Website for Helping Others

[DoubleDown]

Sorry if this deserves to be in the "Off Topic" section, I hope the admins will move it if they see fit. All the great advice I've seen others offer on this website makes me wonder about an idea that's rattled around in my head for a few months:

What do you all think about setting up a website that could help match people willing to donate their time/money/talent/advice with others in need of assistance? I'm not talking about a barter/exchange service, just a place for putting people in need with people who can help. Would such a thing be useful, or does it already exist and I've missed it?

I'm thinking of a community-based place where, for example, I could say I'm willing to volunteer to drive someone to doctor's appointments or rake leaves in an old person's yard. Or someone else could donate their handyman skills to a family needing a sink fixed to have running water. Or giving budgeting help to poor families who desperately need it. Others could offer things they want to donate, either clothing, food, money, labor, whatever.

At the same time, people could post their needs for food, money, repairs, tutoring, driving assistance, you name it. The idea would be allowing people who need things to find people that have things to offer, and vice-versa. It should be localized like Craigslist so that people can find each other easily in their own towns, and provide anonymity like Craigslist until the actual transaction occurs. And folks can do all the screening they want of the causes they'd like to take up.

My cursory search for such a service on Google turned up nothing obvious. I see there is a section for Volunteering on craigslist, but I'll admit I never noticed it before and it seemed to get lost in all the other stuff there. I'm thinking of something that would be so widely known, it would be the "go-to" place for helping, just like Google is for search or YouTube is for video or MrMoneyMustace.com. is for punches in the face.

Would having a website dedicated to such a service be worthwhile, would it work? If so, who would you go to in order to develop and host such a site, or particularly if you could get some kind of corporate donation to help pay for the hosting costs?

[mustachianit]

I really like this idea. It would be kind of like back in thr old days.  Before people were paid to work they exchanged their services and skills.

[Sunflower]

There is a website www.lotsahelpinghands.com that is similar to what you describe. I've used it to help out friends/family in times of crisis but I think maybe you have to be invited to a group. There could be a public setting though....I haven't checked it out much other than when someone has added me to an already formed group.

[Paul der Krake]

The problem is that matching skills for both parties, strangers to one another, will be incredibly difficult. The lack of compensation makes it really easy to abuse the system.

Hey wanna fix my car and I'll erm, bake you a cookie? In the real word, it's fairly easy to judge if someone is serious about making a commitment with the tone, body language, etc. and it's easy to avoid those people. Not saying it can't be done, but a serious problem to tackle.

Taskrabbit and mymechanic are sort of on that turf, but both use real dollars.

[nealashley]

You may want to check out this link.

I've considered opening up one of these in my area.

http://timebanks.org/

Let me know what you think.

Neal

[DoubleDown]

Thanks very much for your feedback!

To be clear, I was not thinking of an exchange for services, more of just a place to volunteer or receive help with no expectation of receiving anything in return. Just matching people that have needs with people who can fulfill them.

For example, if I was feeling like a very small-time philanthropist, I could look through the ads people had posted where they requested help. If something caught my interest, or if it was something that I could easily do to help out, I could reply and lend a hand. Someone might post an ad saying, Could someone please help me learn English by talking with me once a week? Or it could be more serious, such as "My family is homeless, please help."

Or, if I wanted to be proactive, I could post an ad offering my assistance. For example, if I had a big 4x4 SUV, I could offer to drive anyone in need during a snowstorm, or to take emergency workers to their jobs. Or I could volunteer to check in on an elderly grandparent, or to read to a kid, help haul stuff, buy groceries for a needy family, or whatever my abilities might allow.

Obviously people could barter for services and goods if they wanted, but it wouldn't be a necessity. Maybe that could be a separate "category" on the site!

Would such a thing ever gain any momentum to work? Or would it just be overwhelmed by folks in need without enough people willing to help?

[KC]

They also have something like this in Québec. The website is mostly French but there are a few English documents on the site.
https://accorderie.ca/quest-ce-quune-accorderie/

[grantmeaname]

The only similar thing I can think of is Volunteer Match, but that's mostly for nonprofits finding volunteers.