The Volunteer Pool

Designed for successful matching of Volunteers & Project/Opportunity Creators!

The more transparent you are with your preferences, the better the outcome of matching.

Why should you be part of the volunteer pool?

Being part of the volunteer pool allows admins of organisations to reach out to you directly via Message on this platform in regards to a volunteering opportunity that you may be suited for! It also allows them to view your profile and volunteering history to better understand what you're looking for. Once you are matched via the volunteer pool, you will automatically be removed from the pool - this is to allow other volunteers who are actively looking for opportunities have a chance of getting a match!

I also see a checkbox for the crisis pool, what is that?

In times of crisis, there is often a special role for us as a volunteer center. The crisis pool is a list of people we can approach in times of need. This way we can all respond quickly when it is needed.

Can I unsubscribe again?

Of course. On your profile page you can indicate with one click of your mouse whether you want to be part of the volunteer and crisis pool or not.

Can anyone just reach out to me?

No, you can only be approached by organisations that are members of our platform (all organisations are screened by us). In addition, the number of times you can be contacted is limited to 5 open 'reachouts'. This is to prevent you from being flooded with requests.

I am not being approached, what now?

You can try to adjust your profile text or your preferences. You can also look for a suitable activity yourself or approach organisations proactively by taking a look here. Still need help, contact us!

How to use the Volunteer Pool?

The volunteer pool allows you to look for suitable, credible and interested volunteers for specific activities, causes or SDGs! You are able to look at their profile and activity history on this platform to decide if they are who you're looking for. Certain 'rules' or limitations on this feature are designed to create an intentional and valuable process for you and the volunteers to be matched according to both yours and their preferences.

Note: Please reach out using the Message tool here instead of directly contacting them via their emails or mobile numbers. That will defeat the purpose of our platform and to keep respect for your volunteers!

Can I reach out to everyone?

In principle, you can reach out to anyone in the volunteer pool. However, you can only reach out to someone once per activity and you cannot make more than 5 'reachouts' per day, per organisation.

Conversely, a volunteer cannot have more than 5 open registrations at the same time. This is to prevent potential volunteers from being approached too often and leaving the pool.

In addition, your 'reachout' must always be linked to an opportunity. This is to prevent volunteers from being spammed without a clear reason.

What should I pay attention to if I want to approach volunteers in the pool?

You have the best chance of finding a volunteer if you take their wishes into account. You can see in their profile which interests they have and which activities they enjoy. Look at that and read the piece of text in which they introduce themselves.

In addition, it is useful to look at which language someone has and the range within which someone is searching. You can also see whether someone is a member of organisations and whether that person has already done activities before (via this platform). These are all hints that can give an indication of how likely it is that someone is interested.

Are all users in the volunteer pool?

No, there are plenty of volunteers who have not signed up for the volunteer pool. They prefer to search by themselves or be assisted by one of our employees.

The moment a volunteer is matched via the volunteer pool, he/she is automatically removed from the pool. The goal is to have only people who are actively looking in the pool.

I am not receiving any responses, what now?

People automatically get reminders if they don't respond. If someone never responds to notices, that person will be automatically removed. This way, the pool only remains filled with people who are really looking.

Our tip is always: take a good look at the profiles and try to approach people as specifically as possible. Nobody likes to be approached just like that. You can also try to adjust your activity (description / images) to make it as attractive as possible.

Moreover, people also start looking for a suitable activity themselves, and not just on this platform. So keep sharing your activity. Especially on social media, maybe the perfect volunteer is not yet familiar with our platform!