Program guides/Education/Find volunteers

Find volunteers

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Volunteers are one of the most important resources for running programs. Many organizations and program leaders have said that it is difficult to find enough volunteers to support projects and programs. In this section program leaders and educators who are new to Wikimedia will find ideas on how to find and work with volunteers who want to support education both online and offline.

"...there is value to getting people into the Tea Room who are in the same time-zone as students and spell things the way they do." - Toni Sant, Education Organizer, Wikimedia UK


"Advertising results and success stories on social sites and on chapter channels got more volunteers involved." - Vojtech Dostal, Education Ambassador, Wikimedia Czech Republic

Remember, if you want volunteers to consistently support your program, you need to ensure that they all feel part of the team. You must be prepared to share the sense of ownership and the sense of achievement of the program. The sooner you involve them in the development of the program the more likely they are to stick with the program to the end. And don't forget to involve them in the evaluation, if possible with a social event celebrating a successful conclusion.

  • Learn about different project roles for volunteers and get tips for how to keep track of who is doing what.
  • Find out where to look for volunteers to support education programs both online and offline.
  • Recruit ambassadors[learning pattern needed] by inviting students who have completed an education program to be an ambassador in the future.
  • Learn more about volunteer engagement in growing organizations.