Brightest App Makes Volunteering Easier
Filter causes and locations and find organizations to help out
Lending some time to organizations, causes and people who need it is an invaluable way to make a difference. Launching today, Brightest is an iOS app that brings volunteer options directly to those looking to help out. By recommending opportunities in your area (much like other apps recommend songs or restaurants) Brightest hopes to increase the number of people who lend their time, skills and resources to important causes. Plus, the company will plant a tree (through a partnership with reforestation programs in California, Peru and Tanzania) in exchange for every action taken, as a part of their one-for-one model.
After finding 100,000+ opportunities to do good, Chris Bolman—the app’s founder—felt like there were plenty of feasible options for everyone. Prospective volunteers are asked to fill in the prompt, “I want to help [blank] near [blank],” and causes benefitting animals, artists, the LGBTQ community or immigrants (to name a few) appear on a map. Scrolling through a list for New York City results in listings for adult-level English language help, holiday drives, event assistance and more.
While signing up and listing are free on Brightest, Bolman is faced with the inherent task of funding something with positive intent. To keep the app live, and to continue their promise of planting a tree in exchange for every action, Brightest plans to license their technology to other companies doing good. Starting in January 2019, they’ll work with non-profits and socially responsible companies that are need of data, coordination or tracking help—especially those without the resources or capabilities to do it on their own. They’ll work with them to find a fair rate for both parties.
The app is fluid, has clever features like in-app messaging (with pre-scripted messages and a pull-through feature that pastes your contact info in the signature) and tracks user’s “CO2 impact calculation.” For those who don’t want to download the app (though it’s high-functioning and good-looking), there’s also an option for Brightest’s text-recommendation service—upcoming and in-need opportunities will be messaged to users.
Bolman tells us, “I really just wanted to put something into the world that stands for the right thing and shows tech still has heart.”
The app is available now on the iTunes App Store and is coming soon to Android.
Images courtesy of Brightest
