My occupation: Web designer & developer at Random Blowup

My responsibilities: Design and develop websites.

What inspired me to get involved in skilled volunteering: For about a year, I was working as a freelancer. The advantage of being a freelancer is that you are your own boss and your time can be quite flexible. With a bit of spare time on my hands, I thought well why not use my professional skills and what I do best to make a positive difference in the community? I know a lot of non-profit organisations don’t have access to a lot of professional skills, so it’s nice to be able to give them a hand and help them make a bigger difference to the community.

Which organisations have I fulfilled volunteer projects for: - Quest For Life Foundation - Indigo Foundation - Planet Wheeler Foundation (worked on their volunteer project together with RandomBlowup)

Example of a fulfilled volunteer project with a good outcome: For Planet Wheeler, RandomBlowup and I designed and developed their website which includes a content management system that will allow them to update the website themselves easily. Planet Wheeler has kindly offered to donate the amount of money we’d normally earn from developing a website to a charity of our choice. So it was really great that we were able to make a difference to two organisations at the same time!

What the community group gained: I think the new website for Planet Wheeler will help them market themselves better and raise more awareness of the great work they do.

What I got out of volunteering my time and skills: Through the various volunteer jobs I’ve done, I gained a sense of fulfillment and good feeling that I don’t often get from doing commercial work. As a bonus, I also got the chance to explore new ways of doing some things that has helped further my professional skills.

The main difference between the NFP and private sectors: People who work in the NFP sector often have a passion and genuineness that aren’t easily found in other sectors. Everyone I’ve come across during my volunteering has been very nice and appreciative.

Tips for Community Groups working with skilled volunteers: Trust your volunteers – that they have the skills and knowledge to help you achieve the best result.

Tips for Volunteers working with community groups in skilled volunteering: Other than having the passion and the skills, make sure you have the time needed to do your best in fulfilling your community group’s volunteer project.