoderDojo is an international organization and they
might already be active in your neighbourhood.

------
ryanmercer
I'd probably give [https://www.justserve.org/](https://www.justserve.org/) a
look. See what is near you that's listed, if any of the specific organizations
interest you hit their websites and look for someone to reach out to locally
or at a higher level (if applicable) to see if your specific skills might be
used in a volunteer capacity.

~~~
lcall
Additionally at that site, organizations can sign up to then recruit
volunteers.

------
nicthesailor
Mercy Ships is always looking for technical people. The job list is at
[https://apply.mercyships.org/CurrentOpportunities.aspx](https://apply.mercyships.org/CurrentOpportunities.aspx)

Mercy Ships do free operations for people in Africa. The ship's crewed
entirely by volunteers. If you're willing to give a chunk of time, it's both
fun and rewarding.

------
matt_the_bass
I spent about 10 years as a key member at AS220’s fab lab. Since I’m an
engineer by training I figured I could help enable art by helping Artists on
the tech side at the lab. I taught classes, developed curriculum, designed
projects, helped with machine maintenance. It was fun and I ended up “making
my own art”. Now I make Wordclocks in my basement based on some of the
projects I developed for them.

------
SuoDuanDao
I've found the best way to volunteer is at something complementary to what one
does in one's day-to-day, something I'm also interested in but don't get paid
for. At the moment, that looks like teaching a free English class to new
immigrants. I think working on interests outside of one's professional sphere
helps keep the work interesting, and the volunteer engaged.

------
swah
I'm 35 and work with a church group which visits/helps the poor around our
neighboorhood, and my colleagues there are between 55 and 80 year old.

It kinda kills me but they work very well with their systems - paper agendas
and folders - so I don't think I'll ever suggest turning their workflows into
something digital, or even an Excel file...

The way I help them is by carrying heavy packages...

------
RickJWagner
If you believe in a higher power, look for a thriving local church.

The opportunities to volunteer will be frequent and diverse. You might try
digging wells one month, then feeding the hungry the next. You can be part of
"A Night to Shine" or help clean up dirty ditches. All sorts of stuff, offered
frequently and vetted for quality of projects.

------
m12k
There's an organization where volunteers teach coding to refugees:
[https://www.hackyourfuture.net/](https://www.hackyourfuture.net/) It started
in Amsterdam and has spread to Copenhagen and Toronto now - you could get
involved and help open up a chapter in your city too.

------
Mati_Roy
There's a Facebook group for Effective Altruism Volunteering which has some
ideas:
[https://www.facebook.com/groups/1392613437498240/](https://www.facebook.com/groups/1392613437498240/)

------
selfishgene
Lots of so-called "non-profits" do not increase social welfare in any
meaningful way. Even many IRS-approved "charities" are complete scams.

So just remember to look before you leap.

------
Jemm
So many elderly people who have trouble with basic tasks, including but not
limited to tech.

I’d like to see a hotline where people can call to ask about virus pop ups,
calls from potential scammers.

------
yonaguska
If you're located in Chicago, I enjoyed volunteering for CodePlatoon as a TA.
It's not a huge commitment and it's a lot of fun.

------
dehrmann
Consistently. My grandma does a lot of volunteer work, and one of her gripes
is with students who show up to fulfill a requirement, learn just enough to
start being useful, then quit.

One place I work did a volunteer day at a local community center for
underprivileged kids. It was fine going and helping kids out, but I felt like
shit for the kids who never get to build any sort of relationship with anyone
from the rotating cast of techies who show up to assuage their guilt. These
kids have enough instability in their lives.

------
say_it_as_it_is
Teach prisoners how to code
[https://thelastmile.org/](https://thelastmile.org/)

------
q3k
Develop high-quality software and release it under AGPL3+ so that companies
cannot make any profit off of it.

~~~
LfLxfxxLxfxx
They can still profit, but they'd have to open up their own code, which most
are afraid of doing.

------
DrScump
See if there is a onebrick.org chapter in your area.

------
bevan
Earning to give (to the top charities) is likely orders of magnitude more
effective than most other volunteering options.

Research effective altruism and see GiveWell’s most effective charities list
(updated a week ago).

Recommended listening: Sam Harris interviews the founder of effective
altruism. [https://samharris.org/podcasts/being-good-and-doing-
good/](https://samharris.org/podcasts/being-good-and-doing-good/)

Recommended reading: Doing Good Better by Will Macaskill.

------
EncryptEntropy
FOSS.

------
cvaidya1986
Mentor

------
LfLxfxxLxfxx
> product management, project management

No, thank you. FOSS developers are usually skilled and self-motivated
engineers, so corporate-style control is unnecessary or harmful.

Money, quality code, bug fixes, documentation, publicity (there are so many
great but little-known FOSS projects), or a simple display of appreciation for
the authors' work are all welcome.

~~~
eeZah7Ux
Why all the idiotic downvotes?

~~~
LfLxfxxLxfxx
Thanks! For the record: I added the sentence after "No, thank you" after I got
a few downvotes. And please don't call them idiotic. It might be they truly
believe in the necessity of someone "managing" FOSS projects and their
authors.

