Amid the news of the less fortunate circulating the media more than ever, the more fortunate often know they should help. However, finding a way to effectively help can be a bit tricky. Luckily, most people own smartphones, which makes the route from giver to receiver easier than ever to find and use. The five apps below make the intentions of serving the greater good a much more possible reality.
For those whose daily routines include fit running, walking, or biking, this app is especially useful and guaranteed to give a satisfying donation to the charity of your choice. To use it, select a charity of your choice before exercising. The app will track the distance traveled, and for every mile, Charity Miles donates money (10 cents per mile for biking and25 cents for walking or running) to your chosen charity.
All dog owners know the need to give their furry friends their daily exercise is one that cannot be ignored. This app makes walking your dog even more enjoyable. For every mile walked with a dog, a certain amount of money will be donated to the animal shelter of your choice. The amount of money donated to a chosen shelter varies on the amount of people who are also donating to that shelter. The more people you gather to donate, the more money the app is able to give.
Kiva is a nonprofit organization with a mission to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty. After making an account, go to the Kiva website. By doing so you can read through short biographies of people looking for loans and choose the person you want to lend to in $25 increments. Once the recipients receive the funding they need and start making money, they repay the loans. The Kiva app makes it easier to keep track of the progress of the recipients.
According the Kiva website, there have been a total of 1,233,657 Kiva lenders paying $635,702,600 in loans with a 98.82% repayment rate since its founding in 2005.
The Vittana organization is a leading expert in international microfinance loans for students. The app works to provide student loans for students where student loans are nonexistent. Similar to Kiva, by creating an account, you can help students in impoverished areas get an education and follow their dreams into adulthood, making it possible for them to create worthwhile careers and lifestyles.
When you download this Chrome extension, each tab you open will have a banner advertisement on the side of the screen. Tab for a Cause gets paid for these advertisements and for every new tab you open, an amount of money ranging from 1/10 and 1/3 of a cent is given to the website. Approximately 90% of the money goes towards charity.
As soon as you begin opening tabs and referring friends, you start collecting ‘hearts’. When you gain a heart, you choose the charity to which you wish to donate. The more hearts you receive, the more money you have to donate.
The McNicholas Milestone 