Worknow_Aotearoa_NZ

Using Technology to Connect with Generation Y Volunteers

We are presenting a workshop at the Volunteering NZ Conference – Wellington, Thursday 29th October @ 10:45 – to present the idea that online media is an effective way to reach out and engage with young people and encourage them to volunteer.

I’d taken for granted that non-profit organisations were already using online media to engage with potential volunteers. In fact, I know several that do www.350.org.nz is a great example of a non-profit that applies social media to good effect.

Yet, when we asked Otago University students recently where they would look for volunteering opportunities we recieved answers such as; in the newspaper.

Clearly, there’s a perceived notion that the non-profit world is still marketing via the old school methods which presents the opportunity to raise awareness and engage with Gen Y volunteers, online. And that’s not just my bias speaking either, it’s advice straight from the horses mouth.

“What do you think is the most effective way for organisations to promote or advertise to students?”

We’ve been asking Gen Y students variations of this question for weeks now and the following answer, reflects the opinion offered by more than five out of every nine students

“For students I think the internet. Internet for us, is our demographics best marketing tool. It’s what we do…social networking sites are pretty key… and get out to a lot of people really quickly”

Many Gen Y would describe themselves as always online “…’cause thats were everyone is, all the time…” The online environment is such an integral element of our life now days that we’ve begun simply to assume that if we seek information, answers or opportunities they can be found at our fingertips.

So despite having only 20 minutes, luckily, both students and the online usage statisitcs support our proposal that; online is a great way to connect with the next generation of volunteers. If you’re in Wellington on the 29th and interested in talking volunteering and / or time trade we’d love to talk.

Discussing Time Trade recently, we were asked whether we believe Gen Y are as concerned or involved with volunteering as we might hope.

While we might not have as much cash to give, yet, I and others I know volunteer our time and talents to help with work as diverse as marketing to community gardening, environmental action to peer support.

Personally, I think we are as active, if not more than older generations but that much of our work goes unrecognised because we tend often to work together of our own accord (rather than under the umbrella of established charitable causes) by using  networking tools  to connect, collaborate and work together.

With Time_Trade we  provide recognition and a measure of the value (T) Gen Y contributes as volunteers. Evidence of a generation, although often labeled selfish and self-centered, that are as passionate about causes and helping others as those before us.

The fact is, as the social networking phenomenon shows, many Gen Y’s are highly connected and community orientated.

Anyone seeking to engage Gen Y needs to recognise that as digital natives one of the most effective ways to communicate with us is through online networking because these tools helps us save time and achieve the work-life balance we seek.

In addition to work we may also be juggling study, friends, family, sport, other paid and unpaid work commitments.  Hence the need for a more flexible, increasing mobile method of communication

Although Time Trade developed primarily as a tool to provide recognition for Gen Y volunteers Time Trade has the potential to help charitable oranisations achieve more with less money by maximising existing resources and:

1. empowering people that might only otherwise be recipients of charity and
2. encourages people that may not normally volunteer their time and talent.

We also understand that Time Trade can not replace the need for money so by implementing the bid, buy and feedback process we also offer the opportunity for individuals and organisations to source the best value service suppliers.

The abstract we submitted for a workshop at this years Volunteering NZ conference has been accepted.

Volunteering Unleashed – New times bring new approaches is the title of biennial New Zealand National Volunteering Conference. The conference, organised by Volunteering New Zealand, will take place 28 – 29 October 2009 in Wellington Town Hall. For more information on this years conference check out the Volunteering New Zealand Website

The abstract aligns with the one of two conference themes:

Volunteering Tomorrow: New Opportunities – new ways for volunteering

And will incorporate concepts on:-

* Generational diversity
* Volunteering in community development
* New and interesting ways of doing volunteering

It goes something (exactly) like this…

Using networking technology to connect with Gen Y volunteers

It irks me that people and media feel justified in deriding our generation. Almost daily I read about how lazy, fickle, disloyal and demanding generation Y is yet so rarely is voice given to the truth that we Gen Y have different attitudes, and workplace expectations to the existing generations.

It seems, my entire generation now has a point to prove and the best way I can see to do that is to overcome the negativity, choose lifestyle and community over career, step around the square box and do exactly what we are disliked for. Be different, challenge the status quo and find better, new ways to get work done. Perhaps these traits which appear as weaknesses may indeed be indicators of our strengths.

• Disloyal vs Adaptive
• Lazy vs Lifestyle
• Demanding vs Achievement orientated
• Long hours vs Get the job done
• Employee vs Entrepreneur

Love us or hate us 10 years from now we will represent almost 40% of the New Zealand workforce. Our entrepreneurial spirit makes us increasingly willing and able to take risks, our education has armed us with knowledge and insight and today’s technology allows us to connect, share and work together in new, more effective ways.

Volunteering allows us to help others while building valuable work skills that will help us transition from study to work life. All we need do is connect with these volunteer opportunities and by connect we mean, online.

Worknow Bio

Aspiring to build a world class business that helps people and effects change Joshua, Jamie & Renee are a passionate, talented, new venture team with over 14 years combined experience in online development and marketing.

As veterans of web 2.0 and the social networking movement they believe social networking technology can help foster and harness the collective potential of existing communities and help people find, connect and work together.

Today they are here to discuss what it means to be Gen Y in today’s workforce and how volunteering can support young people in the transition from study to work.