Ask HN: Best ways to volunteer?

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 and you can join our slack to get more information here 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

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.

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