In 30 seconds
SamaSource sales executive Jess McCarter explains the organization’s early model for connecting women, young people and refugees with digital work. She describes technology, a CrowdFlower partnership, a Pakistan-based example and ways supporters could participate at the time.
- 1Digital work as livelihoodMcCarter explains the nonprofit’s focus on women, young people and refugees.
- 2The GiveWork experimentShe describes a CrowdFlower partnership and an app that paired volunteer tasks with workers’ output.
- 3A Pakistan-based exampleShe recounts Maria Umar’s work with the Women’s Digital League and reported income growth.
- 4Advice for community actionMcCarter encourages people to test ideas and enlist others.
Takeaways
- McCarter describes connecting underserved workers with computer-based tasks for global clients.
- The GiveWork app paired volunteer task results with refugee workers’ results for quality assurance.
- She presents one Pakistan-based entrepreneur’s income growth as an example, not a general outcome.
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The SamaSource model
McCarter describes digital work, the organization’s technology and its startup approach.
Asked what SamaSource does, sales executive Jess McCarter says the nonprofit connects women, people under 30 and refugees with computer-based work. She says part-time knowledge work can create livelihoods where traditional employment is hard to find.
McCarter says the organization relies on existing computers and internet connections in developing countries and rural areas. Being near like-minded people in San Francisco helped it communicate its goal of using technology to expand access to work.
She says she met founder Leila Janah shortly after the program began and was drawn to the idea. McCarter describes the nonprofit as iterating like a startup while pursuing social impact.
GiveWork and a worker’s story
She explains the app experiment and shares a Pakistan-based example.
At TechCrunch 50, she says, SamaSource showed a Facebook application testing service. A partnership with CrowdFlower also produced GiveWork, an iPhone app through which volunteers could try digital tasks alongside refugees.
McCarter explains that the volunteer and refugee task results were compared for quality assurance, and the refugee was paid for both tasks. She emphasizes that the work addressed real client needs.
As an example, she names Maria Umar of the Women’s Digital League in Pakistan. McCarter says working from home for global clients helped Umar increase monthly income from under $100 to nearly $900 and employ other women. This is her account of one case, not a guarantee of typical earnings.
Participation and advice
She describes ways to help at the time and offers advice for community projects.
At the time of the interview, McCarter suggests offering work, supporting training, spreading the word or using the GiveWork app. These are historical references; the availability of the services may have changed.
For people wanting to act in their communities, McCarter recommends trying an idea, seeing what works and inviting others to help. She advises persistence whether the intended impact is local or global.
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