Skilled Volunteers Help Empower Vietnam Nonprofits

Dear LIN Friends,

Hello from Ho Chi Minh City! In this update, we are pleased to announce the result of the LIN Corporate Volunteer Challenge.

3 months and 344 volunteer hours completed

From 7 May to 7 August 2011, the LIN Center for Community Development organized the LIN’s Corporate Volunteer Challenge, a call to companies and skilled professionals in Ho Chi Minh City to apply their skill sets and experiences to benefit the community through service with a local not-for-profit organization (NPO). The Challenge was made possible thanks to a grant from Horizon Capital Group and sponsorships from ViiVue and EV Entertainment.

Goals:

• To mark the “International Day of Service,” taking place on 7 May 2011; 
• To stimulate pro bono community service activities taking place in and around Ho Chi Minh City; and
• To raise funds to support community development through this challenge.

Objectives:

To inspire and challenge professionals in HCMC to help build the capacity of NPOs that are working to strengthen the communities in which we live and work – a meaningful and sustainable approach to community service. 

The Process:

Pledged hours = 1,005 hours

Individuals/Companies completed an online registration form, pledging the number of volunteer hours they planned to contribute over the duration of the challenge.

Recorded hours = 344 hours

Each individual and/or a company representative completed an online accounting form, recording the time contributed (hours volunteered), the NPO served and a highlight from their experience.

Marketing:

LIN’s Corporate Volunteer Challenge was advertised through social media network and company visits, including the following:

• Facebook:

Informing 1,000+ followers of LIN on facebook

Set Challenge banner  as Facebook page avatar throughout the event

http://www.facebook.com/LINCenter

• Email Lists:

LIN’s volunteer database (1,000+ contacts)

UNV Vietnam Network

• Other:

LIN blog:

http://linfoundation.wordpress.com/2011/05/09/volunteer-challenge/

http://linfoundation.wordpress.com/2011/05/20/intro-clip/

http://linfoundation.wordpress.com/2011/06/16/interview-volunteer/

http://linchallenge.tumblr.com/

LIN Newsletters:

http://www.linvn.org/cms/upload/FCKFile/file/Newsletters/Volunteer%20Newsletter%20May11.pdf

http://www.linvn.org/cms/upload/FCKFile/file/Newsletters/Volunteer%20Newsletter%20June2011.pdf

Official website: http://bit.ly/VolunteerChallenge

Youtube Video:  100 views (English version), 90 views (Vietnamese version)

Click here to view the introduction clip

Resource contribution:

• Total number of staff hours on the project: 48 hours
• Value of contribution by ViiVue: 24 hours x 15 USD/hour = 360 USD 

THE CHALLENGE

Over the course of three months, 30 volunteers took the challenge to pledged a total of 1,005 volunteer hours.  By the 7^th of August, 15 volunteers completed 344 hours, benefiting 7 NPOs. The skills contributed by volunteers ranged from developing websites to consulting on a specific field such as Marketing Strategy, Finance, Customer Service, and teaching English.

The completed 344 hours amount to a 6,880,000 VND donation from our sponsor, Horizon Capital Group. The proceeds will be used in LIN’s programs to build capacity for local NPOs through Volunteerism.

Here is what volunteers say about the Challenge:

“I wanted to take the challenge as soon as I learned about it from 5 gio sang organization. They were looking for a volunteer IT technician to develop their website and train them on the IT techniques. I pledged 12 hours, which I completed, to develop their website and design a logo for the Football 4 for Children's future campaign. I find my contribution meaningful because it does not only help 5 gio sang but LIN also raises fund from this challenge. With each hour I completed, the sponsor company will donate an amount of money, which will be used by LIN in activities to support other organizations.” - Vo Pham Minh Hieu

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“I pledged 26 hours to support the Bridge Center, a group of people with disability under the Association of People with Disability in Can Tho City. At first, my intention to involve went as far as coordinating a group of volunteers in teaching English at the Bridge Center. However, I soon found myself fully engaged in the tasks and, to my surprise, ended up contributing a total of 83 hours. I took part in the fund-raising campaign of the Association of People with Disability, and spent more time building the connection between the volunteers and the members of the Center. “ - Phan Uyen Nghi

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If you read Vietnamese, please download our monthly Volunteer Newsletter (http://www.linvn.org/?mod=content&act=view&cid=10&section=volunteer ).

Thank you for your generous contribution to LIN Center's Skilled Volunteer programs! Stay tuned for update on the upcoming Volunteer Stories Contest 2011.

Sincerely,
Truc Nguyen

LIN Volunteer Coordinator

Links:

• www.linvn.org