Supporting Volunteering in a Digital Environment

Join us for a series of workshops aimed at developing a network, sharing ideas and supporting volunteering in a digital environment.

Volunteer Now & Volunteer Ireland have developed these workshops where you can hear from international speakers who have tried, tested and embedded new digital systems and created new roles to meet their organisational aims.

The pandemic has changed volunteering as well as the nature and support organisations and volunteers require.

Organisations are having to pick up the pieces of volunteering programmes, which have not been able to proceed for nearly two years, with fewer new people coming forward to volunteer and with the disengagement of existing volunteers due to the lack of meaningful volunteer roles.

This in turn has had an impact on people who depend on their volunteering for social contact and friendship.

However, there has also been a rise in many new online volunteer roles as well as a cohort of new, younger, more digitally literate people keen to explore these types of online volunteer activities.  This breed of volunteers are used to less bureaucratic, informal volunteering which can be supported well digitally.

There is a need for organisations, volunteer managers, and co-ordinators to upskill and ensure they are getting the best from the digital tools available to them.  These tools can help to organise their volunteering programme, to build confidence and create new opportunities that meet new trends such as virtual, micro, episodic and spontaneous volunteering.  All this requires conversation, it will be challenging but we can rebuild together.

Together, let’s share our experience and knowledge, develop new roles, and new ways of communicating with our current and future volunteers.  We will endeavour to remove some of the onerous administration that comes with volunteer management and look forwards to the benefits of digitalisation.

For maximum benefit, we would encourage you to join us for all four sessions.

Register your place now:  http://digitalvolunteering.eventbrite.com.

• Introductions, Adapting & Exploring
  Thursday 24 February 2022  |  10am-1pm  |  Zoom
  In the first session, we will introduce and explain the purpose of the project, share learning from international organisations, explore how to re-engage volunteers online and in person, and hear how volunteering is changing and adapting.
  Speakers:  Liora Arnon, The Israeli Volunteering Council; Alexandra Infante Perales, Peru Voluntario and Mark Collard, Playmeo
• Volunteer Management Platforms & Tools
  Tuesday 29 March 2022  |  10am-1pm  |  Zoom
  Join us and representatives from some of the leading organisations of digitalisation tools and volunteer management systems as they share their experience and knowledge.  Learn about the many benefits these tools can bring your organisation.
  Speakers:  Daniel Green, Better Impact; Jamie Greer, Be Collective; Chris Martin, TeamKinetic; Ashley Staines, Volunteero and Randa Bennett, vHelp
• Volunteer Trends – Digital / Virtual Roles
  Wednesday 4 May 2022  |  10am-1pm  |  Zoom
  Join George Gillespie and Stuart Garland for a workshop designed to give you the tools to develop fitting digital and virtual roles for your organisation.  We will also hear from organisations in Ireland and Northern Ireland about their experiences during the pandemic.
  Speakers:  George Gillespie, Volunteer Now and Stuart Garland, Volunteer Ireland
• Final Event
  Date TBC Sept / Oct 2022  |  10am-1pm  |  Hopefully in-person
  We aim to bring everyone together (hopefully in-person) to give all organisations the opportunity to share their learning and experiences from the journey.  We hope to establish a network with the aim to meet bi-annually so we can continue to support each other as we grow and consolidate our digital environment in relation to supporting volunteering.

Register your place now:  http://digitalvolunteering.eventbrite.com.