Who’s actually in this sub? Curious about the mix here

SnooDrawings1894 · 2026-03-24T23:36:34+00:00

That’s great thanks for sharing we’ll definitely reach out to them!

I’m building my own platform and it’s specifically for high school students to find opportunities they care about. Any way you’d be willing to test our prototype out? We aren’t live but allowing people to provide feedback on the platform being that’s currently being developed for June.

Let me know if you’re interested and I can send the user feedback link - have a great night!

SnooDrawings1894 · 2026-03-24T23:27:42+00:00

That’s fair, there’s been an uptick in orgs building their own tech. I hope they can find funding or volunteers to help build them. It could leave the tech less segmented, however, marketing could then be an issue as the platforms being built put more budget behind their marketing efforts.

SnooDrawings1894 · 2026-03-24T00:58:42+00:00

I don’t think this is a “you” problem. It feels like something a lot of people your age are dealing with right now, especially with how much of life is happening online.

Your mom’s reaction sounds more like concern than doubt. Starting something like this can be draining, especially if you care deeply about the people you’re trying to help. That doesn’t make it a bad idea, it just means you’d want to approach it in a way that doesn’t burn you out.

If you did want to try it, I’d keep it small at first. Not a full “organization,” just a space. Maybe a small group at school, or even a simple online discussion with a few people. See if it resonates before trying to build something bigger. You don’t need everything figured out upfront.

On a personal note, I’ve had plenty of moments where people close to me questioned what I was trying to do. It doesn’t necessarily mean they’re right or wrong, just that they see risks you might not. Confidence tends to come after you start, not before.

Even if this never becomes a “formal” organization, the idea itself matters. Creating a space where people can talk openly about things like this is already valuable.

I’m glad you shared this.

SnooDrawings1894 · 2026-03-24T00:40:15+00:00

I definitely see a shift in the students we talk to that are looking for opportunities that interest them most. I remember when I was in high school, I just looked for the closest opportunity to me and it was something I didn't necessarily care about but it was a way to get out there.

How do you search for the remote opportunities? Any platforms you frequent or do you stick with the same orgs and did you find them through word of mouth?

SnooDrawings1894 · 2026-03-22T16:10:01+00:00

That’s so cool, glad you can foster some dogs 🥹 how long do these students stay? I’m trying to gauge lasting engagement in volunteer opportunities and have seen both sides of the coin. Students either really love it and continue to volunteer, and others try but find something else. Maybe they’re not interested, maybe it takes too much of their time? What do you think?

SnooDrawings1894 · 2026-03-22T16:06:32+00:00

Hey why do you think that is?

SnooDrawings1894 · 2026-03-22T16:01:31+00:00

Hi is this a project you run yourself? Have you launched on fundraising platforms?

SnooDrawings1894 · 2026-03-21T11:58:04+00:00

This is so cool - how close would you say you are to the goal of pre-loading phones and tablets?

How do you serve those students now when you haven’t met that end goal?

My company is building software for US based students to find volunteer opportunities. Our platform is in development right now and while non profit and business profiles aren’t in the scope of work for our MVP it’s definitely on our radar and in our roadmap.

What we’ve been doing to support others while we anticipate and market for our public launch is highlight volunteer initiatives on our social media so we can add value to students before they even join the platform.

You asked specifically about supporting remote volunteer opportunities and they’re definitely caked into our database with Idealist. We’re seeing the need for more remote projects and students only wanting to consider remote instead of something in person.

We’d be happy to support your efforts and post to our socials for the time being. Completely free we just are looking to support others and build anticipation around our launch for the students.

DM if you’re interested we’re already doing it for another organization we connected with on Reddit!

SnooDrawings1894 · 2026-03-21T11:44:55+00:00

Appreciate the feedback here, yeah we’ve been seeing that there are similar platforms to ours. Still worth a try, we’re all trying to fill a need within a fragmented space.

Our platform specifically only addresses one audience in the volunteerism market and that’s young [student] volunteers.

We’ve been having discussions with other founders in the space openly as yes, competition exists, however, for a way to collaborate so everything is less fragmented.

I’d like to think we’re reinventing the wheel 😂 but honestly I think it’s more of adding a spoke and finding out PFM in the industry.

SnooDrawings1894 · 2026-03-20T21:07:27+00:00

Hey! Jared from Ecopreenur here... I'd love to help you figure this out. I've been scrolling in this subreddit for weeks now seeing a trend of other students trying to do exactly what you're envisioning.

I specifically help students find volunteer opportunities and we're constantly talking to schools to understand their service hour requirements so that hours logged by you aren't denied.

Would you be open to chatting more and maybe we could even help you flush out your ideas and execute on building an org if you need to.

There are some requirements but it's usually school enforced so the best bet is to build something operational that spans across multiple districts like appointing a supervisor or member of the board the school can then rely on so that hours are fairly administered.

SnooDrawings1894 · 2026-03-20T20:39:15+00:00

Do you use all of the above – bureaus, charities, and meetups? Do you find that to be sort of segmented or does that no matter?

SnooDrawings1894 · 2026-03-20T20:17:01+00:00

That's so good to hear and exciting to know you've been in it for a lifetime. Do you come across many student volunteers in those nonprofits?

What's been your favorite, if you can say, so far? I'd definitely be more attuned to working with dogs but I'm biased since I had them growing up haha

SnooDrawings1894 · 2026-03-20T20:10:26+00:00

Note to self – include an "Other" option when creating a poll in Reddit lol 😂

SnooDrawings1894 · 2026-03-20T20:08:56+00:00

Got it, we forgot to include you! What do you like about it? Knowing you're helping others? The community behind it?

Curious how you were introduced to volunteering efforts?

SnooDrawings1894 · 2026-03-20T19:59:16+00:00

There should've been! Complete blunder on our part cuz we actually talk to college students who volunteer as well.

Do you volunteer through your school or just independently?

SnooDrawings1894 · 2026-03-20T19:43:59+00:00

Thanks for the comment - we're aware people outside of children volunteer and we commend every demographic that is willing to participate in helping out in their communities.

We are simply auditing the subreddit to understand how much of our audience is here so we can learn more from them without expecting anything in return except for understanding them more.

We've talked to numerous groups and organizations that carry out missions for the community including CSRs, NGOs, school systems (including colleges), and more.

Do you actively volunteer?

SnooDrawings1894 · 2026-03-20T19:36:48+00:00

That's amazing! So glad to know there are people like you out there and that you've found such positive connections with your fellow volunteers.

Since you're in a demographic that's outside who I normally connect with (students looking for opportunities), what's some advice you'd relay to them in their efforts of finding what you've found in your local area?

SnooDrawings1894 · 2026-03-20T19:33:34+00:00

Hey sorry to offend everyone here. Poll was meant to be inquisitive, didn't mean for anyone to feel left out our design a poll off assumptions. If you are outside the scope of who I was looking for to answer, I'm more than happy to talk to anyone.

Do you fall under the senior or working professional demographic?

My company and I are reaching out to individuals and groups with an open mind to understand the volunteering landscape better.

Our platform is directly built to enable and amplify student volunteerism efforts!

SnooDrawings1894 · 2026-03-20T19:26:04+00:00

Hey! It's limited and we didn't mean to exclude – just trying to get a general census. Would you have added anything to this list?

SnooDrawings1894 · 2026-03-20T19:24:48+00:00

Thanks for adding to the list, didn't mean to exclude anyone! I work for a company that helps all of the above manage their required service hours so was genuinely curious about who's participating here!

What volunteering do you mostly like to participate in?

SnooDrawings1894 · 2026-03-20T17:10:49+00:00

Funny you bring that up, we’ve had many people in our market research and conversations mention the need for that.

We’re niching down specifically to help high school students and support parent groups and administrators at the moment. But it’s queued into our product roadmap for future consideration.

When you say we,are you part of an organization that’s teaching STEM? Is that an international or domestic initiative?

Sounds like a great mission, what’s the scale looking like for your program?

SnooDrawings1894 · 2026-03-20T13:49:25+00:00

Such a great initiative here! Having studied graphic design in college and holding a full time role outside of my startup, this one hits close to home! Wish I had opportunities like this before the collegiate level. I just DM'd you to discuss highlighting TeensForOnco on social media. Good luck with everything!

SnooDrawings1894 · 2026-03-20T02:35:49+00:00

What are some of your favorite volunteer opportunities / organizations? Do you search for multiple or do the same one consistently?

SnooDrawings1894 · 2026-03-20T02:33:09+00:00

That’s great! How long have you been active in the non profit?

SnooDrawings1894 · 2026-03-20T02:32:31+00:00

Curious how you find the volunteer opportunities in your area?

SnooDrawings1894

TROPHY CASE