Volunteer matchmaking team, Collaborate, transformed the way New Zealanders volunteer by connecting people to organisations where their skills and interests could make the biggest difference. Launched as an online platform in 2018, the app has recently been purchased by Volunteering New Zealand.
Words: Amy Russ
Founding members, Poppy Norton, Holly Norton, Ceara McAuliffe Bickerton, who all attended Nelson College for Girls, and Sophie Harker from Wellington, were in their early twenties when they came up with the concept and had no idea that it would go on to become a part of New Zealand’s national volunteering infrastructure. “It has been such an amazing journey,” says Poppy. “The idea was born while we were in university and we struggled to find volunteer opportunities. We approached youth charities and organisations and realised there was a misconnection. Through co-design, the app was formed. This development is so exciting, for us, the acknowledgement from Volunteering New Zealand is a wonderful validation. We see ourselves as the guardians of the platform. It was built for the community, by community volunteers, and to see the growth we have seen is really thrilling.”
The platform has connected thousands of people to hundreds of organisations that need help across New Zealand and internationally. Reflecting on the four years since Collaborate’s app launch, the team say that the experience has been life-changing.
“Collaborate has seen young volunteers grow the skills that land them their first jobs. It has shown thousands of people that they have in-demand skills and bring value. It has enabled hundreds of organisations that do good to be able to access many skills critical to them - for example, everything from social media expertise to front-line mental health support.”
Poppy says that Collaborate has an excellent growth proposition ahead of it as it moves into the hands of Volunteering New Zealand. “We’re grateful for the numerous volunteer hours put in by our stakeholders and partners to get us to this point, and we would especially love to thank our technology partners Springload and Xequals who have been very generous in their contribution toward executing our vision.”
Michelle Kitney, Kaihautū chief executive of Volunteering New Zealand, says, “Collaborate is a tool to bring volunteer-involving organisations and young people together. Our website currently attracts 45,000 people each year looking to volunteer.
We see great opportunities to combine the value of Collaborate with our role as the respected peak body for volunteering. We thank the co-founders of Collaborate for their leadership and innovation that has brought us here.”
To see the next evolution of Collaborate, stay up-to-date through the Volunteering New Zealand’s website: volunteeringnz.org.nz
