Thursday June 21, 2012

Volunteers’ helping tool

By YVONNE LIM
yvonnelim@thestar.com.my

PETALING JAYA: Always wanted to do volunteer work but didn't know where to start?

Log on to The Star's Do Good. Volunteer online portal which connects those who want to lend a helping hand to the less fortunate, with non-profit organisations (NPO) in Malaysia.

“Whether they can volunteer four days a week or have only an hour a week to spare, the portal links those interested in doing volunteer work to the appropriate organisations, based on their interests, skill sets and availability,” said Leaderonomics CEO Roshan Thiran at a briefing on the portal.

The volunteer matching portal (dogoodvolunteer.com), which is a joint effort between Leaderonomics and The Star, will be launched on June 30.

All hands on deck: Representatives from various NPOs posing for a photo after the briefing on the Do Good.Volunteer online portal at Menara Star.

The briefing held at Menara Star yesterday was attended by representatives from 80 NPOs.

To date, 300 NPOs championing various causes have signed up as partners for the initiative. The portal, which is currently running on beta version, has also seen 1,000 volunteers pre-registering.

While registering her organisation on the portal after the briefing, Rumah Juara home supervisor Elizabeth Ratnam commended the project, saying it was a great way to channel volunteers based on how they could help.

“We could always do with more volunteers to help out with things like fund-raising or giving tuition to the children at the home,” she said.

Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals marketing and communications manager Helen Chan said there were many people who were willing to lend a hand but they did not know what they could do or were unable to commit to long hours.

“Even if they can only afford to volunteer half an hour of their time, we welcome them.

“Every little bit we do counts to make the living conditions a little more comfortable for the animals at the shelter,” she said.