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SEEKING FREELANCER (VOLUNTEERING) - http://socialcoder.org http://socialcoder.org SocialCoder is a non-profit that connects volunteer programmers and designers

SEEKING FREELANCER (VOLUNTEERING) - http://socialcoder.org http://socialcoder.org SocialCoder is a non-profit that connects volunteer programmers and designers with charities for short-term voluntary projects. We are based in the UK but volunteers have signed up from all over Europe and the US. Signing up is obligation-free, it only means you will potentially be matched with a charity for a specific project. How much time you give is up to you - we have a library of projects so you can see the kind of time involved per project (http://socialcoder.org/Home/ProjectLibrary http://socialcoder.org/Home/ProjectLibrary) Reasons to sign up? * Use your tech skills to directly support causes you care about * Add real-world experience to your CV * Get a professional recommendation from the charity (assuming all goes well!) * Receive mentoring from a SocialCoder mentor (experienced leaders) as and when helpful * Networking opportunities!

datr 14y ago
I really like this idea. I use some of my free time to help out charities with development but I'm not much of a designer so this looks like it could be a great help!
- KiwiCoder 14y ago
  Thanks datr. Six signups in the past hour, including our first volunteer from the Phillippines.
softwarerero 14y ago
I like the idea. I have done nothing but charity work in a long time. This week I released http://diaconia.com.py/ http://diaconia.com.py/ for a local organization. I would only volunteer for an organization if I can identify with its goals, so I would appreciate if you'd publish them. There are also projects listed like bug hunting or performance tuning. You should publish the technologies used in these cases too.
- KiwiCoder 14y ago
  It has been about a month since the site went live and the first priority has been (and still is) to build up momentum with volunteers. Nonetheless I am actively seeking charities who could benefit from these kinds of projects but so far - to my frustration - I have lots of encouragement and interest but no projects started. It actually hurts to admit that in a public forum, but I can't see the point in pretending otherwise. I have met up with local charity reps who love the idea, but I guess it takes time for something like this to gain traction when charities are already invested financially and emotionally in existing programmes of work, plus funding bids, plus tenders for service provision, not to mention the ongoing stress of keeping organisations afloat in the midst of global financial problems. I've heard some awful stories about how hard it is to keep a charity or NPO afloat right now. But that makes me even more determined. Charities and NPOs should not be (but are) the ones to suffer most when times are hard. Regarding specific technologies; it all depends on projects and is somewhat volunteer driven. An organisation might want (just for example) to make a campaign for mobile devices but will not care about which platform (or they might care but not enough to say no to an available Android developer). I'm also very conscious of how these projects are supported after delivery (when the volunteer finishes). It won't be good if the net result is an unsustainable support and maintenance burden, so up-front planning is needed to a) avoid that or b) plan for it if necessary. So far all the costs have been covered out of my pocket, and when I have good month (I'm a freelancer) I will sink some more into a marketing campaign. I'm not a marketer, no sir, its a shame I'm not asking for volunteer marketers else I could tap one of them.

datr 14y ago

I really like this idea. I use some of my free time to help out charities with development but I'm not much of a designer so this looks like it could be a great help!

KiwiCoder 14y ago
Thanks datr. Six signups in the past hour, including our first volunteer from the Phillippines.

softwarerero 14y ago

I like the idea. I have done nothing but charity work in a long time. This week I released http://diaconia.com.py/ http://diaconia.com.py/ for a local organization. I would only volunteer for an organization if I can identify with its goals, so I would appreciate if you'd publish them. There are also projects listed like bug hunting or performance tuning. You should publish the technologies used in these cases too.

KiwiCoder 14y ago
It has been about a month since the site went live and the first priority has been (and still is) to build up momentum with volunteers. Nonetheless I am actively seeking charities who could benefit from these kinds of projects but so far - to my frustration - I have lots of encouragement and interest but no projects started. It actually hurts to admit that in a public forum, but I can't see the point in pretending otherwise. I have met up with local charity reps who love the idea, but I guess it takes time for something like this to gain traction when charities are already invested financially and emotionally in existing programmes of work, plus funding bids, plus tenders for service provision, not to mention the ongoing stress of keeping organisations afloat in the midst of global financial problems. I've heard some awful stories about how hard it is to keep a charity or NPO afloat right now. But that makes me even more determined. Charities and NPOs should not be (but are) the ones to suffer most when times are hard. Regarding specific technologies; it all depends on projects and is somewhat volunteer driven. An organisation might want (just for example) to make a campaign for mobile devices but will not care about which platform (or they might care but not enough to say no to an available Android developer). I'm also very conscious of how these projects are supported after delivery (when the volunteer finishes). It won't be good if the net result is an unsustainable support and maintenance burden, so up-front planning is needed to a) avoid that or b) plan for it if necessary. So far all the costs have been covered out of my pocket, and when I have good month (I'm a freelancer) I will sink some more into a marketing campaign. I'm not a marketer, no sir, its a shame I'm not asking for volunteer marketers else I could tap one of them.