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Many people want to volunteer and make a difference in their communities. So, what’s stopping them?

Between the background checks and numerous hours expected for training, volunteering can be difficult to fit into an already full schedule.

So, Durham residents Trevor Little and Brad Lindsay created benefacting.org to help. The website, specific to the Triangle area, allows locals to sign up to provide various types of volunteerism to help raise money for the charity of their choice from those associated with Benefacting.

The website launched in April after nearly three years of toying around with code on Thursday nights. The software developers “geeked out” each week to create the volunteerism website.

Little had the idea as he was pondering what it means to be a strong Christian. Both of the website’s creators had been praying for ways to use their talents to help others. Also, Little’s wife, Anna, tried to volunteer and came up against many road blocks because she couldn’t fit in the extra hours into her graduate school schedule.

And while Little and Lindsay both are Christians, the website is not specific to any one religion or belief.

“We think this is important because of what we believe,” Little said.

Instead, the creators of the Benefacting would like to see it have a major impact on Triangle charities as well as residents of the area.

“We really want to see this make a difference in people’s lives,” Little said.

If someone would like to volunteer their time or sell an item and donate money to a charity, he or she can sign up on Benefacting and choose an organization where the funds will go. Much like Ebay, Little said the website allows volunteers and those accepting services to send messages so it’s not necessary to give out personal email addresses. Also, funds are donated through the website with the help of a secure Paypal account.

There’s even a five-star system to help build an actor’s reputation on the website among benefactors. Families are being encouraged to volunteer together as well.

“In that sense, we’re excited to get people of all ages involved,” Little said.

Younger children would need to get permission before volunteering.

The volunteering opportunities are limitless, according to the founders.

“We’ve left it open because we want people to be creative,” Little said.

Charities can sign up through the website. Little and Lindsay said they like to focus on charities that help people. The two have connected with local charities mostly, but they said there are a few nationally-known organizations associated with the website as well.

Since its inception, Little and Lindsay have tried to create critical mass. Now, they are starting to see the fruits of their labor. Volunteers and charities are buzzing about the site and the founders hope to see it continue ramping up through the end of the summer.

Both Anna and Lindsay’s wife, Sarah, were a huge part of the creation of Benefacting. Lindsay said the two women have been phenomenally supportive. Also, he said, the name of the website had to go through Anna and Sarah before the website founders decided to go viral with it.

Contact Kelly Griffith at kgriffith@heartlandpublications.com or 919-552-5675.