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Newsletter
March 2009
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THIS MONTH'S TOPICS
1. FROM THE SERVICE: Why we ask you to update your user profile
2. TIP: How to submit a convincing application
3. EXPERIENCE: Focus on online volunteers: Ashok B. Pillai, India
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1. FROM THE SERVICE: Why we ask you to update your user profile
If you registered with the Online Volunteering service before the re-launch of the website in October 2008, you will be asked to update your user profile next time you log in to your account.
The new user profile page captures more information, helping us to know more about our users and better adapt to their needs.
Information on the educational and professional backgrounds of our users, their disabilities and the kind of Internet access available will enable us to identify and address potential gaps in our out-reach to particular audiences, as well as the potential barriers faced by some of our users.
It goes without saying that the United Nations Volunteers programme collects this data only for statistical purposes, with the sole intention of improving our services. Our Privacy Policy remains unchanged.
When updating your profile, please make sure that you review the current information for accuracy, and do not forget to select your language in the preferred language field.
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2. TIP: How to submit a convincing application
Applying for an online volunteering opportunity requires as much diligence as submitting a job application: you need to demonstrate that you are a suitable candidate for the assignment.
Start by carefully reading the opportunity description to find out about the specific requirements of the assignment. What are the required skills? Is the organization looking for someone with a particular educational background? What is the timeframe for the task? When filling out the application form, be sure to address the requirements stipulated in the opportunity description. The targeted information you provide will allow the organization to better assess your suitability for the assignment.
In addition to your possessing the relevant skills, your motivation is a decisive factor in determining the success of an application. Use the motivation field in the application form to explain why you are interested in the opportunity. Are you attracted by the cause the assignment supports or by the organization’s specific approach towards development? Whatever the reason, whether professional or personal, your motivation matters!
You have the option of attaching your CV to the bottom of the application form. Including your CV to complement the information in the form may increase your chances of being selected. Submitting your CV only, however, carries the risk of having the opposite effect. An organization that receives many applications for a particular opportunity is likely to screen out those not containing targeted information.
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3. EXPERIENCE: Focus on online volunteers: Ashok B. Pillai, India
Ashok Pillai from India is a self-confessed online volunteering "addict" and the driving force behind the RESPECT University project. The project of the Canadian NGO RESPECT International, which is run by around 30 online volunteers, provides post-secondary correspondence courses to refugees and internally displaced persons in various countries.
As someone with a passion to help bring about positive change, Ashok found that volunteering online was the perfect solution to combining volunteerism with his personal and professional obligations – as a senior government official, his job is to promote Agri-business Units in rural and remote areas of his country.
Every day, Ashok spends about three hours on his volunteer assignment as project coordinator, liaising with online volunteer tutors, on-site coordinators and students around the world. “On average, I get over 10 emails. During the day, I keep checking for emails on my mobile phone almost every time I have free time (even when I am stuck in a traffic jam), whenever possible, I respond immediately. I feel that I should not keep someone waiting.” Besides resolving issues and responding to various queries, his task involves initiating contact with potential partner organizations, recruiting new tutors, etc.
Marc Schaeffer, president of the organization RESPECT, commends Ashok for his leadership and dedication: “Ashok continues to build RESPECT University with a passion – clearly with a very strong personal vision for the potential of this program to help war-affected youth. He has the ability to infect others with his enthusiasm. The RESPECT University team is exceptional in its drive, under Ashok’s leadership, to fulfil a dream together.”
There certainly are challenges. "While conducting correspondence courses is not easy, conducting such courses in war-affected areas with poor communication links is even more difficult," Ashok says. However, responses from refugees have been very positive, and in 2009 his team hopes to double the enrolment of students from 100 to 200.
The nature of online volunteering helps the international team meet its objectives. "Everyone by his or her own free will takes up the responsibility to ensure that the set goal is reached," says Ashok. "There are times when the online volunteer gets more friends on to help with the project. The entire project is transparent, and when an online volunteer stops contributing temporarily for personal reasons, there is always someone else to take their place."
In terms of personal fulfilment, Ashok feels that his volunteer assignments have been incredibly rewarding. "I have gained a lot from volunteering," he explains. "When I receive a letter from a refugee that he could find a job in an NGO, or that he plans to put what he has learnt to good use, I feel great satisfaction."
