What if you could pick up your phone and sign up for a group volunteer activity, and then be rewarded with free concert tickets? Now, there’s an app for that.
Howard University graduate Darryl Perkins was running campaigns for Hip Hop Caucus, focusing on civil engagement across the country, before co-founding Broccoli City Festival with fellow classmates. Now it’s a well-known Earth Day event that brings top musical talent like Cardi B and Childish Gambino to D.C.
For this year’s festivities, several people participating in community volunteer events leading up to the festival received free concert tickets via Perkins’ new Chip’N app.
“In 2016 we did a program where people were able to earn tickets to the festival by volunteering and it was really successful,” Perkins said. “We had 1,500 volunteers and did about 150 events throughout the DMV. We wanted to keep the momentum going throughout the year, but there wasn’t a place to organize all of this.”
That’s when Chip’N was invented.
“We bootstrapped Chip’N out of need,” Perkins said. “We're always on social media, we’re on our phones all day but how are we using them as organizing tools to mobilize people?”
With Chip’N, you sign up to volunteer on a free mobile app. After volunteering, you earn and cash in “chips” on the app’s marketplace, which includes concert and festival tickets, gift cards, items from local vendors and soon, Perkins hopes, essential items like groceries and Metro cards. A subscription model offers access to VIP events and experiences.
It’s also an easy way to track volunteer activity for kids who need it for school requirements, or when applying to colleges. High school students can show advisors that they volunteered since the app geolocates them, rather than signing pieces of paper the old-fashioned way.
Corporations benefit from the app by raising their corporate social responsibility scores. Current partners include Live Nation, Beats by Dre and The Green Scheme. Perkins is particularly interested in the food space and building healthy communities.
“Green Scheme has community gardens throughout the city, and it’s been great for them to be able to mobilize people to help water their gardens,” he said. “When there’s an activity that would take one person three or four days, this way, with everybody chipping in, it’s done in half an hour.”
Other local nonprofits it has worked with include Capital Area Food Bank and Martha’s Table. Chip’N is now in nine markets across the country, but D.C. is where it all started.
“I think Chip’N will be synonymous with volunteering,” Perkins said. “This should fill the space on your phone if you want to volunteer.”
