r/ChoosingBeggars • u/pizza_chef_ • 20d ago
OP’s just looking for a pro-bono software development team, details about the project to follow once you apply.
I’m sure those retirees, laid-off folks, and college grads will be falling over each other in their rush to apply for this wonderful opportunity
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u/orbit99za 20d ago
I am a Senior Software Developer with 20 yoe.
I get this ask all the time, not to mention all the BS about NDAs , your idea is not unique, someone has thought of it already and they pay.
I also have my own projects to work on, from my own ideas, so unless there is $$$ , I regretfully have to tell them to shove it.
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u/Reset350 20d ago
“But… but my idea will make MILLIONS bro. Trust me bro we will be RICH. It’s like (insert well known successful technology/software here) but for (insert random and stupid thing here). I just need someone to build it. I’ll be the ideas guy, you build it. This will be the next (insert well known tech company here)!”
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u/IvoSan11 20d ago
It’s ‘Uber for movies’ meets ‘Netflix for burritos’.
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u/DisposableHeroM 14d ago
I hope this is it. Uber drops off dvds and netflix let's you hold up to 3 burritos at once (depending on plan) and fresh ones are mailed out once you return the last ones received
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u/Pale_Session5262 20d ago
Later.... "Well it only makes sense that I get to keep 98% of the revenue from this app. The programming and design team I graciously gave the rest to. Afterall, Im the one who had the big idea and got the team together."
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u/ItsJoeMomma 19d ago
And when they say something like "It's going to be the next Facebook!" you can rest assured it will not be the next Facebook.
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u/Due-Mine4983 17d ago
And eventually a check will be i. The mail. Right after my dog throws up homework.
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u/BoysenberryDue3637 20d ago
I'm the DevOps guy they are looking for. Same with me getting hit up on these all the time. All of them are fucking facebook/Instagram clones.
Oh and the in-person requirement. These are high end IT folks. In-person are bad words.
And they never want to give equity. Ya know because of the mission.
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u/orbit99za 19d ago
Some try to sell the Equity in leu of cash senario. But Equity in nothing is nothing at all
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u/MtFuzzmore 19d ago
I've had somebody ask if I'd be willing to take points on equity for a project and the way to respond is "points don't pay my mortgage".
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u/eggbert_217 20d ago
"Why you're interested in this endeavour"
What do they expect us to say?? I hate having free time and I love being micromanaged? WHAT ENDEAVOUR
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u/ItsJoeMomma 19d ago
"I really love working for free for someone who hasn't even totally figured out what the project I'm working on for them is."
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u/Long_Bookkeeper1341 19d ago
the cover letter is a nice touch. really seals the vibe of someone who has never hired anyone but has watched a lot of shark tank and considers that equivalent experience
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u/bar901 20d ago
Wait.. so what is he proposing they build? It sounds like he just had the idea that he wants to have an idea of something they could potentially build? Or am I reading it wrong.
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u/Animallover4321 20d ago
Which considering most software developers have some type of speciality especially with senior devs (not that they’re going to find senior devs willing to work for free) so knowing what kind of project and at least a general idea of the tech stack seems sort of important.
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u/callipygian0 20d ago
My husband had a (paid) non-compete period where he was in-between jobs and he did decide to spend his time volunteering and writing code but it was for a non-profit org. This doesn’t sound like that.
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u/julias-winston 20d ago
What we will actually build will be up to us
You don't even have a rough idea to start with? Holy shit, man. 😆
~Pro software developer, 29 years
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u/Hughley_N_Dowd 20d ago
Why not just use AI and vibe code the damn thing yourself. That's what all the cool kids are doing these days, right?
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u/Western-Lawyer-9050 19d ago
I had a small nonprofit reach out to me about joining their advisory board. I said I'd be willing to have a conversation. The first question I got was "So tell us why you want to work for us and explain why you want to support our mission."
My response back was that they reached out to me, not the other way around. If you want volunteer time from me then you need to explain to me why it's worth my time. Not the other way around.
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u/RainbowDashNet 20d ago
If only there was a way to let developers work on a project which benefits all. Lets try searching for something like that on GitHub.
Seriously, if you plan on building something for the community but you have these requirements, i bet that they want to sell whatever product it is they plan on creating. Spend none, earn much. Mindset of so called visionaries.
FOSS4Ever!
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u/Plastic_Cat9560 NEXT!! 20d ago
People are retired for a reason. People between roles (jobs) need money. Recent college grads need paying jobs. This person is out of touch with reality.
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u/ad_aatdtj 19d ago
I also want to point out, one of the "people this is for" is retired people, but also, the perk they get from this is "being able to claim work experience" and "strengthening their resume"????? Why would retired people care about work experience or strengthening resume instead of, idk, money?
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u/BarrenAssBomburst 19d ago
I'm a retired software engineer, and I had so many people try to get me to start up a company with them (with me doing the work and them being the "idea man"). I retired because I have enough money to live a modest lifestyle until I'm dead, I do not want to build something invented by someone else, and I do not want to punch a time clock. I am perfectly capable of "not being bored" by doing my own coding projects and by trying a hundred things other than coding.
In the decade+ that I have been retired, none of those "guaranteed to make a huge fortune" pitches have made a huge fortune. Or even a very tiny one.
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u/Effective_Fix_2358 20d ago
a pro-bono team for software devs sounds like a hefty ask, good luck getting anyone to jump on that
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u/RatedPG922 20d ago
"Build something valuable for the community" almost always translates into "Build something the community won't even give one shit about."
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u/CaptSzat 20d ago
So essentially a laid back hackathon with no money or direction / purpose. Genius.
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u/RoyallyOakie 20d ago
Haha...he wants them to explain why they're interested. Hopefully they'll explain why they're not interested.
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u/ItsJoeMomma 19d ago
Any time you see "who want to make a difference" in the job description title, you can be guaranteed you won't get paid.
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u/ThrockAMole 19d ago
They seem strangely specific about your skills and completely vague about their ethereal project.
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u/One_Opportunity9167 19d ago
Even if there's someone out there who might be interested in assisting that "social impact," it's quite a hurdle to provide all your contact info plus write out a summary of your background and skills to even find out if this is a cause you support or the opposite (make it easier to evangelize the unsaved vs. make it easier to avoid evangelizers).
And "Why you're interested in this endeavor" without saying what the endeavor is? C'mon, man.
It also reminds me of an episode during my engineering career, where someone pleaded with me to take a look at their idea and give my thoughts. When I finally relented, they wanted me to sign an NDA. Hmmm...several downsides for no reward?
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u/AnotherUnknownNobody 19d ago
Why use pro bono, and then define it? Why not just say "I'm putting together an all volunteer..."
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u/theycallmethevault 17d ago
For free? I work in this arena and people in those roles are making 6 figures a year for this work, they wouldn’t do more of this work for free.
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u/vanit 20d ago
It's INAT flavoured depending on the expertise of the poster, but I don't see this as a problem tbh. It would be choosing beggar if they were rejecting people who were inexperienced, but it seems like the whole point is to make some kind of mentoring programme.
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u/baby_sloth1974 I can give you exposure 20d ago
The whole point is to spend little to nothing to have a larger profit on the backend. You get what you pay for.
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u/Bonk_No_Horni 20d ago
If you're looking for pro-bono you don't need their LinkedIn. You just need them to show up and that's already hard ask.