Let’s create a better future

Say, you have a leadership role in a company, and it is up to you to take it to greater heights in terms of profitability and culture. That’s great.

But, what about your responsibility as a citizen of this planet to society? Do you strive as hard to make a difference? How committed are you to bettering lives with your know-how and resources? Most people would have heard the saying “with great power comes great responsibility,” but we have mostly perceived it in superheroes context. You are the hero in your story and your company and its function is your superpower.

How do we contribute to making a better world?

As a company that strongly believes in crowdsourcing for innovation, we started with the trend of hackathons for social good. Hackathons with the intent to solve real-world crises like “child abuse prevention,”Rural Development,” “Transparency, Governance, and Freedom of Press,” etc. We try by partnering with nonprofits and non-governmental organizations who have been constantly trying to push through the obstacles to bring a difference to people’s lives.

We realized these organizations have the potential to implement changes but are finding it hard in terms of manpower and resources. Meanwhile, there are developers who are capable of building solutions but have no means to implement them. When both these parties are brought together, that is where the magic happens. Passionate developers come up with creative solutions to tackle the problems and the non-profits go on and implement these solutions.

Sure, we understand we cannot solve all the bigger problems in the world but we can try not to ignore the ones we are able to address. You can make a difference not only by addressing the larger issues but also by not ignoring the smaller ones or the ones we are able to address.

How can you host a hackathon for social good?

1. Identify a problem you and your company can address: Identifying the problem is perhaps the most important part of the whole process. After you have identified the problem, you can decide how your organization and the product and services it offers fit into addressing the problems.
2. Identify non-profits and organizations which are working in that domain: These are organizations that lack the resources and need our help to fight these problems but they have the capability and need to implement the solutions that can help solve the problems better.
3. Assemble a team who can constantly work with the developers and non-profits: This team should be able to act as a bridge between the developers and the non-profits. The non-profits are short on resources and manpower and hence would require assistance in the adoption of the solution built by the developers.
4. Market the hackathon: It’s necessary to reach a large number of developers to get a good number of developers who are capable of building tangible solutions to address the given problem.
5. Judges and Prizes: Define clear judging criteria and identify the judges for the hackathon. The prizes are not a huge factor but they certainly motivate the participants to give their best.

How does hosting a social hackathon benefit your organization?

It sends a message to the world and community that you care. You care about the smiles of the people who can’t have them, you care about helping thousands of people you have never met, and you care about making the world a better place.

It brings your brand closer to people and improves the brand image as a company that cares about the society and the world.

You can always join us and be a part of our social hackathons. Reach out to us at community@hackerearth.com to setup a call.

Vishal Pathik Gupta Author 3 Blogs