Tips on Working with Voluntary and Community Organisations

In any working relationship, misunderstandings happen. However, as a volunteer there are steps you can take to minimise this and improve your volunteering experience. Here are a few tips (feel free to email back with more, based on your experience) -:

Communication

Decide on your main mode of communication. It is imperative to maintain regular communication with the organisation you are volunteering with and iT4C. This keeps everyone informed about progress, or lack of it, about the project you may be working on. Bearing in mind that some charities are not manned full time, email maybe the best form of communication. However, discuss the most suitable way with the charity concerned.

Base your Volunteering on Your Work Experience 
Volunteer for projects for which you have the confidence and expertise to deliver professionally. If you want to stretch boundaries of your expertise, do this conservatively and always tell the charity you propose doing this when you first contact them. But be especially conservative with small organisations struggling to get to grips with technology. They may not be the best place for you to stretch boundaries. If in doubt, ask iT4C.

Have you the time for this volunteering project?
You should be confident that you can set enough time aside for your volunteering assignment. Use your professional judgment to decide how much effort will be needed, think about your own existing commitments both personal and professional, talk to the organisation you are helping and assess the effort required to complete the job and hand over to them - always bearing in mind their limitations. For your and your host organisation's sake, try to avoid over-committing on a project. Should things change later on read here how you can exit gracefully.

Be prepared to work with people from totally different backgrounds and different sets of values than your own
Organisations requesting volunteering assignments on our service are located all over the country, from different cultures and may often seem alien to professionals used to commercial IT ways of thinking. Be aware that your contribution to a project may express a different work style and way of thinking to the organisation's. Do not be upset if your great ideas are not approved right away. Frank communication is essential so that different backgrounds are an asset rather than an obstacle.

Give some thought to your expectations as well as the host's in relation to your Volunteer project. What will be your benefits? What should/can the organisation expect from you? Answering these questions for yourself will help you identify the most appropriate assignment for you.