What are some of the best ways to use those skills to help out those in need?
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
Which methods of volunteering or giving back do you think are most effective?
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
Tech options: https://www.onlinevolunteering.org/en/opportunities?f[0]=fie...
† 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.
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.
Thanks for the great idea
https://repl.it/site/classrooms
This is a great idea! Thanks for doing this. Have you had your first session yet? How did it go?
Do you use the library computers for your coding bootcamp?
I plan to start small (intentionally so) to build a core group of students and then slowly grow from there. Over the past year The more senior students will pass knowledge down to the more junior ones.
Currently its still too early to determine if there are issues or if things are going well, but we have about 5 students that show up.
> Do you use the library computers for your coding bootcamp?
If students don't have their own computers, we have ssh access for them to code on our computer using a borrowed laptop from the library. VSCode supports remote coding so that's cool. You also have tools like coder.com and repl.it that allows students to code without owning a computer.
All it takes is to create a meetup account and schedule something! People will come.
The hardest part is to stick to a consistent schedule so people know when / how to find you for help. This usually means saying no to regular social events that your friends may invite you to.
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.
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.
There's so much going on in the world that doesn't revolve around computers that has a need for people.
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.
[0]: https://www.firstinspires.org/ways-to-help/volunteer
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.
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.
A day every 2-4 weeks of working closely to your profession might be, but less frequently than that and most high-skill professions will spend most of their time having to re-orient to what the needs are or get the details of where the org is today vs. where it was three months ago. I've done volunteer work where I spent over half the time figuring out what they needed. What they really needed was money to hire someone that they could get to do that same thing on a consistent basis so that overhead didn't take up more than half of the donation.
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
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.
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.
then it’s the exact opposite of a waste.
Volunteer labor can often be a resource suck whereas money is money.
People on HN like to say "Software is eating the world" but when I look at my city, none of the biggest problems I see are going to be solved by more software.
Your software skills only have "a market rate of a couple hundred bucks an hour" because companies like Amazon and Facebook and Google are paying that. You're in a bubble. Small companies and non-profits aren't paying that. Mega-corporations can pay that only because they have massive scale. If one software developer can produce value for a million users, that person is worth a ton of money to the company. The non-profit in your backyard does not share that attribute. Your FAANG salary is not in any way relevant to them.
Finally, every programmer knows there's no such thing as resolving all maintenance "in a few hours". Software maintenance is a never-ending task. Take something that wasn't computerized, and computerize it, and now you've simplified one task for that volunteer org, while creating a new recurring cost for them. (You've taken a visible cost that anyone can help with, and turned it into an invisible cost that requires an expensive specialist.) I've seen countless cases where an org said "We got this new software (for cheap/free) that will help us!", and then 2 months later they're trying to get support, and the person who set it up is long gone.
Please, just give money, and let the organization decide how to use it. They aren't stupid. They know how to hire software people, when that is their most pressing need. Usually it isn't.
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)
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...
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.
I guess if you're only focused on the "we need a website update" sort of problems, that's less true.
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.
https://www.catchafire.org
[0]: https://www.givewell.org/charities/amf [1]: https://www.givingwhatwecan.org/charity/against-malaria-foun...
> 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
- 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.
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.
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.
I help organize my city's spinoff of GiveCamp, called Code for Good (https://codeforgoodwm.org/), and we bring together hundreds of volunteers every year, and help dozens of nonprofits.
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.
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...
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.
So just remember to look before you leap.
I’d like to see a hotline where people can call to ask about virus pop ups, calls from potential scammers.
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.
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/
Recommended reading: Doing Good Better by Will Macaskill.
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.