if I had a hammer was founded in late August 2009 as a catalyst for collaboration, connecting NGOs working for social justice around the globe with people who'd like to lend a hand -- with whatever they have to offer, right where they are.
the University of Michigan graduate student who started this up had done various on-site volunteering stints in developing countries and was impressed by how often, in the social justice world, the best ideas come from the smaller, grassroots organizations led by locals. and while traveling to another country to help build a house or teach in a school can be a wonderful, life-changing experience, sometimes it can be just as helpful to offer resources to empower local NGOs in that country in the work they're engaged in. so, part of the mission of if I had a hammer is to further social justice -- in humanitarian work, women's rights, children's rights, public health, education, animal rights, environmental conservation, etc. -- by plugging the grassroots NGOs struggling for these causes into a global network of "virtual volunteers" and resources.
at the same time, there are lots of folks out there who have skills these NGOs need -- like web design, editing, or just uploading photos -- but who may not know how to get connected with the causes they support, and who may not necessarily be able to make a large time commitment. if I had a hammer was inspired in part by much larger venues like idealist.org, but aims to fill the need for a more informal option to accommodate a wider range of volunteers and skills, with an emphasis on collaboration via the internet, rather than on-site volunteering. while we welcome volunteers who are able to commit to regular hours or large chunks of time, we also welcome those who are just able to spend 20 minutes ironing out some web issues, or sketching a logo, for a worthy young NGO. in addition to this, we welcome the chance to facilitate the "freecycling" of used electronics, art supplies, or any other material resources to good causes.
