Powered by Deed, the HelpWith communities connect people to virtual volunteer opportunities supporting the world’s most pressing issues.
July 21, 2020 -- HelpWith COVID, the virtual, skills-based volunteering platform created by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and other volunteers from the tech industry, expands today with the launch of HelpWith Black Equity. The open-source platform will organize and match people with skills and time to virtual volunteering opportunities that support racial equity movements across the globe.
Both the HelpWith COVID (HWC) and HelpWith Black Equity (HWBE) platforms are powered by social impact company Deed, which uses technology to connect people to causes they care about. Deed’s nonprofit, HelpWith Foundation, will oversee and provide technology for the HelpWith network, and is expanding its impact by launching HWBE.
“We could not be prouder to team up with Sam and the core team to help grow the HelpWith community and its impact,” said Deevee Kashi, co-founder and CEO of Deed. “From the pandemic to racial injustice, people everywhere are uniting around our world’s most pressing issues. At Deed, we are honored to use our technology to not only support volunteer opportunities for these causes, but build and engage with a community that is passionate about giving back and making a difference through the HelpWith platform.”
“It has been amazing to see the impact of HelpWith COVID, especially following the hard work the core team put into the platform,” said Altman. “Working with the Deed team, who share our values around building community and empowering people to create impact, has allowed us to elevate the HelpWith platform even further and expand to this urgent issue of Black Equity.”
Since March, HWC has connected over 15,000 volunteers, most with technology backgrounds, to projects based on their skills and interests that support COVID-19 programs. The HWC community has supported and built technology for contact tracing apps, resources for families impacted by unemployment and school closures, mental health programs, and medical equipment databases, among 750+ other projects.
HelpWith Black Equity will similarly engage the HelpWith community, organizing virtual volunteer opportunities by skill, providing learning materials, and showcasing Black-founded businesses seeking support. HWBE also includes a steering committee of notable BIPOC leaders from the tech industry.
As part of its social arm, Deed has set up the HelpWith Foundation to serve as the home for both HWC and HWBE platforms. The original founding team will remain involved with the platform. For more information, visit www.joinhelpwith.com and www.joindeed.com.
ABOUT DEED
Deed is an end-to-end social impact platform working with global brands and nonprofits to connect people with causes they care about. Using technology, Deed empowers companies and people to do good through volunteering, fundraising, and cause-focused campaigns, while ensuring community impact is tangible and quantifiable.
ABOUT THE HELPWITH FOUNDATION
Under Deed’s social arm, the HelpWith Foundation is the umbrella organization for HelpWith COVID and HelpWith Black Equity, open-source platforms powered by Deed which connect people to virtual, skills-based volunteer opportunities supporting the world’s most pressing issues. The original HelpWith platform was launched by Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI and former president of Y Combinator, and a team of volunteers who rallied together during the COVID-19 pandemic to support urgent projects and empower people with the time and skills to help. HelpWith COVID has matched over 15,000 volunteers to over 750 projects supporting COVID-19 relief, and is followed by HelpWith Black Equity, launching in July. The HelpWith Foundation and its platforms are powered by Deed’s technology, which makes giving back engaging and accessible.
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Madeline Peters Mesa
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