Thanks for sharing with us about volunteering.Personally i cant say that i have volunteered much because most of my volunteering has been during our campus volunteering days whereby we clean children homes in Nairobi.

We are planning with my friends to go to volunteer inSudan soon after graduation in september.

Kind of disappointed this forum has resulted in more posts... The Philanthropy Discussions section of Omidyar (http://www.omidyar.net/group/philanthropy/news/) is a testimony to how much the community cares about mission-based orgs and those they serve -- surely there are lots of Omidyar Network members volunteering their time and expertise to mission-based organizations? Would love to hear more about such!

I dunno, is fundraising volunteering? If so I'm doing a lot of it! PM or post here Jayne, would love to talk to you about it or other opportunites. Give a smile! ;-)

here is an example of my last volunteering: I live in Israel and a friend of mine asked me if I could take his place for giving an hour session of tai chi / chi kung to Sela Organization. Sela provides help to new immigrants who were victims of terror. In this case, there were some 50 to 60 people who came for a week-end in a kibbutz-hotel in the Neguev. They had all kinds of talks, sessions, healing stuff etc. Most of the people were Ethiopian and russian immigrants with various handicaps.

I usually give some chi kung sessions during conflict management / peace building activities (e.g. www.budoforpeace.org) but this time, I had to adapt the exercices for their own situation.

The week-end went on actually very nicely, I arrived the day before with my wife and baby and spent some good time there. So, this was not purely volunteering - we had a full board w-e paid by Sela.

People who participated to my session were very receptive and liked it.

Thanks for sharing that resource Philippe. I found some useful web sites by searching 'Sela Organization Israel.'

Frank, can you say more about cleaning children homes? Is this for orphanage type homes? What will you be doing in Sudan?

I do lots of work for a small flat fee or for free. I work for asylum seekers here in the U.S.

"I dunno, is fundraising volunteering?"

If you aren't being paid to engage in this activity then, yes, you are volunteering. Any activity you are engaged in to help a mission-based organization that you aren't being paid for, no matter what it is, is volunteering.

"here is an example of my last volunteering: I live in Israel and a friend of mine asked me if I could take his place for giving an hour session of tai chi / chi kung to Sela Organization."

Thanks for a great account of using an expertise as part of a volunteering experience.

"So, this was not purely volunteering - we had a full board w-e paid by Sela."

Receiving accommodation means you were still a volunteer! You weren't a staff member, you weren't paid a salary or fee, etc. Most volunteer managers believe that the term "volunteer" can even apply to someone who receives a stipend for his or her service, as long as the volunteer is engaged in full-time service and has no other paid job. But I should note the term "volunteer" is contested -- there is no one agreed-to definition, and the term is frequently debated.

My current volunteering activities haven't changed since I started this thread almost a year ago. I'm in between paid-consulting jobs now, and have been trying to find volunteering I can do locally, in-person, but it's difficult -- I still don't have the German skills to take on an onsite assignment here.

Okay, others? How are you volunteering these days? Or tell about recent volunteering experiences -- why you engaged in such, what was good, what was not so good, etc.

I really don't want this thread to die... and since I've done a lot of volunteering since I started it a year ago, I thought I'd post about that, and hope it will spur others to post about their volunteering (unpaid work to benefit nonprofits) as well:

• helping a friend living in South Africa and her partner start a nonprofit organization to benefit AIDS orphans in Swaziland (she's needed help with all of the paperwork)
• Online mentor for the Young Caucasus Women Blog Project, for small group of young women from Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia living as exchange students in the USA. January - March 2006.
• Continuing my stint since 2002 as a volunteer moderator of the Volunteers and Technology online forum for TechSoup, an organization that helps nonprofit organizations regarding computer and Internet technology. Part of CompuMentor.
• Volunteering as an advisor on the Aid Workers Network, providing information about volunteerism and civil society capacity-building.
• Peer-to-peer career counseling volunteer (online) for students interested in careers in international development work, through Open University (where I recently completed my Master's Degree).
• Continuing my stint since 1998 as an online volunteer to CYBERVPM, contributing volunteer management resources and commentary.
• providing advice regarding board development and management for Pearls of Africa, which works to help programs that benefit children with disabilities in Africa.

Why do I volunteer? I guess I'm a typical Gen Xer in that regard, for the most part: I don't volunteer primarily out of a sense of duty to my country, because I think I'm supposed to, or because it's "nice" -- I volunteer to make a difference in the causes I believe in, sometimes even out of a sense of anger or outrage, and for what I personally gain our of doing so.

Any you? How have you volunteered lately? And why?

Jayne, one way to keep this thread alive is to copy and paste it into your personal news - that way it is always there when anyone refers to your profile page, other people can contribute at any time in the future and you can add to it whenever you want.

Just a thought. :)

Hi Jayne,

I'm happy to find this thread and I agree with John that it might be good to put it in your personal news so it doesn't get lost.

How have I volunteered? Well, the word volunteer can have many meanings and I know a lot of people that only consider it if you actually do a specific task. I prefer to think of it as contributing because that expands it to include so much more.

My biggest contribution is for Life in Africa (http://www.omidyar.net/group/lia/) who participate here on Onet. I live in California in the States but I am helping to edit their loan applications for the members applying to KIVA. It has been wonderful and I feel very connected with the group and I know that what I do, even though it is a small thing, is really a help. It has been very rewarding to see the loans get funded on line and to know that I helped in my small way.

But in addition to that I think I contribute to many things. Being a member of Onet allows me to do that very effectively. There are so many amazing projects here and anyone is welcome to get involved. I get involved by passing them on to others. When I read about the postcard campaign to end genocide in Darfur, I sent emails to everyone I know asking them to sign one. When I read about the Global Night Commute for the Invisible Children, I again sent emails and I tell everyone I meet. I have organized a small group to participate and some others have told me they ordered a bracelet on the website. I now have Peace Tiles all over my house and I have encouraged others to go on line and order and read about this fantastic program. And the list could and will go on.

One day I was feeling a little low and feeling like I wasn't doing much or that what I was doing wasn't really making a difference. I clicked onto a thread called Why do you do what you do (http://www.omidyar.net/group/community-general/news/747/?page=16#comment388) and found this quote on page 16:

"I am only one, but I still I am one. I can not do everything, but I can do something. And, because I can not do everything. I will not refuse to do something I can do."

I do not know the author of this quote as it wasn't cited (I am trying to find out) but the words really jumped out at me, lifted me up and confirmed that what I do, no matter how small, is worthwhile; I am making a difference. It has become my mantra and I am passing it on to anyone who feels they can't make a difference. We all can make a difference.

Thanks for letting me share,

Evvy

Evvy Bryning notes that she helps to edit loan applications for the members applying to KIVA. And that makes Evvy an online volunteer!

The AP has a story just out on the wires regarding online volunteering, and it's one of the better stories on the topic that I've seen. It's focused mostly on the international aspects of online volunteering such as Evvy's (even though most online volunteers are around the corner, rather than around the world, from an organization they support). Nice quotes from online volunteers. I hope you will click on the link and rank the story highly (use the little stars at the bottom of the story).

Hey Jayne. Nice thread. I volunteer because I was raised to think of it as a way to pay back to community a little of what community does for me/us. While all of my current work seeks to improve the world in some way, I also contribute hours each week to an organization I met via Onet. At the 2006 member conference in Chicago I met and was inpired by Theresa Williamson. She runs a nonprofit out of Rio, Brazil, called Catalytic Communities. I am on her development advisory board. We meet each week to discuss the next steps in our plan with homework in between. And the work is almost all virtual. We talk on Skype and send emails. Much of the volunteering cross-pollinates with my paid work, for example talking about viral marketing or internet fundraising or writing/editing.

I am somewhat aware of the outcome of my volunteering, though perhaps not of my individual contribution. Last year, together, we worked to raise 50% of this years budget through a drive on Pledgebank. This year we will be raising all of the budget for 2007 through another Pledgebank drive. What difference does that make? It enables victories like these: http://www.comcat.org/english/conquistas.asp.

Good question. Prior to founding http://www.thesynapticleap.org I didn't volunteer that often. Oh sure I tutor at my kids' school once a week and I have given blood quite a few times. But when I decided it was time to give more, I decided to think long and hard about it. The question I asked myself was:

"Given my capabilities, what can I do to make the biggest difference in the world?"

My background is software applications with the last 7 years driving the product direction for the corporate/enterprise portal at PeopleSoft/Oracle. I decided to leverage my skills and partner with biomedical scientists (http://www.tropicaldisease.org) to start an online community for open source biomedical research.

I have been so charged up on this mission that in the last year I have donated more than 1000 hours of my time plus the required out-of-pocket money to get started.

Now what is interesting is that everytime somebody asks to me to volunteer for something else, I ask myself, "is this a better use of my time than working on The Synaptic Leap?" Rarely is the answer yes. So ironically, I am focusing my efforts on the one cause.

I'm curious - cheers or criticism from this philanthropic crowd?

In 1973 I became a volunteer tutoring a 4th grade boy from the Cabrini Green neighborhood of Chicago. In 1975 I became the leader of that program and have spent the past 30 years in an annual cycle of recruiting people to be volunteers, then supporting them in their journey so that some return in following years and some grow to be leaders.

Through this work my own life has been enriched in unimaginable ways and I've seen the lives of many youth and other adults also enriched. At http://www.cabriniconnections.net you can see photos and read comments from some of our current students and volunteers.

I left my paying job as an advertising manager at a big corporation back in 1990 and turned my volunteer work into my career. Thus, since 1990 I've also been the chief fund raiser for the organization I lead, as well as the leader of our volunteer based activities.

I launched the Tutor/Mentor Connection in 1993 to share what I'd learned over the previous 20 years and to help volunteer based tutor/mentor programs throughout the Chicago region get a more consistent flow of volunteers, dollars, training and other resources each needs to do good work. We started a Chicago area Back-to-School volunteer recruitment campaign in 1995 and it's now in its 11th year.

When we launched the T/MC I knew nothing about the Internet. In 1997 we built our first web site. Since then our sites have recorded more than 150,000 visitors and in the last year alone one of our sites recorded over 500,000 hits. Thus, we're connecting to people from all parts of the world. Many of our volunteers now are located in other communities and countries and we only connect via the Internet.

I encourage any who are interested to take a role in building the volunteer infrastructure of your own community, by collaborating with peers in your community and in other communities. While volunteerism is free, good volunteerism and good service is not free. It takes time and talent to mobilize a group of volunteers who will commit their own time, talent and resources to solving a community problem, or to raise the village of kids living in economically disadvantaged parts of any town, city or country. Without a core group of paid professionals, and the money it takes to operate the "business" of volunteerism, those who want to donate time often cannot find opportunities, or are poorly supported.

This does not enrich their lives and it does not do much to forward the mission of the organizations or the causes that they serve.

You can read more of the Tutor/Mentor Connection at the following web sites. I encourage you to apply these ideas in your own communities or to connect with us and other tutor/mentor programs in Chicago * http://www.tutormentorexchange.net * http://www.tutormentorconference.bigstep.com * http://tutormentor.blogspot.com

Well, here are my two cents about my experiences as volunteer.

I did my first volunteering when I was 14 in my home town of Barcelona (Catalonia, Spain). At high school I used to volunteer for the local government to inform of all the students at my school of any cultural event that was ongoing in our city. I also run a two hour radio program that would summarize the up-coming events in the city. I was also a political activist, but who wasn’t at that age! Then I moved to college and all of things had to change... no much time left after studying and partying!

Then in 1999 I moved to the US to work at the Rockefeller University and the at UCSF. Since then, I have been engaged in volunteering again. Together with other scholars at the UC system and Duke, we started The Tropical Disease Initiative where I do volunteer time and knowledge for the good cause of doing open source biology. We are doing some nice science to understand what would be good drug targets from genomes of organisms related to neglected diseases (such as Malaria or Chagas). I have also been involved (now for about 2 years) in The Synaptic Leap (TSL), which was founded by Ginger Taylor (see Ginger’s post). There we are trying to empower scientists so that they can fully embrace open source biology. This is by no means an easy task, but I think we are progressing. I hope we (Ginger, I, and any other Oneter that would like to contribute) will have the time to explain better what we want to do at TSL.

So, that is my history as a volunteer... not very extensive but one that I am proud of.

Before I go, I would like to make a comment on something that Jayne said in the starting post of this thread: “What I find lacking is information on just how significant a difference I am making with these organizations”. This is an interesting comment. I am not sure, though that I need to know. I believe that I do volunteer to reach and help others. By doing so, I have the reward of knowing I have helped somebody who has a name (if I am lucky I may even meet those individuals). So, if that happens, then I made the greatest impact I could on that particular person and that is very significant to me. I believe that I do not need to change the world, one individual at a time may make the difference.

Being a volunteer is a nice experience, i have volunteered in a number of occassions and am still looking for more areas that i can volunteer in.

I did volunteer with the Government of Kenya, in one instance with the department of social services and the other in the probation department. During these times, i was a University student and could get a few hours to volunteer each week.

In the ministry of social services, i would visit community based organizations and educate them about registration through the Government and write a report to the officer in charge.

In the probation department, my task was to interview offenders who wanted a court parole. Probation is the conditional release of a convicted offendor to serve the community as part of the sentence. Then i would write a report that would be forwarded by mu supervisor to the court .

Recently, i have been a volunteering as a trainer and teacher in South Sudan. This experience has had the greatest impact on me. People are really suffering in Sudan and i was amazed that i would offer much that was appreaciated by the community. Everday i was changing a life, i wasn't confined to education issues. I would discuss agriculture, health, environmental concerns, HIV/AIDS and my heart was full of joy whenever i let someone know something new to them. Indeed, in our own individual ways, we can make great things happen.

What a great thread!! It's so great to read about how all of you volunteer and help make this world a better place.

I volunteer with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society as the national co-captain of the Friends of Allie Light The Night Team. I served as national captain the two year prior. Although the walks are mainly in the fall, it really is a year round job organizing and motivating the team and our team fundraises all year long. I am also a member of my local walk's committee.

In addition, I spend a great deal of time sending encouraging notes through Caringbridge (http://www.caringbridge.com) to sick children and their families. A little note of encouragement and prayers goes a long way when a child is sick. It something so easy, yet has a positive impact on these families.

Lois

Really glad so many are posting about their volunteering experiences. While the focus of my paid work is on NGO/Nonprofit-related causes, I wanted to specifically focus a thread on volunteering -- things people do, without pay, exterior to their paid jobs, to help others or the environment... or things people do with a small stipend while they take off a significant amount of time from university studies or their career pursuits, to help others or the environment (like AmeriCorps, the PeaceCorps, etc.).

Some of you focus your volunteering time on just one cause, others of you focus on many causes. Is either more effective? No, IMO -- it's what you prefer to do, and that's that.

Anyone care to update what they are doing as a volunteer (that means without pay) to help in the causes they believe in, help address an issue that's making them angry, help make a difference, etc.?

Greetings from Kabul.

Since 2003 I had been volunnteering with an organistion called Charity for Peace foundation in northern Uganda. Great expirience working with the kids of war affected ,love and happiness among them is what I have encountered.I love volunteering.Infact I need to try voluntering abroad so as I contrast.

How did you connect with the Charity for Peace foundation? What does this charity do for kids? How long has it been in existence? What do you do as a volunteer with this group? How many volunteers are involved with CHarity for Peace? Do you volunteer after work or on weekends?

In other words, let's hear more!

And for others -- what are you doing as a volunteer (that means without pay) to help in causes you believe in, help address an issue that's making you angry, help make a difference, etc.?

Well,the organisation started in the year 2003 when the insecurity was intense and many children left there homes for refuge in on the varrandas of town buildinds,bus parks and some places which seems secure for them like the hospitals.They called for people to volunteer over the radio stations and I applied.

CPF was formed to help in resettling this children in a night commuters centre and has currently 50 volunteers. So by them I was still a student in senior four(S4)Ugandan education system.

I used to volunteer after school but currently after work. CPF offers a secure sleeping ground,scholarships for students,computer lessons to the youth in camps and the children at the centre,metal works lessons like welding for the children who since 2003 were sleeping in the centre.

The greatest part of my volunteering would be in running a social purpose business without income. We've just completed a 5 year effort to leverage funding for social enterprise overseas in the reform of childcare instututions. We now wait for government response.

I'm also volunteering to nonprofit causes, building and hosting websites for genocide awareness and HIV/Aids prevention. From time to time, being called back to moderate the community forum where I lived 2 years ago and trying to build a new one where I now live. Spent a couple of days last summer helping the local fundraiser carnival shifting furniture and erecting marquees. Tried to volunteer for local causes related to the elderly and healthcare, but no response.

Thank you Munnu, for sharing information about your organization in Africa. And thank you Jeff for talking about your volunteering with various causes.

Jeff wrote: "Tried to volunteer for local causes related to the elderly and healthcare, but no response."

Indeed, this is the number one complaint from people who want to volunteer -- that they try and never get a response. The sad reality is that most organizations aren't equipped in terms of staffing and capacity to involve volunteers. Let's hope funders will start understanding this at long last and start funding volunteer management positions and training in volunteer management for nonprofit staff!

Jayne, I think there's another dimension too. Most of my experiences come from orgs that have asked for help. Sometimes there may be lost communications but at others there's been a definite taste of control, a demand for territory and unwillingness to share resources between social groups . Ego it would seem, runs high in the world of social causes.

Ego runs high in the world of for-profits as well... both involve humans, after all.