Mobilizing Your Community Volunteer Group

Online volunteering has opened many doors for individuals in any part of the world to make a difference anywhere they want. Volunteering unites different peoples but most of all, if every community had a volunteering group, it would not only unite the community but the world at large.

In this blog I will highlight what is needed to have a successful volunteer community from the viewpoint of the volunteer. In reference will be Taking It Global (www.tigweb.org ) where I volunteer online and Bangkok Volunteers (bangkokvolunteers.net/) where I volunteer offline to date.

Bkk Volunteers in Bangkok Thailand has created an opportunity for any individual local or foreign to have intimate access to various volunteer opportunities sans ridiculous prices or a long term commitment. In this article, we shall use them as a reference point for on-the-ground volunteering.

And not too far from home, Taking It Global has opened many doors for youth to volunteer online. Taking It Global aims to inspire, inform and involve so as long as you are a youth there are no excuses that you cannot find where to volunteer because that is what tigweb.org is here for. Thus we shall use them as a reference point for online volunteering in this article.

Creating a volunteering group is more than just answering to the communities need; it is about answering to the need of the volunteer.

SO WHAT EXACTLY DOES A VOLUNTEER NEED?

Opportunity

People want to help and most times they don’t know how. Online volunteering may open many doors but many do not have continuous access to the internet or volunteer websites.

TIG has many opportunities for youth to volunteer in various degrees. The more you can handle, the bigger the challenge available and from this you learn that your volunteer community needs to reward the volunteers with the opportunities in which they can best express their abilities.

Bkk Volunteers on the other hand also uses the online group Meetup.com site to allow any person looking for a volunteer opportunity to find them. By making appearance at city events also gives face to what they do. And to find a community group, it means the opportunity has to be there, well explained and easy to find.

If you do not create opportunity for your community, there is no reason to exist as a volunteer platform.

Reliability

Cancelling, rescheduling or even being late for your event has the ability to taint your reliability image. Not having any opportunities or showing discriminatory tendencies may just keep those willing to help at bay.

It is for reasons such as this that Bangkok Volunteers gives opportunity to members on a first come first serve basis for especial trips while the rest are open to everyone. A volunteer opportunity is also available nearly every weekend to accommodate busy lifestyles.

TIG site amazed me because it works on nearly any gadget with access to the internet. This way whether on the move or at home, access is available to the volunteer at any given time. Quick feedback is also always ready at hand. This should highlight the need to respond to your volunteers in good time.

Being responsible for your volunteers during events is of key importance.

Affordability

In all honesty, no one likes to pay to help especially if they don’t have to. Volunteering is giving one’s time to help others and there is no bigger price than time. That said, make your activities at most affordable not only for you but also for those who are volunteering.

BKK volunteers offer a wide range of volunteer activities that range from free to those which require a suitable payment for accommodation, fare and/or goods if there be need. Being transparent on the needs the particular event you are planning will have will make your volunteers more knowledgeable and even proactive.  

Volunteering online especially at TIG is only paid by the price of time, which volunteers have to control.

Aim to make your event not only affordable but also priceless.

Proximity

How far do you have to go to answer to someone’s need? Not far. People everywhere in every community need help one way or the other. Your job as a volunteer leader or group is to find that need and address it while mobilizing the rest of your community to do the same.

As they put it, change begins at home and that home is your community.

Why don’t you start your volunteer community today and let the world know about it. Are there any volunteer experiences you like, did not like or wished you had? Feel free to comment and share.