A free app is now connecting communities across Canada and encouraging people to ‘do some good.’
“Do Some Good is a platform that helps connect people, charities, non-profits and good companies all in one space, with the mission of creating a stronger community,” said community engagement specialist Jeff Hoffart.
With the head office located in Kelowna, the app encourages companies to be philanthropic and donate to charities such as Mamas for Mamas, a Kelowna-based organization that supports mothers in financial crisis.
“If you’re a good company you can sign on to give a partial proceed of whatever it is that you’re selling back to a charity, and Mamas for Mamas is one of those charities that can benefit from it,” said Mamas for Mamas founder and executive director Shannon Christensen.
“So you’re going to go to a restaurant anyways? You might as well go to a good company restaurant where you can get amazing food and feel amazing about it.”
In addition to receiving donations from good companies using the platform, Mamas for Mamas also finds new volunteers and tracks their hours on the app.
“It’s a one stop shop for our volunteers to not only log their hours, but also share how they’ve been involved and what it means to them,” Christensen said. “The mamas that go pick up the eggs at our farm, for example, they get to share that.”
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Sharing stories to inspire and spark a ‘do good’ movement is one of the most interactive aspects of the app.
“What’s recognized and celebrated gets repeated. Doing good and sharing that good inspires more goodness,” Hoffart said. “We’re right now focusing on the ‘unselfie movement’ so it’s about flipping the camera, taking a picture or sharing what other people are doing that’s good in the community.”
The app has already matched about 10,000 people with the right volunteer opportunities, taking into account their personalities and skill sets.
Shivam Gupta is a business and marketing student at Okanagan College who used the app to find his current volunteer position: teaching computer applications to those with disabilities.
“Being an international student, I always wanted to volunteer but I never knew how to get started with it,” Gupta said. “Once I got to Okanagan College I got to know Do Some Good and I’ve been doing my bit to help the community ever since.”
Gupta says the app is extremely user-friendly.
“If you want to see the various opportunities nearby you can just simply go to the ‘Get Involved’ section and all the opportunities are listed in the front,” Gupta explained. “And you can simply apply for the position on the app.”
The team at Do Some Good is encouraging everyone to get out there, post inspiring stories, volunteer and support companies that, in turn, support the community.
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