Taking Responsibility for Volunteering

Vicky SmithWTM Responsible Tourism

7th November 2013

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A little bit about me..• 18 years in travel industry• From rep/resort manager• Late 90s > web development

& online marketing manager• Tour ops, OTAs, aggregators• Personal voluntourism• FGASA ranger qualified• Charity challenge/ project

marketing & trip guide• Organise #RTUnite

• MSc Responsible Tourism Management

• MSc Thesis: Marketing Responsible Volunteer Tourism Online

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Marketing is…

...focused on volunteer & financial satisfaction

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“the science and art of exploring, creating, and delivering value

to satisfy the needs of a target market at a profit…” (Kotler, 2012)

Organisations can too easily ignore…• Destination needs• Project requirements• Stakeholder governance• Financial accountability• Impacts on the environment and culture• Enhancing society well-being

…Unless the target market demand it

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http://xkcd.com/927

The target market needs to be SMARTER!

Especially with no clear regulation

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The 5 Stages of Travel: 1 Dreaming

...Volunteers need to be SMARTER in each stage

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The 5 Stages of Travel: 2 Planning

Starting at source with the Internet

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Be Smarter with SearchCommon Keywords Used•Like much marketing:•Vague, undifferentiated•Focus on CV, financial, destinations•Responsible or sustainable key phrases rarely figure•Use them to find operators who claim to be so!

Keyword Avg. monthly searchesvolunteer abroad 9900volunteering abroad 6600projects abroad 4400original volunteers 4400gap year programs 2900teach english abroad 2400teaching english abroad 2400volunteer abroad for free 1300charity work abroad 1300working holidays 1300gap years 1300volunteer work abroad 1000voluntary work abroad 1000internships abroad 1000volunteer africa 880volunteer jobs 880voluntary organisations 880volunteering jobs 720free volunteering abroad 590volunteering abroad for free 590voluntary service overseas 590voluntary jobs 590volunteer holidays 590

responsible volunteering 10sustainable volunteering 10

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Be sMarter about Motivations…• Vacation-, education-

and/or volunteer-mindedVolunteer needs

↓ based on• Destination needs

Volunteers genuinely want/need to positively contribute & help, for own higher needs

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

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…so not be disappointed

The 5 Stages of Travel: 3 Booking

Compare for project transparency & value…

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Volunteers are complicit too!

Volunteers must take personal responsibility

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Be smArter Assessing responsibility• Appraise project objectives

vs. your real motivations• Assess skills required vs.

skills offered• Assess project content

against the RT policy• Audit what’s included vs.

what’s not• Assess price levels between

organisations

• Ask what’s not evident• Make organisations

answerable to gaps• Hold organisations

accountable for claims• Own skills assessed• Seek appropriate

match

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…assume nothing!

The 5 Stages of Travel: 4 Experiencing

More informed & collaborative travel expected

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Nurture smaRter Relationships

…find your match!

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Be smarTer – look for Transparency

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Be smartEr – review the Evidence

•No mention of skills, costs, objectives, impacts, time...•No evidence of claims

Scrutinise & ask HOW???

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The 5 Stages of Travel: 5 Sharing

Review your own trips to inspire and inform

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Be smarteR with Reviews• Read Reviews when

dreaming & planning • Give back! Write return reviews• Blog, Facebook, Twitter• Operator & review sites

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…hold operators accountable!

Volunteers - be SMARTER with

SearchingMotivationsAssessingRelationshipsTransparency EvidenceReviews

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“As volunteers, we need to be smarter. We need to dig deeper. We need to hold ourselves, the volunteer organizations and the orphanages at which we’re placed accountable. Otherwise, we readily become part of the problem rather than part of the solution. We doom the very people we came to nurture.”

Lela Barker, Lucky Break Consulting God’s Grace Orphanage in Uganda, Part 4

“As volunteers, we need to be smarter. We need to dig deeper. We need to hold ourselves, the volunteer organizations and the orphanages at which we’re placed accountable. Otherwise, we readily become part of the problem rather than part of the solution. We doom the very people we came to nurture.”

Lela Barker, Lucky Break Consulting God’s Grace Orphanage in Uganda, Part 4

Thank You

Follow @Vicky SmithFor Responsible / Volunteer Tourism / Online

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