Sparked: Welcome to the world of microvolunteering

I love the idea behind this one and it’s a great way for non-profits to get some expert advice or avail themselves of a much needed service without spending a penny. Welcome to the world of microvolunteering, an alternative to donating cash to worthy causes, charitable organizations or scientific programmes. The theory behind this site, and it’s a very good one too, is that a great alternative to actually giving these organizations money is to help them save it. Expert advice and professional services aren’t cheap and so the provision of them, even for a few minutes, will help keep overheads down.

The mechanics are simple and the site has a huge pool of talented people willing to give up some of their time for free. The areas covered are numerous and so no matter what the non-profit is looking for it’s very likely they’ll find it here.

The platform for all of this is totally online so it’s easy for volunteers to find a slot during their day when they have some down-time. In this respect the timescales for a task are not lengthy and range from anything between 10 minutes to a couple of hours.

If you’re a non-profit or a potential volunteer then simply sign up and either present your requirement or set out your area of expertise. Requirements are known as challenges in the Sparked community and they will be recommended to a relevant volunteer upon logging in to the system. Volunteers will also receive a weekly email from the site containing a suggested challenge.

It’s a great way for people to give something back and do it at a time that suits them. It’s also free so it’s win-win all the way.

Conclusion

What a great way to help non-profits save some overhead expenses. The fact that volunteers can do this in down-time as well means that neither side of the deal loses out.