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Newsletter
April 2010
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THIS MONTH'S TOPICS
1. FROM THE SERVICE: Your online volunteering experiences
2. TIP: How to find a volunteer opportunity that is right for you
3. EXPERIENCE: Volunteering their creativity for the UNDP Bureau of Management
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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.
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2. TIP: How to find a volunteer opportunity that is right for you
You registered an account on the Online Volunteering service website and are eager to begin your volunteer activities. What are the things you need to consider in order to find a volunteer opportunity that is right for you? Here are some questions you need to ask yourself before you begin:
Am I set up to volunteer online?
The creation of an account on www.onlinevolunteering.org enables you to apply for online volunteering opportunities. To become an online volunteer, search the database of available opportunities, complete the application form and wait for the organization that posted the opportunity to contact you. Note that your online volunteering account is not connected to the roster of UNV volunteer candidates. If you want to volunteer on-site with UNV in a developing country, you need to apply through www.unv.org.
How do I choose an opportunity?
Before you apply, ask yourself whether this is the right assignment for you. Are you confident that you can perform the task the organization describes? Do you have the required qualifications? Does the timeframe fit your schedule? Are you passionate about the opportunity’s development topic? Are you comfortable adapting to the organization’s diverse communication and working styles, which may be different from your own? If you are honest with yourself and answer these questions before applying, you will increase your chances of receiving a positive response from the organization and experiencing a fulfilling online collaboration.
Can I really commit to the assignment?
Although online volunteering is quick and flexible, remember that organizations have real needs and depend on the volunteers to deliver the work to which they commit. Dropping out before completing your assignment can have serious consequences for the organization. Make sure to clarify the assignment’s deadlines and timeframe with the organization before you begin your collaboration. If you have any doubts as to whether you will be able to meet the deadlines and invest the time required, let the organization know and search for an opportunity that better fits your schedule.
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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”.
