Cheers to Lia McLean for using VolunteerSpot to help her make a difference in children’s lives.
Street Child United is a global platform that gives children in unfortunate circumstances a voice, protection, support and the opportunities all children deserve. Through sportsmanship and the arts, their flagship event has been the ‘Street Child World Cup’ in South Africa and Brazil.
1. Explain your volunteer needs.
I coordinated Cambridge Ambassadors for Street Child United during the summer, where seven former street children from three countries – Burundi, Brazil and Pakistan ad the chance come to Cambridge for 10 weeks to study English at a language school and build leadership skills. One volunteer housed seven children and requested help with the provision of meals and snacks, English conversation, cooking and cleaning. We also needed volunteer support for transport to and from events and airports and with fundraising. This was a large project in terms of managing volunteers – over a period of 10 weeks doing a big variety of tasks.
2. How did you come across VolunteerSpot?
I was looking for an online system to manage registration and coordination of all my volunteers and found VolunteerSpot online. It provided a perfect platform for my needs – easy for people to sign up, simple to add explanations, tasks and diaries, and easy to track progress or make changes where needed. The reminders for the volunteers were really handy, and the coordinator was copied in so it was really easy to keep track.
3. Why did you decide to use VolunteerSpot?
It was simple to use, secure and easy to explain to a large number of volunteers. It also worked well for a project with an extended time span of 10 weeks and catered to large and fluctuating numbers of volunteers with a variety of tasks. It was also easy to keep track of what was happening.
4. What piece of advice do you have for other volunteer coordinators?
Plan well in advance, keep it simple, explain the tasks well and make them seem easy. Mostly, make it sound fun! In addition, send thank you emails to follow up, keep an eye on progress at all times and make sure you are easy to get in contact if needed.
5. Is there anything else you would like others to know about your volunteer opportunities?
The project was a big success and the young people had a fantastic time. They all gained confidence and learned a lot of English – by the end of the 10 weeks all of them could hold a conversation in English with the help of our volunteers. It was incredibly rewarding for the volunteers to meet them. Thank you VolunteerSpot for helping to make this project such a success!
We salute Lia and all the other volunteers making a difference in their communities. Check out how VolunteerSpot’s Volunteer Software can save you time and stress and boost parent involvement in your school. Take a tour today!
