Building a Digital Platform for Volunteering (Benevolence 2.0) - V

If you are following this series of blogs, you will agree that we have pretty much covered the entire range of expectations that a volunteer has, or that underlie his/her decision to volunteer and be a party to what we call a psychological contract. There is the social promise, the opportunity promise, and the value promise. Well, we are almost done. There is another important dimension to the expectations of a prospective volunteer we should discuss. It is the organizational promise.

The Organizational Promise

When we talked to volunteers and coordinators, a big theme was the whole vibe between volunteers and the organizations they help out. This relationship is kind of an unspoken agreement about what’s expected on both sides, especially when it comes to managing the work that needs to be done. Unlike paid gigs, volunteering comes with this expectation of being more chill and flexible, which volunteers dig because it lets them pick how much they dive into the work.

J, for example, loved the flexibility at his place, saying folks could get as involved as they wanted. Q shared a similar sentiment; he was given a to-do list but with a super laid-back approach—like, do it if you’ve got time. This freedom made volunteers feel valued because they were trusted to manage their own contributions without someone breathing down their necks.

But, this cool, casual approach isn't without its headaches. Some coordinators found it tricky balancing the need to get things done with letting volunteers do their own thing. They were a bit wary of giving volunteers too much free rein, especially since they couldn’t always count on them to be around when needed. Louise mentioned that you can’t just call up volunteers last minute and expect them to show up, highlighting that most volunteers have their own busy lives.

This relaxed management style also meant dealing with the occasional no-shows, which wasn’t just a coordinator problem. Some volunteers noticed teammates dropping the ball, which kind of messed with the team vibe. S even pointed out that not everyone's idea of volunteering matched up with actually doing meaningful work—some just showed up for the social aspect.

Despite these challenges, many volunteers felt less pressure and guilt about needing to skip a day compared to a regular job. M, for instance, said if he couldn’t make it, a simple call was enough and didn’t leave him feeling bad like it might have with a paid position.

So, what does this mean for creating a digital platform to manage volunteers? Well, it's clear we need a setup that supports all kinds of volunteer commitments, from short stints to long-term gigs, without making anyone feel boxed into a rigid structure. And considering some folks might not be super tech-savvy, whatever digital tools we use have to be super user-friendly, maybe something as simple as text reminders for upcoming shifts.

The platform could be a game-changer in keeping everyone in the loop and making sure volunteers feel like they’re part of the team, without the pressure. By matching volunteer opportunities with people's schedules and allowing for that sweet spot of flexibility and structure, we can keep the volunteer spirit alive and kicking, all while getting stuff done.

Action Points

The conversations with volunteers and coordinators reveal several key insights that can inform the design of a digital platform for volunteer management. Here's how these insights translate into actionable design principles:

1. Flexibility is Key: Design the platform to accommodate various levels of volunteer involvement, allowing users to easily adjust their availability and preferences.

2. Autonomy and Trust: Implement features that empower volunteers to self-manage their tasks and schedules, reinforcing the value of trust and autonomy in the volunteer-organization relationship.

3. Balancing Autonomy with Organizational Needs: While promoting flexibility, ensure there are mechanisms for coordinators to communicate urgent needs or specific requests, striking a balance between volunteer autonomy and organizational requirements.

4. Effective Communication: Develop robust communication tools within the platform that facilitate clear, timely, and efficient exchanges between coordinators and volunteers, including reminders, updates, and feedback loops.

5. Recognition of Volunteer Contributions: Incorporate features that acknowledge and celebrate volunteer efforts, such as digital badges, certificates, or a 'thank you' system, to make volunteers feel appreciated and motivated.

6. Dealing with No-shows and Fluctuating Commitments: Design the system to be resilient to changes in volunteer availability, with features that allow for easy rescheduling and backup volunteer recruitment.

7. Tailored Opportunities: Use smart matching algorithms to connect volunteers with opportunities that align with their skills, interests, and availability, enhancing satisfaction and retention.

8. Accessibility and Simplicity: Ensure the platform is accessible to volunteers of all tech skill levels, with an intuitive interface and options for those with limited access to technology.

9. Local Community Engagement: Leverage geolocation technology to highlight volunteering opportunities within users’ local communities, encouraging local engagement and support.

10. Support for Different Commitment Levels: Clearly differentiate between short-term, long-term, and one-off volunteering opportunities, allowing users to choose how they want to engage based on their current life situation.

By focusing on these action points, the design of a digital platform for volunteer management can effectively address the nuanced needs and preferences of volunteers and coordinators, fostering a more productive and satisfying experience for both parties.

(To be continued)

Key References

Lisa Thomas, Gary Pritchard and Pam Briggs. 2019. Digital Design Considerations for Volunteer Recruitment: Making the Implicit Promises of Volunteering More Explicit. In Proceedings of C&T 2019, June 3–7, 2019, Vienna, Austria. https://doi.org/10.1145/3328320.3328368

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