My occupation:

Software Test Analyst

My responsibilities:

• Software quality assurance
• Test planning & management
• Test automation

What inspired me to get involved in skilled volunteering:

There are loads of good causes out there in the non-profit sector and many of them operate on very limited budgets and staff so they need all the help they can get.

The best way to find inspiration is to talk to a member of an organisation that is seeking assistance; understand why they exist, how they endeavour to help people in need, and what issues they face. Their passion for their cause and the things they see every day always motivates me to be a part of it.

Which organisations have I fulfilled wishes for:

• South West Inner Sydney Housing Company - Property annual maintenance system
• Financial Counselling (Vic) - Inc Web site and message board
• Waverley Action for Youth Services - Updates and enhancements to contacts management system
• Greenpeace Australia Pacific Ltd - Facebook application for energy campaign
• Karma Currency Foundation - Facebook application to encourage charitable gift giving
• HSP Research Foundation Inc - Contacts management system
• Mental Health Association NSW Inc - Microsoft Access database support
• PALMS Australia - Wi-Fi security for a Fair Trade Coffee cafe

A bit about the wishes I fulfilled, what I achieved and their outcomes:

Organisations seeking help from an IT professional are usually those that are experiencing growth and consequently struggling to organise and manage their business information. I usually help to implement customised information systems that can save time and decrease administration costs so that people can spend more time working on the stuff that matters. This can help organisations get on top of their paperwork, meet reporting and auditing requirements, and improve their client & donor management.

What the community group gained:

Most non-profits operate on a slim and unstable budget so usually there is little or no money set aside for IT and there are no specific IT skills within the team. I have provided general IT consulting as well as the development, testing and deployment of information systems.

What I got out of volunteering my time and skills:

By far the most interesting thing about joining an organisation as a volunteer is learning all about their field. It also provides a great variety of experience in project management and client engagement.

Tips for Community Groups and volunteers working together:

Treat a volunteer project the same as you would a paid engagement. That means no slacking-off and not contacting each other for weeks at a time. For community groups it also means being discerning and thoughtful about the outcomes you want from the volunteer work, rather than the approach of “we’ll take whatever we can get for free”.

For volunteers, understand that the organisation is taking a big risk whenever they use volunteers for high-priority work, so keep them confident by staying in regular contact and planning your outcomes realistically.