Tech-based volunteering opportunities in the Bay Area (and remote)

Photo by Mimi Thian on Unsplash

I have a lot of friends who are keen to get more people into tech but don’t have information about all the amazing organizations that offer such opportunities. Thanks to the location, there are a lot of opportunities to help people get into tech in the Bay Area. So I am putting together this list to help folks find what they are looking for. This list is best suited for tech industry professionals and students looking to empower others via technology. There are other great resources like VolunteerMatch that I highly recommend. I am going to list the organizations in no particular order and will share additional information about them if any.

Note: I have personal experience being involved with some of the organizations listed below but not all.

1. MissionBit provides computer science courses that expose high school students from underserved and under-represented communities to multiple coding languages. They offer remote and classroom volunteer opportunities to serve as tutor/mentor. As a classroom volunteer, you will be assisting a an instructor in the classroom by helping students 1:1 in a project based coding course. There are multiple locations (all in San Francisco) to choose from and the timing (mornings or evenings) is perfect for folks working in the city.
2. Code Tenderloin is a workforce development non profit that aims to secure long term employment for underserved communities in San Francisco. They offer the Code Ramp program to teach the basics of coding to anyone who maybe interested with the end goal of helping folks decide if they want to enter coding more seriously (by joining a coding bootcamp). In the Code Ramp, they offer opportunities as classroom volunteer (weekday evenings) and also as a tutor (working 1-on-1 with students) on weekends. The volunteering locations are in San Francisco.
3. Black Girls Code is a not-for-profit organization that focuses on providing technology education for African-American girls. They offer several one-off workshops with a lot of volunteering opportunities. You can check out the list of current opportunities here. The locations are all in Oakland.
4. Hackbright Academy is an all women coding bootcamp (for-profit) in San Francisco, CA that offers accelerated software development training. You can signup to mentor a student (about 1 hr/week commitment) and be a useful resource for them as they begin their coding journey. The volunteering is fully remote.
5. TEALS is a program that helps high schools build and grow sustainable computer science programs through partnerships between classroom teachers and tech industry volunteers. This is a pretty intense program where volunteers (tech professionals) partner with teachers to teach Computer Science to public school students for an entire school year. The locations are the different partner schools in the area.
6. CodeNation equips students in under-resourced high schools with the skills, experiences and connections to create access to careers in technology. They offer opportunities for volunteers to teach web development courses to school students (roughly every week) and the commitment is for an entire school year. The locations are the different partner schools in the area.
7. Streetcode Academy is a community-centered tech empowerment program that provides free classes to underserved communities of color. They offer a variety of coding courses targeting different age groups where volunteers can assist the lead instructor. The locations are in East Palo Alto and Menlo Park.
8. Techtonica partners with tech companies to offer 6-month tech apprenticeships (with living and childcare stipends) that result in job placements at the end for women in the Bay Area. Volunteers can sign up to be mentors who work 1-on-1 with the mentee that they are matched with. There are also other one-off volunteering opportunities like coming in for a few hours to help the apprentices. The volunteering opportunities are fully remote.
9. Code for fun exposes students from Kindergarten to High-School to coding in an interactive way through after school programs, camps and in school instruction. They offer volunteering opportunities to teach an after-school class or during a camp. The minimum time commitment is 2 hours per week for an after-school class, and 1 hour for a full week for a camp. They have locations throughout the Bay Area.
10. Technovation offers girls around the world the opportunity to learn the skills they need to emerge as tech entrepreneurs and leaders. Every year they invite girls to identify a problem in their community, and then challenge them to solve it. Girls work in teams to build both a mobile app and a business plan to launch that app, supported by mentors and guided by our curriculum. Volunteers can serve as mentors and help guide them through this process. Mentoring requires walking the girls through the curriculum, checking in on progress and overall being a source of support and encouragement through this process. It can be done in-person (close to student locations) or virtually.
11. Ada Developer’s Academy is a non-profit, tuition-free coding school for women and gender diverse adults. They focus on serving low income people, underrepresented minorities, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community. There have a variety of volunteering opportunities — private tutor, teaching assistant, industry mentors, mock interviewers etc. They are located in Seattle but most volunteering opportunities are remote.
12. Mentors in Tech is a program that helps overlooked tech students at smaller, less well known, accessible and affordable colleges navigate and launch their careers via mentorship, capstone projects and connecting them with employers. They offer mentoring opportunities where you have 1:1 chats with 1 or 2 students through an entire college year covering a variety of relevant topics. There is plenty of structure provided for the chats which can be helpful for new mentors. All the volunteering opportunities are remote.
13. Techquitable is a nonprofit working to improve access to tech careers for college students from underrepresented communities. Their focus is on helping students They offer opportunities for mentors to work 1:1 with the students for a 9-week period during which mentors will have chats and do some tutoring on job interview related topics. All their opportunities are remote.
14. Manara is a public benefit corporation that helps CS students from Middle East and North Africa find a global tech job. Their approach is to train students on on soft/technical skills and providing support in finding a job. They offer mentoring opportunities such as tutoring, conducting mock interviews, resume review etc. All their opportunities are remote.
15. IGNITE Worldwide works directly with teachers during the school day to provide programming that promotes STEM education and career advancement for girls and nonbinary youth from historically marginalized communities. They offer some unique volunteering opportunities where you can serve as a panelist to share your story or support their panels/workshops in different technical/non-technical roles. They are located in the Seattle area but most of their volunteering roles are remote.

If you know of other amazing organizations, please mention them in the comments and I will update the list. Thanks!