Efficiently Recruit Tech for Good Volunteers

Are you a manager or member of a Tech for Good organization that needs help onboarding new volunteers to your projects?
Do you want to easily showcase several of your Tech for Good projects to new prospective volunteers?
Do you want to promote your organization and projects on a professional website specifically built with Tech for Good causes in mind?

Groups feature helps you Recruit and Onboard Volunteers

At DemocracyLab, we recognize the challenges Tech for Good Organizations deal with when onboarding new recruits to their projects, especially when an organization is managing and recruiting for multiple projects. Tech for Good organizations need to recruit people both within and outside of tech - ranging from coders, designers, animators, marketers, subject matter experts, and more. DemocracyLab is always working on methods to bridge the gap between organizations and prospective volunteers.

DemocracyLab’s newest solution is the “Groups” feature, built specifically with Tech for Good organizations and their volunteers in mind. Current Tech for Good organizations that are using DemocracyLab’s “Groups” feature include Code for America Brigades OpenSeattle, Open Euguene, Code of PDX, and Open Twin Cities.

The “Groups” feature lists the specific projects associated with a Tech for Good organization on a branded landing page while simultaneously allowing those projects to be part of the larger DemocracyLabs projects list. The Group’s project listings are easily updated and maintained so volunteers always have up to date information about the projects available to them. By promoting transparent work processes, DemocracyLab makes it easy for volunteers to dig deep into a project before reaching out to project leaders to start a conversation. This saves time for both volunteers and project leaders, increasing the value created in new volunteer relationships.

“DemocracyLab focuses very narrowly on helping Tech for Good projects launch. Our first step is making it much easier for skilled volunteers to find projects that need them”, Mark Frischmuth, DemocracyLab’s Executive Director says. “By making it easier for volunteers to discover and onboard to projects, we are increasing the number of skilled volunteers who contribute and accelerating the projects’ launch velocity.”

Setting up your Group is easy

If your Tech for Good community is interested in creating a group, you can easily do so via creating one from the main menu under the tab “Groups” and “Create Groups.” All you need to do is add a logo or image for your Group, a brief description, important links (GitHub, Google drive, Slack, etc.), and some information about your organization. You will have a chance to view how your group will be displayed on the DemocracyLab website prior to publishing, allowing you to make a great first impression to prospective volunteers! You don’t need to have a project set up on DemocracyLab prior to creating a group.

Big benefits for Volunteers

Volunteers are motivated to give back and advance their careers. Skilled volunteering has become a smart way for people to upskill and improve their career prospects, particularly for people who are underrepresented in tech or those taking a nontraditional career path.

“By working on projects that they find through DemocracyLab, volunteers are able to build their network, gain experience, learn from others, add to their resume, build their portfolios, and add to their repertoire of stories for interviews. These are all things that help them land their next job and advance their career.” Frischmuth says.

Going beyond Groups

As DemocracyLab continues to make it easier for Tech for Good communities to gain support for their causes, we will collect feedback and continuously improve our Groups feature and other product offerings. If you have suggestions, we’d love to hear them.

To meet up with other Tech for Good organizations and bring your skills to exciting volunteer projects, join us at our upcoming Hack To Give Thanks in November and subscribe to our newsletter!