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…
What org?
Ask HN: Best ways to volunteer?
21–30 of 96 posts
Re: Ask HN: Best ways to volunteer?
#22Donating 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.
Re: Ask HN: Best ways to volunteer?
#23My 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.
Re: Ask HN: Best ways to volunteer?
#24Donating 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.
Donating technical skills with a market rate of a couple hundred bucks an hour can add up much more quickly than donating cash in many cases. And it doesn't have to be a massive investment - in a few hours you can make a much more manageable and better looking website for a lot of organizations that can't afford to pay for one.
Re: Ask HN: Best ways to volunteer?
#25Earning 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/
Recommended reading: Doing Good Better by Will Macaskill.
Re: Ask HN: Best ways to volunteer?
#26it 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.
Re: Ask HN: Best ways to volunteer?
#27Donating 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.
I read all of the comments to this post and I don't your's stands up. Donating time can be very valuable. On the other side of the coin, there are a lot of charities and other causes that have substantial overhead costs. It is possible that only a fraction of your donation might be a direct benefit to the intended recipient.
Re: Ask HN: Best ways to volunteer?
#28I 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.
Re: Ask HN: Best ways to volunteer?
#29FIRST 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.
Re: Ask HN: Best ways to volunteer?
#30it 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…
That’s a GREAT idea!