MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Innovative Ways to Give Back
These apps offer creative ways to let you support individuals in your community, national organizations, and global charities.
ShareTheMeal
‣ The United Nations’ ShareTheMeal app makes it easy to contribute to the World Food Programme, which distributes meals to hungry children in developing countries. Just 50 cents can feed a child for a day. Donate to specific emergency programs for Syrian refugees or children in Nigeria affected by famine. Apple Pay makes donating seamless.
OLIO
‣ OLIO streamlines the process of distributing nonperishable food in your community. Use the app to set up drop points at local businesses, so people can easily donate or take what they need.
Lyft
‣ Lyft has a way to donate to charity with every ride: “Round Up & Donate,” which rounds up each transaction to the nearest dollar and donates that difference to one of nine charities, including Save the Children, Human Rights Campaign, and Girls Who Code. You can turn on this feature in the app’s settings menu.
Charity Miles
‣ By launching Charity Miles each time you go for a walk, jog, hike, or bike ride, you’ll raise money for charity. The app tracks the distance you’ve traveled and donates 25 cents for every mile on foot, 10 cents for every mile you bike. (Funds come from the advertising budgets of corporate sponsors.) So far, the Charity Miles community has raised over $2.5 million for ASPCA, Feeding America, Habitat for Humanity, and other organizations.
One Today
‣ One Today from Google lets you use Google Wallet to donate to dozens of U.S.-based nonprofits.
Worldpackers
‣ Use Worldpackers to find volunteer opportunities in over 100 countries, with commitments of a few days, weeks, months, or a year. You can also find positions seeking specific skills, such as cooking, teaching English, and carpentry.
Be My Eyes
‣ Be My Eyes connects the blind and visually impaired with sighted volunteers around the world to assist with everyday tasks via video chat. Is the milk expired? Do my clothes match? By answering simple questions like these, you can help someone lead a more independent life.
Charitybuzz
‣ Charitybuzz auctions once-in-a-lifetime experiences and ultra-high-end goods to raise money for a myriad of charities. Bids on everything from dream vacations to celebrity meetups to extravagant jewelry have raised more than $200 million for some 3,500 nonprofits as of this time last year.