National Volunteer Week
is right around the corner. Communities across the country are celebrating volunteerism during April 10-16th , inspiring people and thanking volunteers for their invaluable contributions.
As part of their National Volunteer Week Celebrations, Volunteer Lethbridge is promoting Microvolunteering Day on Friday, April 15th.
[su_note note_color=”#DDDAE8″ radius=”9″]From the Microvolunteering Day website:
“Microvolunteering is bite-sized, on-demand, no commitment actions that benefit a worthy cause.” [/su_note]
Some examples of microvolunteering include:
- Tweeting about an organization or event
- Baking a cake, knitting a hat, or writing a card for a cause
- Picking up garbage in your community
- Participating in a survey or research project
- Signing a petition
- Helping a senior with their groceries or yard work
I talked to Chelsea Sherbut, Volunteer Lethbridge’s Development Coordinator, to learn more about microvolunteering and what Volunteer Lethbridge has planned for the day.
Sam Kriviak: How is microvolunteering different from traditional volunteering? What are the benefits and drawbacks of microvolunteering?
Chelsea Sherbut: Unlike most normal volunteer opportunities, there is no application process, no screening, and no real commitment with microvolunteering. Usually you don’t have to go to a specific place to do it. It can often be done for home on your own time. You can see that there can be a lot of benefits!
Some drawbacks are that volunteers might miss out on making some of the “real life” connections that you get with traditional volunteering, and it’s not the kind of volunteer opportunity that improves your résumé. It still can be tremendously impactful, though, and is a fantastic option for people who feel like they are too busy to volunteer.
SK: What about for volunteer-engaging organizations?
CS: For organizations, microvolunteering offers a way to create more engagement and an easy platform for people to get to know your organization better. It’s a good opportunity to expose people to your mission and slowly build an ambassador for your work!
It can also be a lot easier to attract volunteers for these kind of opportunities. We often talk about eliminating barriers to volunteering and this is one great way. If you can create an opportunity that requires as few barriers as possible you’ve made it almost impossible for a prospective volunteer to say no!
Creating microvolunteering opportunities isn’t without challenges, but if you are creative, there are a lot of potential ways to use volunteers on a micro-scale: research and data collection, citizen science, online petitions, donations of specific items, brainstorming (i.e. naming your new exhibit/campaign), social media marketing, clean ups, etc.!
SK: Along with many other community celebrations, Volunteer Lethbridge is recognizing Microvolunteering Day as part of National Volunteer Week. What are your plans for the day?
CS: Yes we have a very busy week, so this one is a bit low key. Our main plans are:
- to highlight a different microvolunteering opportunity each hour throughout the day on social media;
- to complete some microvolunteering actions in our office.
SK: Why did you feel it was important to celebrate Microvolunteering Day? How does microvolunteering benefit Lethbridge?
CS: We want everyone in Lethbridge to consider themselves a volunteer. Microvolunteering is one super simple, super fast way to get involved that EVERYONE has time for. We’d also like to start building an awareness of how agencies can be creative when they are coming up with ways to engage more volunteers.
SK: If people are interested in microvolunteering, where can they go for more information or to get involved?
CS: For people outside of Lethbridge, check out the Microvolunteering Day website. In Lethbridge, check out our Facebook page on Friday, April 15th for a ton of great ideas and opportunities all day long! We would love to hear what micro-actions others in the province are doing too!
Thank you so much to Chelsea from Volunteer Lethbridge for sharing with us!
Do you have plans or ideas for Microvolunteering Day? Let us know in the comments! Places to find out more:
- Microvolunteering Day – A great place to start for lots of information and resources for both nonprofits and volunteers.
- Help from Home – Find more resources, ideas, and information for both nonprofits and volunteers.
- Volunteer Scotland: Micro Volunteering – Tips and ideas for nonprofits interested in microvolunteering.
- TED talks: Micro-Volunteering – Giving Back for Busy People – Learn about the potential positive impact of virtual and microvolunteering.
For more information on what else Lethbridge has planned for National Volunteer Week, and to browse other Alberta communities’ National Volunteer Week celebrations, visit our National Volunteer Week event page.