Due to Covid, this holiday season will be staycation, no travel for me. I would enjoy reading, writing, and attending virtual activities yet I want to do something more and different. I read about Catch a Fire, a platform for skill-based volunteering, a while ago and decided to sign-up. I applied for two projects with two educational/ empower non-profits in Africa.
Leslie from Jobortunity, a training & professional development center in Tanzania responded quickly and invited me for the 1hr call today. The request was to advise on the marketing materials. To make the best use of the 1hr, I asked her about the objective and materials/ link to review, prep before the call.
Leslie is new to the organization yet shows great energy, passion for the organization’s mission, and willingness to learn and listen. She spoke highly of Kim who started Jobortunity 12 years ago and would transfer the management to her.
According to Jobortunity, 2 of 100 youth are employed while employers struggle to find qualified employees and have low retention rate. 75%+ of Jobortunity program graduates obtain decent job and remain employed. One job usually supports 3-5 family members and many of them have helped build infrastructure to benefit the community at large. WoW, what a difference and impact Jobortunity is making!
I asked Leslie clarifying questions, offered thoughts, and suggested ideas for the 2 pager org overview and website. I also shared the websites and fund-raising campaign of 3 educational/ empowerment organizations in Africa for her reference. I’m happy to connect her with the founders if she’d like after reviewing them. She was thrilled and very appreciative, perhaps also surprised, as Kim had tried to seek pro bono marketing consultation in the summer but it didn’t work out. I like Leslie as well as Jobortunity’s mission and impact. I’m honored to assist.
Overall, it took me about ~3 hours for the prep, in-call, and email follow-up which is more than the project definition (1 hour call) yet I enjoyed the experience and would continue volunteering. I applied for 2 more projects. I look forward to voluncation for the holidays.