3 Techie Ways To Embrace The Season Of Giving

The holiday season is a time to remind ourselves of the need to help those less fortunate. Here are a few ways techies can make a difference in the life of others.

Amazon Smile

Amazon.com, Inc. AMZN makes it easy for shoppers to donate to charitable organizations. The company operates Amazon Smile, a platform that donates 0.5 percent of the price of an eligible AmazonSmile purchase to eligible charities.

When a user shops at smile.amazon.com they will find the exact same product assortment but tens of millions of products will be eligible for donations.

Some of the charitable groups include the American Red Cross, the Nature Conservancy, Operation Smile, ASPCA and Code.org.

A post on Quora asked the community for help in finding alternatives to Amazon Smile. Here is a list of some of the platforms recommended by Jason Grad, founder of Bstow:

• Bstow: Donate spare change from everyday purchases.
• CauseTap: Support causes by downloading apps.
• Check-in For Good: check in at retail locations to generate micro-donations.

Google One Today

Alphabet Inc GOOG GOOGL's One Today connects a user with a charity of their choice like no other. Users can receive a real-world photo, short story or an explanation of what is being done with their monetary donations.

As an example of some of the charities users can pick from, New Avenues to Independence puts $10 to use and is able to train one disabled person for an hour on a new job skill.

"The mission of New Avenues to Independence is to provide opportunities for people with disabilities to become more independent and productive members of society by offering quality support services and developing innovative and inclusive programs," the organization explained.

Reddit's Random Acts Of Christmas

Reddit's Random Acts of Christmas is a Reddit community where families request assistance for their children during the Christmas holiday season.

Reddit user "tramnytz" published a post in which she asked for help in acquiring presents for her three kids. Thanks to the generosity of complete strangers from across the world, the Reddit user will now be able to give some great presents to her three kids.