Hosting International Volunteers:
A Where-To-Start Guide For Local Organizations

The following are suggestions for local organizations in developing countries interested in gaining access to international volunteers. This is a "getting started" guide, NOT a comprehensive guide: it's impossible within the boundaries of a simple web page to detail all an organization needs to do to host volunteers from other countries.

 

1. Affiliation with international non-governmental organizations (INGOs)
   Your organization needs to be recognized, at least informally, by local offices in developing countries of organizations such as the United Nations Development Programme, OneWorld, Save the Children, Oxfam, World Vision, MercyCorps, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). Such recognition takes much more than one meeting: it means that the staff at the local office is familiar with your organization's work because you have regularly updated the office about such, that a representative from the local office visits your organization periodically, and that the staff at the local office knows enough about your organization to be able to provide a reference for it back to the main office. You need these local INGOs affiliates to be in a position to verify your organization's credibility to others.

    
   

2. Collaboration with other local NGOs
   In addition to affiliating with INGOs, local organizations should be in a position to verify your organization's credibility to others. That means that, like international groups, staff at local NGOs should be familiar with your organization's work because you have regularly updated them about such, that they visit your organization periodically, and that they know enough about your organization to be able to provide a reference for it to other organizations. If you have engaged together with another NGO in a project, all the better!

    
   

3. Membership in formal networks and associations
   If your country or region has a network or association of NGOs, you should be a member. You can find these by contacting other local organizations to find out if such exists, or searching on the Internet for such.

    
   

4. Excellent online profile
   If you type your organization's name into google, what happens? Does your organization's web site come up (if you have such)? What about an online document by an INGO that references your organization? Or a newspaper article highlighting your organization's good work? Anything negative? An online profile adds to your organization's credibility.

    
   

5. A clear, complete, easy-to-use web site
   It's not essential that your organization have a web site in order to host international volunteers. But if your organization does have a web site, it should be
   • free of advertising
     
   • free of misspellings
     
   • well-designed, without lots of cumbersome graphics complete, with a listing of your staff, your board of directors, your organization's address, contact information, and at least a summary of your organization's budget.

    
   

6. Academic profile
   It's not essential, but it will certainly add greatly to your organization's credibility if it has been referred to in a university-related paper. Ofcourse, it's not always possible to say yes to participation in an academic research project, given your other priorities. But your organization should try to, whenever possible and when asked, to participate, as such will add to the appearance of your organization as transparent and credible to anyone investigating your organization for such.

    
   

7. Have official papers in order
   You need to have copies of your organization's official government documentation/registration papers (if you are, indeed, officially registered), brochures, press releases, staff list and financial statements ready for review by other organizations -- or even by potential international volunteers. Volunteer-placement organizations will consider how quickly and completely you respond to their request for such, so get them in order and ready-to-share before you start meeting with such organizations. If you don't have any of this -- if you are a tiny grassroots-based organization that has not registered with your government and has no paperwork whatsoever, then you will have to formally partner with an organization that does have such, who can take formal legal responsibilitiy for the international volunteer(s).

    
   

8. Draft documents associated with your planned involvement of volunteers
   This step is essential -- there's no substitute for it. Saying you need volunteers is not enough for you to get them. Your organization needs to draft documents that detail the following, which you will eventually share and discuss with organizations that place international volunteers (it is very important that this information be in writing, even if it's all still being negotiated!):
   • the location(s) of the volunteering assignment(s) -- city or cities, and exact addresses whenever possible.

   • the tasks volunteers will be expected to complete, the resources that will be available to volunteers (translators? a desk? a car? a bicycle?) and the time frame for the volunteer to provide his or her service (what months and for how long?).

   • a description of why the service of this international volunteer is needed, and how, after the volunteer departs, his or her work will be sustained or built-upon.

   • detailed information about the volunteers' work environment. Will the volunteer have daily access to a phone? computer access? Will the volunteer need to have a security escort when traveling from housing to the volunteer assignment, or in any other situations, and, if so, who is going to provide this security escort?

   • detailed information on to whom the volunteer will report to at your organization, who at your organization will supervise the volunteer's work, who at your organization will provide support to the volunteer as needed, what staff members at your organization will work with the volunteer and how, how the volunteer will be expected to interact with local people, etc.

   • information regarding translators. Will a translator accompany volunteers during his or her work? What percentage of the people the volunteer will work with speak English? Will your organization provide a translator?

   • detailed information about where your organization will house international volunteers, if the placement organization cannot provide housing (more and more placement organizations are requiring local hosting organizations to provide housing). Your organization must provide more than just a statement that your organization will house such volunteers; it needs to note where, and what the conditions will be -- Will it be with a family and, if so, what are their names? Will each volunteer have his or her own room? Will there be locks on the windows and doors? Will it be within walking distance of the volunteering assignment?

   • detailed information on how your organization will support the volunteer during arrival and departure into the country. Will there be someone at the airport from your organization to help the volunteer through the entry process? Will your organization provide transport from the airport to its location? Will your organization provide transportation assistance and help with customs and other officials when the volunteer leaves the country?

   • detailed information about the nearest health care facilities (individual doctor, clinic and hospital), and how your organization will or will not help to get a volunteer to such if needed.

   • detailed lists of what costs your organization cannot pay for (airfare, housing, bedding, food, transportation, security, insurance for the volunteer, etc.). Remember that most international placement organizations will expect your organization to bear at least some costs!

   • a draft evacuation plan for volunteers, in case of natural disaster or a man-made crisis, or, clarification that the volunteer placement organization is in charge of such. What assistance will your organization guarantee in such an event, and what assistance will your organization NOT guarantee?
    
   

Also see my advice for people interested in vetting organizations in other countries, and consider how your own organization would measure up to the vetting steps offered.

Once you have all of the above in place, you are ready to approach existing volunteer-placement organizations. Begin by looking in your local geographic area for local organizations already hosting such volunteers, and ask if they would introduce you to a representative of the volunteers' sponsoring organization, either face-to-face or via the phone. Such organizations include (and please note that this is not a comprehensive list):

• PeaceCorps (for USA citizens only)
  
• VSO (for citizens of the United Kingdom only)
  
• Australian Volunteers International (for citizens of Australia only)
  
• VSO Canada (for Canadian citizens only)
  
• NetCorps Cyberjeunes Canada (for Canadian citizens only)
  
• German Development Service, Deutscher Entwicklungsdienst, or DED (for German citizens only)
  
• Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (for Japanese citizens only)
  
• United Nations Volunteers, part of UNDP
  

Embassies for other countries can also help put you in contact with volunteer-placement organizations.

In addition to onsite international volunteers, has your organization considered hosting online international volunteers? Online volunteers can help your organization with translation and research tasks, designing publications and web sites, developing databases, and activities relating to marketing, fund raising and business planning. UNDP's UN Volunteers program has a FREE online volunteering service that provides access to thousands of online volunteers and resources to help your organization involve such.

 
Return to my volunteer-related resources

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