[Air-L] Research on online volunteer matching and local community building?

[Steven Clift]

Anyone out there researching how potential volunteers optimally find local
volunteer opportunities online?

Or researching the effective use of volunteer management platforms by orgs?

I'm interested in better understanding where to share potential lessons
after I get through the *start* of the outreach effort I describe below.

I am focused right now on finding orgs willing to share social trust
building (see below) volunteer opportunities that they would post directly
to our Weaver Network in addition to the other channels they normally use
to recruit volunteers.

Thanks,
Steve
Please reply to: steven.clift at aspeninstitute.org

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Steven Clift <slc at publicus.net>
Date: Wed, Aug 14, 2024 at 9:48 AM
Subject: Research on/intros to orgs building social trust via volunteering


Hello ARNOVA-L, it's only been six years since I last posted. Wow. :-)

I'm on a bit of a rapid quest in August to find orgs (via researchers that
know them) in the US that are working to better design and fill volunteer
opportunities that connect people locally person to person.

Specifically, I'm helping Weave: The Social Fabric Project at the Aspen
Institute - https://weavers.org?air - do outreach to orgs with volunteer
opportunities like mentoring, tutoring, helping seniors in their homes,
coaching youth sports, helping a refugee family navigate a new city, etc.
... or conceptually ongoing volunteer roles that:

* Are mostly in person (local)
* Encourage people to build bonds with others (relational)
* Recognize that everyone has something to give to others (mutual)
* Welcome all types of people (inclusive)

The general idea is to work with 20 or so nonprofits, libraries, park
systems, even informal orgs to boost awareness of their "weaving" volunteer
opportunities by having them post opportunities on the Weaver Network:
https://weavers.org/network?air

They'll be part of something special that will help us learn as well and
likely shape how this expands to many more orgs.

We currently have traffic coming in via our Trust Map experience,
especially young adults based on our marketing, that at the end of the
experience highlight *local* volunteer opportunities that are filtered from
Points of Light Engage data (and our tech supports direct submission of
volunteer postings clearly within our scope). For civic data geeks, you'll
love checking out the Trust Map: https://trust.weavers.org/?air

Ultimately, it's early days, so orgs used to experimenting, learning,
working with researchers to find out "what works" would be ideal to connect
with directly - and warm introductions would be very much appreciated.

If you can make any introductions/recommendations on orgs with volunteer
opportunities in our focused niche, please get in touch:
weave at aspeninstitute.org

For those interested in a more general exchange on what this is all about,
please join the Weave newsletter - https://weavers.org/join?air - and send
me a connection request on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/netclift
 After my intensive August outreach, I'd be happy to get on a Zoom, etc.
down the road.

Thanks,
Steven Clift
Outreach Consultant
Weave: The Social Fabric Project
The Aspen Institute

P.S. Here is the top of the fold description of Weave:

A nation of weavers

Weave: The Social Fabric Project tackles the problem of broken social trust
that has left Americans divided, lonely, and in social gridlock. Weave
connects, supports, and invests in local leaders stepping up to weave a
new, inclusive social fabric where they live. The project was founded by
New York Times columnist and author David Brooks at the Aspen Institute.