Volunteer Days

On this page 

• Is it for us?  
• In the footsteps of  
• Step-by-step guide  
• More in-depth  

Is it for us?

These questions will help you determine whether this tool is suitable for your organisation, goal and situation.

What?
During a Volunteer Day, a number of tasks are prepared for volunteers to work on together.

What for?
Building interventions or maintaining your own grounds often requires a lot of work, so involving volunteers can be valuable in getting this work done. At the same time, it offers a lot of potential to show and feel the Zoöp work in practise and to discuss the philosophy behind it.

Where?
Volunteer days can take place anywhere where extra hands are welcome. However, consider the accessibility of the location for participants that are not part of the organisation.

When and how often?
Because organising volunteer days on a one-off basis requires a lot of preparation, a regular schedule (e.g. monthly) can be useful. If there is a lot of work to be done during certain periods, for example in preparation for a major event or during the harvest season, multiple consecutive volunteer days can also be planned.

How much time, money, and materials will it require?

• Costs: no additional costs, except the needed materials and tools.
• Preparation: depending on interventions and recruitment of volunteers, organisation can be done within half a working day to one working day. The first volunteer days require a little more time.
• Materials: depending on interventions.

Step-by-step guide

Preparation

1. Planning: Consider the following questions:
   
   
   • What activities need to be done?
   • What materials or tools are needed?
   • If some tasks are weather-dependent, come up with alternative plans.
   • What needs to be communicated to volunteers in advance? (e.g. appropriate clothing)
   • How will volunteers be rewarded? For example, by learning something new or with a closing drink
   • On which day will the volunteer day take place? During the week or at the weekend? Consider whether a regular rhythm would be useful.
     
     
2. Recruiting participants: recruiting participants is often one of the biggest challenges when organising volunteer days. Here are a few ideas that might help:
   
   
   • Announce it on your website, social media, newsletter, etc. Keep in mind that the framing (e.g. “work day” or “Zoöp day”) influences who will be attracted.
   • Invite people who ask questions about Zoöp by email to volunteer days to discuss it with them.
   • Form a regular group of volunteers over time.
   • Collaborate with other organisations: some companies offer their employees the opportunity to take a few days off each year to do volunteer work at partner organisations.

Implementation
On the volunteer day itself, we recommend the following steps:

1. Welcome participants: introduce yourself, and ask the volunteers to introduce themselves to each other. By asking about their previous experience, you can better assess who is suitable for which task.  
2. Introduction: Give a brief explanation of the location, the tasks, and the importance for non-human life.
3. Explain the tasks: For each task, explain why it is valuable to do and what needs to be done.
4. Conclusion: At the end, a joint lunch, drinks or a long break can be planned to consciously create space for questions and conversations, or to reflect on the day together.

Follow-up

1. Thank you message (within 24-48 hours): brief summary of what was done, possibly some photos and (if known) a save-the-date for the next time.
2. You can also include a few questions:
   
   • What went well?
   • What could be improved upon?
   • Would you like to participate again and what would you like to do?
3. Record results:
   1. Update to-do and material list.
   2. Note observations, experiences (‘traces’) and learning points.
   3. Check permission for photo use.
4. Share with the public: short post (website/newsletter/social media) with impact (what happened, what other-than-human life was involved).
5. Update volunteer database: contact details, skills, availability.

More in-depth

How does it affect the user?

• Relaxation, peace and satisfaction from working in green surroundings (if the Zoöp has outdoor space)
• Awareness and connection with the living environment through physical interactions
• Meeting people with similar interests

Combinations and applications
To create context about the living environment in that location or to enthuse and sensitise volunteers, tools such as ObsIdentify and the BirdNET-Pi can be used. This gives participants an idea of who lives there and who they are doing the work for/with.

Challenges and limitation

• When working outdoors, weather conditions must be taken into account. In case of heavy rain or heat, the volunteer day may have to be cancelled at the last minute. In addition, the weather always influences the turnout of participants.
• Depending on the registration process, the group may be larger or smaller than expected. This requires flexibility in planning which tasks can be carried out.
• There is always a risk that volunteers will not understand their task properly and do something wrong. Consider the extent of this risk for all planned jobs.

Roles involved

• Facilitator: the facilitator must have a clear understanding of the tasks ahead, be able to explain them well and be capable of leading the group. It is also valuable if this person possesses qualities such as enthusiasm, alertness and awareness of the living world. In order to engage in conversation with the group, background knowledge about the location, the philosophy and Zoöp is important. Depending on the size of the group, it may be useful to have several facilitators to guide multiple subgroups.

• Participants: think carefully about what the participants need to be physically capable of in order to help and, if necessary, offer several options so that people with different abilities and skills can contribute.

Inspiration
Bee hotel: (link)
Amphibian pond: (link)

Contact
For Zoöps: If you have any questions about the development and implementation of the volunteer days, please contact Anke Wijnja at Zoöp De Ceuvel.

For other interested parties: contact the Zoönomic Institute via hello@zoop.earth and we will put you in touch with the right person.

Sources and links
This documentation is based on a conversation with Anke Wijnja (De Ceuvel).