A cross-platform mobile application connecting local communities through volunteer opportunities and mutual support.
VolunTier leverages the ubiquity of smartphones to rebuild trust and connection in local communities. By creating meaningful opportunities for people to help each other, we're building networks of mutual support that strengthen civic engagement and demonstrate the power of collaborative action.
Build a secure, accessible platform that makes volunteering easy, safe, and rewarding while fostering genuine community connections and empowering local participation in community decision-making.
The platform serves three distinct user types, each with tailored experiences:
Community members seeking to:
- Contribute their time and skills locally
- Build connections with neighbors
- Develop new skills and experiences
- Make tangible impact in their community
- Access safe, vetted opportunities for assistance from trusted community members
Non-profits, community groups, and grassroots organizations that:
- Recruit and coordinate volunteers
- Promote local initiatives
- Manage events and projects
- Track community engagement
Community-minded businesses that:
- Sponsor volunteer activities and events
- Offer rewards and incentives
- Demonstrate social responsibility
- Connect with engaged community members
- Multi-factor verification including in-person community validation
- Privacy-preserving identity confirmation
- Trusted member verification network
- Balance between security and accessibility
- Community-based reputation building
- Transparent volunteer history
- Review and rating systems
- Privacy-first data handling
- Focus on collective rather than individual competition
- Location-based volunteer coordination
- Skills and availability matching
- Privacy-respecting recommendations
- Efficient request-to-volunteer pairing
- In-app communication tools
- Event coordination and calendaring
- Community discussion forums
- Resource sharing and skill exchanges
- Training and educational resources
- Enhanced safety features for in-home assistance
- Local issue awareness and discussion
- Community decision-making tools
- Integration with local government resources
- Expanded community organizing capabilities
- Universal design for users with disabilities
- Low-bandwidth support for limited connectivity
- Multi-language support
- Intuitive interfaces for all technical skill levels
- End-to-end encryption for sensitive data
- User control over personal information
- Transparent data policies
- Secure in-home visit protocols with full transparency
Strong emphasis on welcoming socially isolated individuals:
- Formerly incarcerated persons
- People with social anxiety or agoraphobia
- Unhoused community members
- Anyone facing barriers to community engagement
The platform should actively reduce barriers and provide supportive pathways for all community members to participate.
The application teaches users that they can depend on each other through direct, positive experiences. By facilitating successful collaborations, we demonstrate that communities can organize effectively and make decisions collectively.
- Skill Development: Gain experience in leadership, communication, and project management
- Professional Growth: Resume-building opportunities and networking
- Personal Fulfillment: Visible impact in your community
- Recognition: Community-level badges and achievements (non-competitive)
- Tangible Rewards: Discounts at local businesses, event access
- Social Connection: Build genuine relationships with neighbors
- Safe Assistance: Access vetted help from trusted community members with transparency and accountability built-in to the process
- Increased Visibility: Reach engaged community members
- Streamlined Management: Simplified volunteer coordination tools
- Volunteer Pipeline: Access to skilled, motivated volunteers
- Community Insights: Data on engagement patterns and local needs
- Cost Efficiency: Reduced administrative overhead
- Enhanced Engagement: Deeper community connections
- Brand Building: Demonstrate authentic community commitment
- Customer Loyalty: Connect with socially conscious consumers
- Marketing Opportunities: Showcase community involvement
- Local Networking: Connect with organizations and leaders
- Community Visibility: In-app recognition and promotion
- Potential Tax Benefits: Depending on local regulations
- Foot Traffic: Incentive programs drive customer engagement
- Backend: FastAPI (Python 3.13+) with async/await
- Database: PostgreSQL 17+ with PostGIS extension for geospatial queries
- Mobile: React Native 0.77+ (planned for Phase 2)
- Infrastructure: Docker containers, Redis for caching and sessions
- Cross-platform mobile support (iOS/Android)
- Offline-capable core features
- Scalable matching algorithms
- Robust encryption and security
- WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility compliance
- Real-time communication capabilities
- Python 3.13+
- UV for dependency management
- PostgreSQL 17+ with PostGIS extension
- Redis (for caching and sessions)
- Temporal server (for workflow orchestration)
Quick Start:
# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/1withall/voluntier.git
cd voluntier
# Start all services with auto-generated secrets
./scripts/docker-start.sh
# Services available at:
# - API: http://localhost:8000
# - API Docs: http://localhost:8000/docs
# - Temporal UI: http://localhost:8233Manual Docker Setup:
# Copy environment template
cp .env.docker .env
# Generate secrets (paste output into .env)
python3 -c "import secrets; print(secrets.token_hex(32))"
# Edit .env with generated secrets
vim .env
# Start all services (PostgreSQL, Redis, Temporal, API, Worker)
docker compose up -d
# View logs
docker compose logs -f📖 See DOCKER.md for comprehensive deployment guide:
- Production deployment with SSL/TLS and nginx
- Scaling and load balancing
- Backup and restore procedures
- Monitoring and troubleshooting
- Security best practices
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/1withall/voluntier.git
cd voluntier
# Install dependencies using UV
uv sync
# Copy environment template and configure
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your database credentials and secret key
# Run database migrations
uv run alembic upgrade head
# Run the development server
uv run fastapi dev main.py# Install all dependencies including dev tools
uv sync --all-extras
# Run tests
uv run pytest
# Format code
uv run black .
# Lint code
uv run ruff check --fix .
# Type check
uv run mypy app/We welcome contributions from developers who share our vision of stronger, more connected communities. Please see CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.
Q4 2025: Core identity and reputation systems, basic matching algorithm Q1 2026: Mobile app MVP with essential volunteer coordination features Q2 2026: Organization and business onboarding flows Q3 2026: Enhanced matching, in-app messaging, safety features Q4 2026: Community forums, event tools, expanded civic features
GPL-3.0 License. See LICENSE for details.
Project Repository: https://github.com/1withall/voluntier