Login
Newsletter
April 2010
---------------------------------------------
THIS MONTH'S TOPICS
1. FROM THE SERVICE: Your online volunteering experiences
2. TIP: How to sustain online volunteers’ commitment
3. EXPERIENCE: Volunteering their creativity for the UNDP Bureau of Management
---------------------------------------------
1. FROM THE SERVICE: Your online volunteering experiences
In last month’s newsletter, we shared the results of the 2009 user survey focusing on your satisfaction with the Online Volunteering service. Many of the volunteers and organizations who responded to the survey made additional comments about their experience of collaborating online. We take this opportunity to address some of your questions and help promote better understanding of each other’s needs and challenges.
One important issue volunteers raised in the survey is the need for some organizations to further develop their volunteer management skills: to inform all applicants about whether or not their application was successful, maintain regular communication with the volunteers, provide enough information and guidance, give feedback, and issue certificates to the volunteers who completed an assignment.
Organizations mentioned in the survey that some volunteers lack commitment after having been selected for an assignment. These volunteers do not get back to the organization after having been informed that their application was successful, or start working on an assignment but do not follow through until completion, leaving the task unfinished and the organization struggling to quickly replace the volunteer. Organizations also commented that while they are thrilled about the large number of applications they receive from excellent candidates, there are also expressions of interest from applicants whose profiles do not match any of the requirements outlined in the opportunity descriptions. This can result in frustration for the organizations as well as for volunteers, whose applications are then rejected.
In order for online volunteering to be an empowering, rewarding and efficient means for everyone to contribute to peace and development, it is important for organizations and volunteers to understand that even though their collaboration takes place through the Internet, there is nothing virtual about the responsibilities and commitment it requires from all of us.
---------------------------------------------
2. TIP: How to sustain online volunteers’ commitment
You have posted an opportunity, reviewed the applications, selected the volunteers with whom you want to collaborate, and rejected the candidates whom you do not want to involve in the task. You are ready to begin working with your online volunteers. What can you do to ensure that the volunteer selected for the task will stay committed and complete the assignment?
Provide all the information volunteers need
You have already outlined the task and requirements in the opportunity description and the volunteers you selected have the right profile for the task. Now the volunteers need more information about the assignment and a clear understanding of what you expect. Any ambiguity at this stage is likely to confuse and discourage the volunteers and may jeopardize the outcome of the assignment.
Set deadlines and a schedule
Online volunteers expect to begin working on an assignment soon after they submitted their applications. They are enthusiastic and eager to start. Make sure you and the volunteers agree on the deadlines for delivering the final product, and set up a schedule for updates and progress reports. This will allow online volunteers to plan the time they will dedicate to their online volunteering activities, and keep you informed of the latest developments.
Build team spirit
You will be working with interesting people from around the world who want to support your organization in its work. In addition to ensuring swift and clear communication with the volunteers, it is also important to be aware of cultural differences and language constraints. Sending personalized messages, adapting to the communication style of your volunteers and sharing information will make them feel part of your team and nurture their commitment.
Show appreciation
Online volunteers want to support your organization and its objectives. Acknowledge the time and efforts they invest and show respect for their work by providing feedback. Issue certificates to volunteers to thank them for their contribution. Mention the volunteers’ support to a project on your organization’s website, or in newsletters and reports. Telling your volunteers how their contribution was used and about the difference their support has made is a great source of motivation and inspiration.
---------------------------------------------
3. EXPERIENCE: Volunteering their creativity for the UNDP Bureau of Management
The Bureau of Management (BoM) of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) provides leadership and support for management practices of UNDP Country Offices, Regional Centres and Headquarters Units in 166 countries. UNDP is the UN's global development network, an organization advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. Since September 2009, professional graphic designers, caricaturists and video editors have volunteered online to provide their expertise for various communication activities of the UNDP Bureau of Management (BoM).
These volunteers were unanimous in expressing that they benefited greatly from the orientations and the briefings they received to get acquainted with works of UNDP and BoM as well as the expected results of their assignments. BoM also encouraged active participation from the volunteers during discussions for identifying concepts and directions for the design tasks. Such a partnership approach has served as a major motivation for the volunteers to continue serving BoM. Despite the time difference between the volunteers’ locations and BoM in New York, the volunteers brought solid contributions to the improvement of BoM’s visual materials, making them more appealing to the target audience.
At BoM, the works of volunteers are widely recognized through explicit ways of showing appreciation. In December 2009, a video clip of BoM’s annual review was made possible through the dedicated support of volunteers in designing and editing. The Director of BoM showed her appreciation for their services in her message to BoM staff members, while BoM senior managers followed suit to encourage the volunteers by pointing out that the online volunteers demonstrated an outstanding level of professionalism and integrity in their punctual deliveries and impressive outcomes for the given assignments. When an online volunteer Jang Hyun Han had an occasion to be in New York, he was invited to BoM to meet with the BoM Communications Team members and a senior manager of the BoM Directorate. BoM Communications Team has repeatedly received positive feedback from BoM colleagues regarding the valuable contributions the online volunteers made towards the Communications team’s works. “We are inspired to know that the online volunteers approach their engagements with us with pride and self-gratification based on the understanding that their expertise serves as a means to make a difference in UNDP and the world in general,” says a BoM senior manager.
Julia Pax and Ronald Scharf from Germany run their own, young design company. Julia heard about online volunteering from a friend, and together with Ronald worked on designing promotional materials for a women’s organization in South Africa before signing up to volunteer their creative talents for the UNDP BoM in February 2010. Julia specializes in graphic design and Ronald in film directing and editing, and their work with BoM gave them the opportunity to combine both disciplines in one project. They designed an internal UNDP presentation featuring both graphic and film elements, working with video footage filmed at UNDP headquarters by the BoM Communications team, to produce a humorous promotional video clip.
Jang Hyun Han from the Republic of Korea has been collaborating with BoM for more than eight months. Working for one of the biggest design firms in the Republic of Korea, Jang Hyun spends a significant amount of his free time “thinking, imagining, making and polishing” BoM’s publications, including a flyer, the internal newsletter, presentation templates, and more. Through his close collaboration with BoM, he has gained self-confidence in addition to a better understanding of what to develop in order to work at the international level. “Sharing your talent and investing your passion into helping others is a ‘win-win’ game and makes you feel positive and proud,” he says. His advice to other online volunteers is to “make sure that you keep pursuing top quality, because the contributions not only benefit the organization but also your own professional growth”.
