Is it possible: professionals with enough free time to share their skills and help non-profit organizations? ‘Um sem um tam’ project demonstrates that it is!

Through the web platform non-profit organizations and skilled professionals can be connected for short-term voluntary cooperation on specific project. Description of a project states precisely what a volunteer is supposed to do, what professional skills are required and how much time the work is estimated to take.

Volunteers search the database for projects which correspond to their own skills and interests. The project database is open to public. Each registered professional has a public profile page, which displays how many projects the volunteer has worked on and how many hours of voluntary work he has provided. A public profile page can also be created for a company to show how many hours the employees of the company have provided. 

The goal of ‘Um sem um tam’ is to fill in the gap and make it possible for non-profit organizations to find volunteers with required skills and to show people with professional skills that they can also be used for voluntary work.

Website: www.umsemumtam.cz

Who are the e-volunteers taking part in the project? How did you start the cooperation with them?

Any user of the website can become a volunteer. We have identified several target groups (young professionals, freelancers, students, startup community) and made presentations at events targeting these groups. We also keep updated pages on social media sites. We are planning to run a regularly updated blog and to organize with our partners public discussions about cooperation of non-profit organizations and professionally skilled volunteers.

How do you verify the e-volunteers competences before you start the cooperation with them?

Volunteers who register at the website are requested to fill in a profile in which they introduce themselves and provide links to their profiles on social media sites (LinkedIn, Facebook) and personal website. The profile page also displays a list of successfully finished projects and the number of points the volunteer has already received on Um sem um tam. Before accepting cooperation with a professional, non-profit organization can verify that the volunteer is trustful, fulfills their requirements and is able to provide a quality work.

How do you ensure the safety and the quality of the e-volunteers work?

If an organization is not happy about volunteer?s work, it can cancel the cooperation. Volunteer is then not awarded any points and the project is proposed to other volunteers.