NGOs Share Experiences With Volunteers During First InteRDom Networking Session

InteRDom launched its latest initiative "Networking Sessions for Organizations" on Wednesday, March 19th, when leaders from eight local nonprofit organizations came together to discuss the topic “How to optimize the work of international students and integrate volunteers and local leaders to expand projects and make them sustainable."

Luis Miguel Acevedo, Country
Director of ADRA Dominicana, served as the keynote speaker, sharing his experiences and strategies that NGOs may employ to foster committed volunteers and make their projects more sustainable. His suggestions included:

• Creating strategic alliances with other NGOs
• Taking advantage of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives
• Submitting the project’s budgets to companies for sponsorship
• Eliminating financial incentives to volunteers, rather encouraging work through other incentives
• Including  volunteer incentives ( such as a trip to the beach, dinner, t-shirts, training) in the project budget
• Working closely with community leaders so they become  empowered in the projects
• Leveraging volunteers from the Millennial generation for their spirit and charisma.

Acevedo also addressed briefly fundraising for projects.
Representatives from the following companies  were in attendance:  Batey Releif Alliance (BRA Dominicana), Dominican Red Cross, Vida Azul Foundation, Children International, Alas de Igualdad Foundation, TECHO  and  Asociación para el Desarrollo de San José de Ocoa (ADESJO).

The event was lauded as a positive experience by attendees, who felt motivated to attend other
networking sessions because they provide opportunities for exchange and collaboration between organizations in the same sector.

The “Networking Sessions for Organizations” initiative aims to​​ create and strengthen relationships with organizations in the Dominican Republic by bringing together representatives working in the same sector to discuss a topic of common interest with local or international experts. It provides spaces for
professional networking and growth, as well as to share short- and medium-term projects to assess opportunities for collaboration.

InteRDom, an initiative of Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD) and Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (FUNGLODE), is the premier internship, research and academic study program
in the Dominican Republic. It offers international students the opportunity to research important topics at the forefront of the United Nations agenda, obtain professional experience by interning with Dominican organizations and businesses related to their fields of study and/or earn academic credits by taking courses and seminars at a local university.