How to transform your organisation through skilled volunteering
Right now, charities around Australia are struggling to survive during the COVID-19 global pandemic. We are seeing an increase in demand for charitable services, yet a decrease in donations and in-person volunteering opportunities. Our partner, Communiteer, is running a webinar series that teaches charities how to turn this challenging situation into an opportunity to make lasting change in your organisation.
How can charities survive the pandemic?
In his webinar series, Victor Lee, CEO of Communiteer details the different approaches some charities are taking to keep themselves operating:
- Refine your work and operations to stay relevant
- Maintain your engagement online
- Focus on emergency relief only
- Put your charity into hibernation
Victor’s insight is significant during these challenging times. With many agreeing that our new virtual-focused normal is going to stay with us for some time, adapting your business and changing now will give you long-term benefits. We’re particularly excited about the concept of skilled and unskilled remote or virtual volunteering, and the opportunity it presents for supporting charities at a fundamental level.
This webinar series highlights three different types of volunteering that can be done remotely; role-based, event-based and project-based volunteering. While role-based and event-based volunteering can be characterised by virtual meetings and events, project-based volunteering can give organisations the opportunity to improve their business processes.
How can skilled volunteering help your charity?
Skilled volunteering is a type of project-based volunteering where organisations ask the question “What can be done?” Victor advises charities to identify:
- What can you do to make your service delivery faster?
- What operational processes could be improved if you had a subject matter expert at your disposal?
- What kind of information and skills do you need to improve the quality of your work?
On the Good2Give platform, the majority of donors are already in the professional services workforce, with everything from young professionals looking to expand their experience to recent retirees – a diverse range of people and skills with the potential to add value to your organisation.
Skilled volunteering has the ability to make lasting change in your organisation. Volunteering opportunities are no longer limited to painting walls or planting trees, Victor encourages charities to consider using Communiteer to outsource your ongoing business activities such as digital marketing, cashflow management and HR services like workforce planning.
You can find out all the tips for creating and maintaining an engaging volunteer opportunity by attending Communiteer’s “Finding New Ways to Keep Your Supporters Engaged” webinar. Communiteer will also be offering free virtual consultations to help you get started on the platform.
Want to find out more about changing up your volunteering? Take a look at the volunteering services page on our website.
