Skilled Volunteers Help Empower Vietnam Nonprofits

On 4 December 2012, the LIN Center for Community Development organized, “I Volunteer: The People Who Made A Difference” to recognize all skilled volunteers who contributed their skill sets to support local NPOs and to highlight the impact they made in the community in 2012.

Over 70 people attended the event, including representatives from local NPOs and skilled volunteers. Many new volunteers came to learn about the concept of skilled volunteerism and how they could contribute their skills set to help NPOs grow.

The program had four parts:

1. Presentation by LIN's Volunteer Coordinator on “Working with skilled volunteers”, which provided an overview of skilled volunteerism and its benefits to the NPOs.
2. Panel Discussion “Skilled Volunteers Help NPOs Grow”, with the participation of two pairs of NPOs and their Skilled Volunteers, which offered deep insight into the process of cooperation from different perspectives. 
3. Speed Volunteer Matching during the break helped to attract potential volunteers to 7 NPOs who were in need of skilled
   volunteers. 
4. Volunteer Appreciation Ceremony to highlight and thank the Volunteers that contributed to LIN and/or to one of our partners throughout 2012.

Highlights of LIN Volunteer Services in 2012:

• 28 individual Skilled Volunteers matched to 9 NPO partners. The volunteers helped the NPOs with website design, marketing and communications strategy, translation,fundraising, and accounting enabling the NPOs provide better services to more people in need
• 22 professionals presented at LIN’s workshops/events for NPOs pro-bono
• 4 corporate teams of volunteers participated in LIN Corporate Volunteer Challenge to train 5 NPOs on ways to design better marketing materials and thus be able to gain new support and expand their programs
• 3 networking events for Skilled Volunteers that helped volunteers exchange advice and experience and spread further the concept of skilled volunteering

• I Volunteer (Report) (PDF)