4 apps that make donating and volunteering easy
NEW YORK (FOX5NY.COM) - Many of us wish we could spend more time volunteering but we may not know how or where to start. Here are some great apps to show you how to get out into your communities and give back.
1. ShareTheMeal
Help fight child hunger with just a tap through the ShareTheMeal app. This is an initiative of the United Nations World Food Programme, which is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger. For just 50 cents, users can feed one child for a day.
Users can share meals for a week or even a year. You can see exactly where your donation goes and who you are helping. So far over 20 million meals have been shared through the app to feed children all over the world.
2. One Today
See how one deed today can equal a better tomorrow with the One Today app. Each day, this app will notify you of a different nonprofit to check out based on your interests. You can offer to donate between $1 and $10 or set up a match donation to rally your friends on social media and collectively contribute even more.
The app is filled with U.S.-based nonprofits and doesn't charge transaction fees, which means that 100 percent of your donation goes directly to the organization.
3. iChipN
The iChipN app attempts to encourage millennials to be active in their communities by offering an incentive, according to tech expert Lance Ulanoff.
"If you do your volunteering, you get these chips that you can turn in to the marketplace for stuff that's of value," Ulanoff said.
Search through numerous social impact challenges in your area through the GPS system.
"I went in and I immediately saw something that, if I had time, I could have done today," he said.
iChipN believes rewarding users for their effort to create change. The reward chips can be redeemed for a range of products from popular brands to tickets for a broad range of events and experiences. You can also track your impact through color-coded charts.
4. Be My Eyes
Help the blind with the Be My Eyes app. It's visual assistance on demand for the blind or visually impaired by connecting them with sighted volunteers. Users can need help with anything from seeing the expiration date on a carton of milk to making sure that their clothes match.
A request for assistance is made through a notification sent to the phones of the volunteer network. As soon as the first sighted user accepts the request, a live audio-video connection is established between the two parties. You can read stories of how the app has immensely helped the visually impaired community.