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When volunteers bring unique skills, align with the organization’s vision, and immerse themselves in meaningful projects, they can deliver transformative and lasting impacts.

Redefining Volunteerism

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Every non-profit wrestles with the question of how to manage volunteers. Like any new addition to a team, integrating volunteers requires time and effort to understand the organisation’s vision, mission, culture, and operations. For a new employee, this process typically takes three months, alongside significant coaching, before they begin to truly add value. Volunteers, however, present unique challenges. Often short-term, lacking specialised skills, and embarking on their first experience in the workforce, they can feel more like a burden than a blessing.

Non-profits, by necessity, are lean organisations. We measure our success not in profit but in impact—the tangible difference we make in our communities. To continue this work, we depend on funding, which is fiercely competitive. Donors often choose organisations that achieve the most impact with the fewest resources. This means every staff member must give their all and wear multiple hats on any given day. Training volunteers can feel like a full-time job, and in some cases, it has become one.

Many organisations now employ volunteer coordinators whose sole responsibility is to manage and support these temporary team members. From providing training to helping volunteers adjust to new environments and cultures, the coordinator ensures they feel useful, entertained, and supported. However, coordinators come at a cost, so why do non-profits persist with this model? In part, because volunteers themselves often pay to participate, covering hosting costs and providing extra revenue to keep projects afloat.

At i-MED vision, nobody pays to contribute, so when we received requests for two volunteers to join us, we let out a collective groan. Nevertheless, we saw it as part of our duty to educate people about the communities we serve and the unique challenges they face. Setting small but meaningful projects, we only half-expected to see impactful results. What a surprise, then, when Bennet, Lotte, and Antonia arrived at the i-MED Centre, each bringing an energy and commitment that exceeded all expectations.


Rather than jumping straight into tasks, they took the time to immerse themselves in our work. From individual health promotion sessions to large-scale workshops, they observed and learned before beginning their projects. With just 15 minutes of daily check-ins, they planned their days and set SMART goals, constantly checking their understanding and refining their work. Their dedication, thoughtfulness, and collaboration turned them into a genuine joy to have in the field.


Each volunteer leveraged their unique strengths to create lasting contributions. Lotte produced a communications implementation plan that resonates across continents. Bennet conducted an independent and in-depth evaluation of our mental health project. Antonia, drawing on her background as a child psychiatrist, developed a tailored psychological first aid methodology that is both culturally and practically relevant to the people we serve.


Their impact has been transformative. By aligning their skills with our vision, these volunteers not only lightened the workload of our overstretched team but also delivered insights and content that have the potential to benefit entire communities. Saying goodbye to them has been bittersweet—they’ve become a true part of i-MED.



In the non-profit world, it is often argued that the only real impact volunteers bring is the money they pay to participate. But here, in our corner of the world, we are redefining what volunteerism can be. When volunteers bring their unique skills and align them with our organisation’s vision, the dynamic changes entirely. It becomes a value-adding, mutually beneficial partnership.


This new approach to volunteerism has given us invaluable insights, strengthened our projects, and demonstrated that meaningful contributions go far beyond financial support. The future of volunteerism lies in collaboration, purpose, and shared impact—and we are all the richer for it.


Written by Faye Graham, CEO i-MED africa

 





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