SXSW 2012 - Service 2.0: Evaluating Next-Gen Volunteer Opportunity Platforms

Service 2.0: Evaluating Next-Gen Volunteer Opportunity Platforms
Event	Interactive 2010
Format	Panel
Organizer	Michael Silberman – EchoDitto
Description	Forget about the high school community service club. The next generation of volunteering platforms is here -- from Google's All for Good to the President's Serve.gov. But can they also combat apathy? We'll speak with experts about recent efforts to revolutionize the service space and see what gaps remain.
Questions Answered	What is the main barrier to getting Americans to serve in their communities? What impact has recent U.S. legislation to support national service had on enriching the associated technology space? Volunteer opportunity indexes have existed online for years, but only a small percentage of us serve. What differentiates this next generation of platforms from those of the past (ie Idealist.org or VolunteerMatch)? What does research indicate about how individuals are most likely to hear about or join a service project? What are the quality control demands that can impact the success of a volunteer platform? What feedback loops exist (or need to exist) between actual projects and service indexes? How do these new platforms interface with nonprofit organizations? With each other? What lessons can we apply toward other network-based challenges or problems? Toward solving other social challenges? Given the variety of volunteer projects available, how can technology help to measure and track impact across a variety of project types? What is the future of mobile volunteerism?
Level	Beginner
Category	Case Study, Collaborative Filtering, New Technology / Next Generation, Non-Profits, User Generated Content

You might also like:

Service 2.0: Evaluating Next-Gen Volunteer Opportunity Platforms