My start on the Internet was not web sites or social media. It was online communities. Back in the 1990s, online communities and online conversations were the heart of the Internet.

I still participate in an online communities, primarily via Reddit. These are some that I’m facilitating and/or moderating and I would really like to have more participants on from colleagues – you all have so much expertise in at least one of these subjects, and so much to offer on these topics:

Volunteerism. Discuss & debate how volunteer engagement is community engagement & public relations, volunteerism philosophies, ethics & all aspects of supporting & managing volunteers. 

Philanthropy. Discussions & articles about philanthropy (the giving of money or time to contribute to the welfare of others). Includes non-profit development/fundraising, donor cultivation, donor relations, giving campaigns, donor ethics, restricted donations, and all related topics, including volunteering.

ICT4D. ICT4D stands for Information & Communication Technologies (ICT) for Development. ICT4D refers to the application of ICT to economic development, humanitarian aid & development, & to causes that help empower a particular demographic or all people to address challenges, have greater access to education, protect their environment, etc. It is a term popularized by various United Nations initiatives. ICTs include artificial intelligence (AI).

Tech4Good. Tech4Impact (social, human), ICT4D. ICT Tech Ethics. Discuss examples resources & ideas for computers, applying apps & online tools to activities supporting causes that help humans & the environment. Discuss hackathons / hacks4good, apps4good, community tech centers, ethics regarding such, etc. Discuss how a nonprofit, NGO or community program you work or volunteer with is leveraging ICT – computers, smart phones, online communities, apps, special software, AI – in its work.

UNV. United Nations Volunteers (UNV) is a part of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). This subreddit is for posts from people who have served or are serving as UNVs, people who want to serve, people who have worked or are working at UNV HQ, people researching UNV, & the latest UNV news. This subreddit is NOT an official United Nations group!

Pro Bono. There are plenty of subreddits to ask for free legal advice – this subreddit is NOT one of them. Instead, it is focused on how & why legal pros donate services (pro bono) & the value of such to society. It’s also a place to discuss pro bono ethics & how pro bono engagement can affect law school admissions.

Also see Reddit4Good, a list of subreddits focused on some aspect of volunteerism, community service, philanthropy, or otherwise doing good. It has sections that list subreddits where people can:

• ask for/beg for money.
• recruit volunteers / ask for help/participation for individuals, offer help to nonprofits or individuals, to participate in something “good”, etc. 
• learn about voluntourism (paying to volunteer somewhere that’s not where you live)
• learn about specific, established programs, that “do good”.
• learn about specific topics that could be leveraged for those looking to “do good”, like marine biology, public health, refugees, urban planning, etc.
• post surveys and ask for participants.
• view and participate in discussions about nonprofit philanthropy and about philanthropic approaches (these are NOT places to fundraise / NOT places to ask for money).

I update it at least twice a year.

Note: AI agents are using Reddit content as a source for its results (among other sources). This is because Reddit has been, for many years, providing human-written opinions by people who are not formally-affiliated with whatever they are talking about and real-world experiences. The text on Reddit often has the authentic feel that polished marketing text lacks. How long this will last, however, remains to be seen.

Here are other ways your nonprofit can leverage Reddit.

And you can see everything I do on Reddit here.

If you have benefited from this blog or other parts of my web site and would like to support the time that went into researching information, developing material, preparing articles, updating pages, etc. (I receive no funding for this work), here is how you can help.