About volunteering across the western border
In mid-December, the volunteer coordinator and her volunteers took part in a study trip to Germany. During the study visit, we learned about the conditions under which two German volunteer organizations operate - Freiwilligenzentrum Kreis Plön and Ehrenamtsbüro Nettekieler.
Meetings with German partners were an opportunity to exchange experiences, promote good practices in the operation of volunteering and catch inspiration for action. The first meeting was held in Kiel, where Ehrenamtsbüro Nettekieler staff presented the principles on which they mediate between volunteers and organizations looking for people who want to volunteer. We talked about the financing of Nettekieler's activities, learned about examples of the organization's activities, as well as the digital platform that facilitates volunteer management.
The second meeting was held at Freiwilligenzentrum Kreis Plön. This is an organization that makes its living from projects, so the scope of its activities depends on the funds it raises. The coordinator shared her experiences and insights, pointing out that it is extremely important for the effectiveness of activities to professionalize volunteering and ensure that coordinators managing volunteers are paid.
At both venues, we discussed motivating volunteers to take action, financing the activities of coordinators and the projects on which volunteers work. As it turned out, we have many similar experiences and many similar problems. The meetings were also an opportunity to talk about further cooperation between German partners and SPUL.