By Autumn Walden, Editor, ̽»¨Â¥ Connect, Content Strategy Manager, ̽»¨Â¥
. This increase demonstrates the significant progress we’ve made in re-engaging with our communities since the pandemic. It also signals that volunteering has critical value, especially here at ̽»¨Â¥, which is why we’ve been working to make volunteering easier to access and follow up on.
This is where our new Volunteer Pool feature comes in handy. With a and a single click of a button, members can opt in to receive alerts when new opportunities open up—no more guesswork or endless searching through the website. Whether you’re a long-time member or brand new, whether you have an hour per month or a more flexible schedule, adding yourself to the Volunteer Pool allows us to use your profile information to match your interests with meaningful ways to contribute.
Paige Selman Boucher, our Community and Volunteer Manager, dedicates time to developing continuous solutions that improve your member engagement experience. I asked her to share in her own words how this new feature is built with your needs in mind.
Can you share a vision for how member volunteerism lifts the ̽»¨Â¥ community?
Our volunteers are vital to the success of the ̽»¨Â¥ community. They share best practices, lessons learned, and more through the Exchange, webinars, Gatherings, in-person convenings, courses, and journals, among other channels. We really appreciate our volunteers sharing their time and expertise and helping us contribute to the betterment of higher education as a whole.
How does updating your profile benefit your opportunities to get involved?
, we are better able to identify opportunities that might be of interest to you in the future. It also helps us when we are reviewing applications to make sure that we have updated information.
How does this streamlined opt-in volunteer pool work in the Exchange?
, you will receive notifications about upcoming volunteer opportunities via email. The email will include a direct link to the opportunity, which includes a description of the request, the impact of the volunteer position, and the time commitment. The email comes from the person overseeing the volunteer opportunity, so it also helps you know who to reach out to if you have any questions.
What inspired the introduction of the tiered time-commitment structure (Low, Medium, High)?
We understand that our members are busy individuals and appreciate the value of their time.
As such, we wanted to make sure we were clearly communicating how much time different roles require so that members can engage in a way that works best with their schedules.
What feedback or trends have you noticed since the ̽»¨Â¥ Exchange launched in 2023?
launched in October 2023 in response to member requests for more meaningful connections with colleagues outside of in-person events. We currently have 3,900 engaged Exchange users, which is a great achievement. Over the past year, we have seen a significant increase in the number of people posting and contributing in the Exchange. If you haven't already, I encourage you to take a moment to join a community or answer a colleague's question.