Net Tuesdays or Net2 Local gatherings provide a chance to connect locally with all those interested in the intersection of social technologies and social change. There are new groups forming every week: Join in!
NetSquared is an initiative ofTechSoup
NetSquared enables social benefit organizations to leverage the tools of the social web.
Volunteer Connect - The Easiest Way to Volunteer
Challenges:
Volunteer Connect is a Facebook application that brings charities and volunteers together in a meaningful way. Our mission is to make volunteering as easy as possible - for both charities and potential volunteers. We want each group to spend less time finding each other and more time making a difference. When Canadians were asked why they didn't volunteer, 46% said they did not want to make a yearlong commitment, 37% said they were not personally asked to volunteer and 20% said they did not know how to get involved. Our application attempts to address these issues.
We believe many more people would volunteer if they could find interesting positions that fit their schedule and were able to share those opportunities with their frinds. Our application's greatest features are the volunteer calendar, which lets users quickly look at opportunities coming up in the next few months, our category search function, which lets users search for specific causes they are interested in, and the ability to let your friends know where you are volunteering and invite them along. These features will appeal to a lot of potential volunteers.
Finally, by operating on Facebook we can leverage the 170 million active users and target the ones that are interested in volunteering. Non-profits are beginning to understand the potential of Facebook and our application can help them market their cause and attract volunteers.
Volunteer Connect is an open source application and we are in the process of adding the GNU General Public License.
This is the best idea ever
To the switched on team at Volunteer Connect,
On behalf of myself and the volunteers of the Western Australian Branch of The Oaktree Foundation, we just want you guys to know we think this idea is incredible.
We have had some huge wins in recent years with Make Poverty History Concerts, mobilising young people to become End Child Slavery Ambassadors and connected over 40 high schools with schools in Kwa-Zulu Natal South Africa.
The only thing holding us back from creating more change is a limited volunteer base.
Your social media application could change all that so keep up the great work!
Warm regards,
Paul Mason