In this article, we will cover IT Volunteers. Who are they and how does it work? IT Volunteers are experienced and beginner specialists or students who help non-profits and social projects to solve IT problems. By helping charities, IT volunteers themselves develop as professionals and members of society.

 

One of the main tasks of any charitable foundation or organization is to raise funds. In the 21st century, you can make a donation with one click; to do this, the foundation needs to have a website or an application. However, not every non-profit, especially in the beginning, can build the website or application by itself or afford to hire a specialist to do it. This is where IT volunteers come in.

 

Our website has emerged quite recently, but here, on this platform, every non-profit or organization can leave a request for help, and an interested IT specialist can respond to it and help without leaving his or her desk or couch. The same goes for volunteers, who want to put their skills into good use.

Website creation

So what exactly you can do as an IT volunteer? In short, "anything related to computer and internet technology." IT volunteering is high-tech assistance to non-profit organizations, charitable foundations, and other social projects related to design, website creation and promotion, app development, etc.

 

It is not uncommon for non-profits to ask for help in setting up a "make a donation" button or fix interactivity with various payment systems.

 

Non-profits and charities can also simply get a consultation on anything, even the most trivial tech question, that interests them.

 

Often an IT volunteer has a long-term partnership with an organization because websites not only have to be developed but also maintained.

 

IT volunteering is an opportunity for non-profit representatives to get new knowledge, learn how to work online, and for IT specialists to learn about charitable foundations and understand the value of their work.

Volunteering is about helping yourself

For many IT volunteers it is not only a way to help non-profit organizations, but also to get work experience. For many beginning programmers and designers, it is a good chance to add projects to their portfolios.

IT volunteering can be divided into three types.

 

  1. A student who studies or has already learned how to make websites, create logos, and so on. He or she needs real tasks to practice, practice the skill and get the hang of it. Such volunteers willingly respond to small tasks and agree just on the basis of gaining experience and skills. Sometimes they cannot guarantee a high quality of work, but often their skills are enough to solve tasks.
  2. A young professional who is looking for new projects and ideas for development. They are happy to respond to interesting tasks that inspire them or take on those tasks that will look good on their portfolio or resume. As a rule, such volunteers are willing to help for free, but more often they take on tasks that involve a small fee or just a nice reward.
  3. A professional who is looking for long-term cooperation, and sees potential customers in non-profits. As a rule, they take on tasks that involve active participation and application of their skills. They are less interested in small tasks that any other specialist can take on.

Keeping up with the times

In 2021, IT volunteering took a step forward. In times of pandemic crisis, even casual office workers shift to working from home. And Volunteering is no different here. Here, on Simbock you can easily find IT volunteers, and volunteers can easily find IT tasks of any scope. Volunteers can even find projects where they will receiver good extra training in modern technology, for instance, in some cases even the basics of working with VR applications and tools for their development as some cultural centers use this technology.

So despite your professional level, you can always find tasks that can be mutually beneficial for you and for non-profits.