{"id":8192,"date":"2021-11-10T09:07:25","date_gmt":"2021-11-10T09:07:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teamkinetic.co.uk\/blog\/?p=8192"},"modified":"2022-06-13T10:17:42","modified_gmt":"2022-06-13T09:17:42","slug":"how-to-get-the-best-out-of-micro-volunteering","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teamkinetic.co.uk\/blog\/2021\/11\/how-to-get-the-best-out-of-micro-volunteering\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Get The Best Out Of Micro-Volunteering"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Over the past 20 months we have seen organisations transform and adapt in order to continue helping those they serve. One way they have adapted is through micro-volunteering. We’ll be covering just what micro-volunteering is and how you can really get the best out of it! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is micro-volunteering?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Micro-volunteering consists of people taking small amounts of time out of their day to volunteer; we\u2019re looking at up to 30 minutes on a particular task, maximum. These tasks can be broken down into small parts, in which one volunteer can complete just one component. It\u2019s convenient and low commitment actions appeal a lot to potential volunteers who may only have limited free time. Micro-volunteering takes numerous small contributions and accumulates them together to make a difference.<\/span><\/p>\n

While the majority of micro-volunteering takes place online, through signing petitions and sharing\/retweeting to spread awareness- it doesn\u2019t have to be. You could be taking part in a run, sorting through recycling or baking for an event.<\/span><\/p>\n

Micro-volunteering is good for organisations and it doesn\u2019t take away from traditional volunteering. Volunteering long-term, micro-volunteers aren\u2019t who you should be looking at. They cannot be deemed as reliable. So, if your organisation is looking at micro-volunteering, make sure that your opportunities fit the micro-volunteering mould; don\u2019t change a traditional opportunity for the sake of it- you\u2019ll find more often than not, it simply won\u2019t work. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plan Correctly…<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If your organisation is thinking of using micro-volunteering, they have the chance to save themselves time and money, if planned correctly. <\/span><\/p>\n

Start Planning. <\/b>What’s the opportunity? Who’s going to manage this within the organisation? <\/p>\n

Get Advertising.<\/strong> Use various websites and social media to promote your micro-volunteering opportunity. <\/p>\n

Quick Management.<\/strong> Find your volunteers, get them started and confirm they know what it is they’ll be doing (there still needs to be some management even if the opportunity is small). <\/p>\n

Recognise and Reward.<\/strong> Send volunteers some feedback on their completed opportunity and tell them about their impact. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Pandemic Effect on Micro-volunteering…<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As organisations rethought their volunteer programmes throughout the pandemic, micro-volunteering and the digital opportunities it provided was the gateway organisations needed to carry on. Organisation’s now face whether they keep micro-volunteering up now we return back to ‘normality’. <\/p>\n

At AVM\u2019s annual conference, it was mentioned that micro-volunteering should have as little bureaucracy as possible. T<\/span>hese aren\u2019t the volunteers you so much rely on, but they can massively make an impact within your organisation. Relationships with micro-volunteers are different from your traditional ones (mainly because you can have hundreds of micro-volunteers, so personal relationships will be hard to maintain!) <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Benefits and Considerations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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As we\u2019ve hinted at, micro-volunteering does have some benefits for organisations. Currently the biggest barrier to volunteering is time. The world we live in now is fast paced, and people find that they don\u2019t have enough time to get everything done; micro-volunteering is perfect. The flexibility of smaller tasks is appealing to many, but remember, new volunteers may be worried that they have to pledge a long-term commitment of some sort. With micro-volunteering they don\u2019t have to.<\/span><\/p>\n

Micro-volunteering opens you up to have a wider range of skills at your disposal (so to speak.) As volunteers are only engaged for a small amount of time, you might find that you have a group of volunteers with the same skill. O<\/span>pportunities can now be split and completed quickly and efficiently: it\u2019s a win-win. Your organisation will be getting the help it\u2019s looking for, while volunteers haven\u2019t lost too much of their free time.<\/span><\/p>\n

A challenge with volunteers from an organisation’s perspective is making sure that you reach the micro-volunteering demand, especially because you\u2019re dealing with quick opportunities. Along with this you\u2019ll also need some sort of support for these volunteers. While they aren\u2019t directly linked to your organisation, they\u2019ll still need some support and direction from you. To do this, having a support tool kit you can send to your micro-volunteers with all the information they might need will set them on their way and means you can focus on other aspects of your organisation.<\/span><\/p>\n

While your relationship with micro-volunteers is different from your traditional volunteers, you should still collect feedback (from them and from you!) As we know, micro-volunteering can be set at an arm’s length, especially for those opportunities completed online so volunteers may never know the impact they\u2019ve made within an organisation – so make sure to let them know!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you know whether your organisation can use micro-volunteering?<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Despite what the title says, not every organisation will work well with micro-volunteers (sadly). If you’re struggling to figure out whether your organisation would benefit, we might be able to help. Micro-volunteering is good for organisations that: <\/span><\/p>\n