Can micro-volunteering make a difference?
Submitted by Veronique.Jochum on Wed, 03/02/2010 - 11:18
I've recently seen more and more information and some fascinating discussions on micro-volunteering.
Micro-volunteering apparently started in the States but it has created increasing interest here too. So what is it exactly? Well, this is how the website Help from Home (runner-up in the 2009 competition 'How to Make a Difference' run by the Community Channel and Media Trust) promotes it:
"Volunteer in bite size chunks - from your own home and when you want to. Benefit worthy causes to suit your lifestyle, at your own convenience. Dip in and dip out with absolutely no commitment. And...oh yeah you can do them in your pyjamas!"
Reactions to micro-volunteering have been somewhat mixed, but one the whole there is recognition that it responds to a need - some people do want to volunteer in that way - and addresses a gap in the 'market'.
And there are plenty of examples to show that it has value in its own right. If you want to find out more have a look at i-volunteer.
Veronique,
This does seem to be a growing trend; for example there's a nice little video for the britishredcross on microvolunteering (though that's not what they call it) at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6t_H06270Us. This seems to me to be an effective way to encourage people to participate in ways that are easy and appropriate, rather than demanding a certain form of activism because it's just the way things have always been done.
Veronique
You mention about the mixed reaction concerning micro volunteering. I'm the founder of Help From Home, the website you mentioned in your post and it's true what you say about the reactions being mixed.
On the one hand, there is a demand from the public to engage in these micro actions, whilst on the other hand the reaction I get from Volunteer Centres when I contact them to consider including these opportunities on their databases is a stony silence - in most cases so far, not even a courtesy return email.
At the moment, from my experience, VCs are seemingly living in the dark ages, whilst the public and the micro opportunities available via the internet ploughs on way ahead of them.
This is a really interesting concept and the fast development of social media/ social networking tools and particularly mobile devices has added a new dimension to microvolunteering.
We haven't really got very far in the UK at looking at what is possible but there are some interesting ideas starting to emerge from the US about the kinds of things people can do quickly, through their smartphones, to the benefit of others.
This YouTube video goes in to more detail "The Extraordinaries" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgEDDLl9E-Q
Has anyone started to think about how they might use technology to support/ recruit/ make use of volunteers?
Hi all,
A few personal observations from me. These aren't a formal VE position. First, regarding volunteer centres, I think we need to be cautious about stereotyping a diverse network on the basis of a handful of experiences. Some VCs are more embracing of new ideas than others and many are extremely poorly resourced yet, as Veronique says, struggling in the face of massive demand due to the recession.
Second, I think some of the reluctance towards micro-volunteering from VCs and volunteer involving organisations (VIOs) is because there is no evidence yet as to its value. What meaningful contribution do people make in such short bursts of time and how does that make a difference to others? Note that I'm not saying it can't make a difference, just that there is no compelling evidence to suggest that it does. As a result it smacks of a new fad to make use of new tech without any real substance behind it. In the absence of evidence I can understand people being reluctant to risk increasingly scare funds embracing something new just because it is new.
Finally, many people in VIOs have yet to understand that people wanting flexible volunteering means a whole range of options, from (for the sake of illustration only) one hour to a long term commitment of many hours over a number of years. If we now go in and start pitching volunteering that takes less than 10 minutes we're going to make it even harder to win them round and get their mindsets changed. Yes people need to realise that the world is changing and so are the wants and needs of volunteers but to go from a programme based around long term volunteers to a more bite sized approach isn't easy and we need to support people in this rather than berate them for not embracing new ideas.
In conclusion, whilst I'm personally a bit sceptical, I think micro-volunteering is an interesting idea and could have some valuable applications. But we're not going to win people round by telling them they should do it just because it's new nor by ignoring where people are at the moment and the journey they need to be taken on to be ready to embrace concepts like this.
Rob I think you've made some really interesting points about understanding the value of micro volunteering.
From a personal perspective, as someone who has some free time to offer but at irregular intervals, I love the flexibility that micro volunteering could offer, although I totally understand that the resource implications for VIOs might make this unrealistic.
I think micro volunteering offers some amazing potential. It won't ever be able to replace more personal or traditional forms of volunteering, but it certainly offers an innovative niche. It will be a challenge for organisations to reconsider the work they do and see if some of it can potentially be offered in a micro form.
If anybody's interested, I intend to find out how much of an impact some of the initiatives featured on Help From Home are actually making. I've seen a few not so positive posts about micro volunteering and I believe it will be useful to find out what some of these initiatives are actually achieving. Perhaps it might spark further debate about the subject.
Mike,
I think that would be really helpful.
If we think in fundraising terms for a minute, no charity would embrace a concept like micro-volunteering until it was convinced that it would deliver a good ROI or be a valuable donor recruitment tool etc.. Volunteering needs to get smarter in this regard and not just jump on any new bandwagon or, even worse perhaps, bury its head in the sand and stick to the old ways (which sounds unnervingly Jedi!).
If people can show the real value micro-volunteering can deliver then I think more people will be prepared to embrace it.
With my day-job hat on (as Director of Development and Innovation at Volunteering England) I'd love to know more about the results of your impact assessment because, whilst I'm a bit of a sceptic myself, I do think there could be a valuable niche for this new form of volunteering that an organisation like VE could help promote.
Rob
PS - I wonder if VE's Volunteer Impact Assessment Toolkit might be of some use to you.
Micro - volunteering does have the potential of enriching the third sector, while it cannot substitute the 'normal' volunteering structures. It will provide an avenue for people to volunteer more. Moreover, it feeds into a broader perspective of volunteering recognising the activities that people engage in helping out to do the shopping and other informal social interactions, which in some cases will be considered as volunteering. We should find ways of developing and celebrating micro - volunteering.