How do you reach bi-cultural volunteers?

Last month, an interesting meeting took place at the Volunteer Center Amsterdam at the headquarters on Rozenstraat about reaching bi-cultural volunteers.Amsterdam Neighbors Contactpresented the results of a small-scale study on reaching bi-cultural women for volunteering to interested organizations in the city. They investigated how to reach and engage more bi-cultural volunteers in their language project. The research took place in Amsterdam Nieuw West, a district teeming with different cultures. By better connecting with residents and becoming a reflection of the neighborhood, you ensure that projects are more embraced in the community. By engaging in conversations with residents in various locations, they discovered several things that can help in connecting with and engaging residents in the language project.

Couldn’t attend? We have summarized the key results for you:

• A personal approach in recruiting bi-cultural volunteers proves to be crucial. Personally addressing people, at the schoolyard or at the bus stop, in their mother tongue, helps to connect and engage.
• Some bi-cultural volunteers prefer not to be matched with a participant of the same background. This could be for various reasons. Have a conversation and see what suits the volunteer best.
• Some found the step towards teaching in a foreign language too big or daunting. They needed (more) practical basic training. Additionally, discussing this topic can be helpful.
• When offering a (basic) training, it is desirable for this to take place nearby (at least within the district).
• Volunteers with a bi-cultural background sometimes require more guidance and attention. They prefer physical meetings with, for example, the coordinator, and appreciate being well supported.
• There is a need for additional training in setting boundaries and being able to say no.

The most remarkable finding from the research is that many women with a bi-cultural background are already involved in volunteering, but mostly within their own community. They provide assistance to neighbors, family, and acquaintances. For many of them, helping others is a natural thing to do, and they do not see it as volunteering. Since this assistance is not provided through official channels, it is not captured in statistics and remains completely invisible to the rest of society. More flexibility in volunteering proves to be helpful in this regard. This way, individuals do not have to commit for a long time, allowing them to volunteer alongside their other activities.

Do you also want to promote more diversity and inclusion in your organization? Would you like to reach more volunteers with a different cultural background?VCA organizational consultantsWe like to think along with you.