Today (15 April) marks International Microvolunteering Day and we’re celebrating and thanking all of the microvolunteers at St Mungo’s!
Maria Dimouli, Volunteering, Apprenticeships and Involvement Manager, said:
“We’re proud to have welcomed over 180 microvolunteers into St Mungo’s. They are proof that compassion can be shared in minutes, and that those minutes can be a meaningful way to give back. From translating documents and providing real time interpretation of discussions with clients (along with background cultural insight) to capturing events and case studies through photography and videography and supporting with our Tenant Satisfaction survey, changing lives can be achieved one task at a time.
Anyone can be a microvolunteer: a member of the public who will offer us their expertise and connect us more to the local community; our clients who may be speaking a language we don’t and of course, our staff who may want to give back outside their job remit.”
Our microvolunteers have been supporting St Mungo’s in all sorts of ways.
Alex Henden, Community and Events Manager, said:
“We had a microvolunteer who joined us at the Royal Parks Half Marathon as our photographer. Without her joining us, we wouldn’t have any images of our runners in our new branding after the event, and to use to promote future events.
Microvolunteering allows someone to be able to use their skillset to benefit St Mungo’s. We don’t need a photographer full time, but having a number of people who we could reach out to gives our team much more capacity in that moment to concentrate on other areas of their role.”
Microvolunteering has also become a meaningful way for our clients to give back too.
Saeid, former St Mungo’s client, said:
“I helped with translating a St Mungo’s official letter to Farsi. The main goal for me was for every bit and piece of that letter to look like a genuine Farsi letter, not just another computer translation. Using a proper Farsi font, correct alignment, and conveying words that lack direct equivalents naturally. Attention to detail matters a lot, because even a simple letter can give a feeling of assurance to the client, making them feel deep down that ‘St. Mungo’s must know their stuff! I am in good hands.’ ”
To every microvolunteer who has translated a document, taken a photo, supported an event and offered their expertise and time, thank you!
Your contributions may be bite sized, but your impact is anything but.
To find out more about our current volunteering opportunities, click here.
