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Ask HN: How can I volunteer my software skills online?

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Re: Ask HN: How can I volunteer my software skills online?

#21

Post by Mo3 »

carussell wrote: post #18
patio11 wrote: post #15

(Disclaimer: not trolling.) Consider specializing in making money and donating the money to people who specialize in $PICK_A_CAUSE_DEAR_TO_YOU, if your primary concern is about impact and not about personal fulfillment. NGOs are often not well set up to metabolize the labor of developers, and at some things which you think are helpful will be perceived by the organization as a threat (e.g. at many organizations, anyt…

More in this vein: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effective_altruism http://www.jefftk.com/news/giving http://www.aaronsw.com/weblog/handwritingwall https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/32lnif/im_peter_singe...

That was incredibly interesting. Thank you!

Re: Ask HN: How can I volunteer my software skills online?

#24

Post by Twisell »

aw3c2 wrote: post #10

Have you heard of Open Source software? You can literally find hundreds of thousands of software projects that publish their sources under free licenses for you to improve upon. I am sure you have some hobbies or niche interests where software could use a little help.

Indeed but what about when your skills set don't involve software developpement? What's interesting in this question is actually that what work for FOSS might be working for other tasks.

Like for instance à project like "let's develop together a good blueprint for a eco-neutral house" where architects/carpenters/engineers/electrician/phd/lawyer/mason/painter/layman/etc could contribute in a Git Like fashion.

Re: Ask HN: How can I volunteer my software skills online?

#25

Post by cjCamel »

moriartyx64 wrote: post #2

One initiative that comes to mind is the Humanitarian Toolbox: http://www.htbox.org/

I saw Richard Campbell talking about the Humanitarian Toolbox at his NDC London keynote - seems like an interesting option if you want to use your dev skills for good causes. https://vimeo.com/204070784.

Re: Ask HN: How can I volunteer my software skills online?

#26

Post by tyingq »

vonklaus wrote: post #16

This is as impossible to answer as: What charity should I give money to? I would love to have a talented teacher, so I would say mentorship, ect. The EFF although they have more technical resources than most. Depends on 100% what you are passionate about. Without that info the target is any non-profit

Not quite the same question to me. Finding lists of charities that take donations is easy and obvious. Finding lists that would take volunteer coding is less easy. OP seems to be looking for a list, not specific advice on which organization to select.

Re: Ask HN: How can I volunteer my software skills online?

#28

Post by jeffmould »

If you live near a large city with a big newspaper (i.e. Washington Post) you can often find volunteer software development and web designer opportunities for various organizations in their employment section. Just note that many are truly volunteer or offer a small stipend in exchange for your work. On the flip side these can be great opportunities for someone just getting started to build references, a portfolio, and gain experience.

Re: Ask HN: How can I volunteer my software skills online?

#29

Post by weisser »

My friend Robinson recently launched a site called Project 501. It matches non-profit organizations with talented professionals who want to donate their skills.

Site: http://project501.com Medium post: ‪ https://medium.com/@robinsongreig/project-501-a-platform-to-...

Re: Ask HN: How can I volunteer my software skills online?

#30

Post by lazylester »

I have been writing software, pro-bono, for non-profits for over a decade now. I get most of my "work" through idealist.org, which is a trove of opportunities. You might have to monitor for a few months before you find just the right project for you. Be patient.

My most recent gig, however, was found through the United Nations volunteer program. I can't find the link atm but I'm sure it'll come up for you with a bit of Googling.

It has been incredibly rewarding, and you might be able to write off some of your computer, conference, books, internet and travel expenses.

I love this kind of work for many reasons, but from the developer's perspective it's rewarding because the client is always very grateful for what you are doing and there's never a deadline, so there's always time to do it right and not take shortcuts.

I have traveled to some very interesting places, albeit mostly (but not always) at my own expense, with this work. I am fortunate to be in a financial position that I can do it, and I can't recommend it highly enough.

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