Australian Red ross International Volunteering Program ...

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Australian Red Cross

International Volunteering Program Pilot: Evaluation Report

Prepared by Jessica Stevens with the Impact, Design and Evidence (IDE) team for the Volunteering Directorate

November 2018

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Contents Acronyms ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 3

Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................................................................ 4

1. Executive Summary................................................................................................................................................................ 5

2. Introduction .............................................................................................................................................................................. 7

3. Methodology ............................................................................................................................................................................ 8

4. Findings ................................................................................................................................................................................... 11

5. Conclusion .............................................................................................................................................................................. 33

Document Review and Authorisation

Version Date Notes

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Acronyms ARC Australian Red Cross AVID Australian Volunteers for International Development AYAD Australian Youth Ambassadors for Development BOCA Branch Organisational Capacity Assessment CRG Critical Reference Group DFAT Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade DRR Disaster Risk Reduction ICRC International Committee of the Red Cross IDE Impact Design and Evidence Team IFRC International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies IP International Programs IPLG International Programs Leadership Group IVP International Volunteer Program KEQ Key Evaluation Question M&E Monitoring and Evaluation MoU Memorandum of Understanding NGO Non-Governmental Organisation OCAC Organisational Capacity Assessment and Certification ODE Office of Development Effectiveness PGI Protection, Gender and Inclusion RCRC Red Cross Red Crescent Movement ToR Terms of Reference UN United Nations UNV United Nations Volunteers

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Acknowledgements There are many who contributed to this evaluation, in particular, the authors of this report would like to acknowledge and thank the National Societies and Australian Red Cross staff and volunteers who participated in the evaluation, but in particular, those who took part in the interview and survey process. Without their contributions and willingness to share their views and experience with us, this evaluation would not have been possible. We also thank Paul Daly for providing us with a rich source of data and insights. Finally, thanks to the International Programs staff their support of the evaluation during the research and report writing periods, and the Critical Reference Group for providing their technical expertise and oversight.

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1. Executive Summary Introduction This evaluation began towards the end of the pilot of the International Volunteer Program (IVP). The focus of this evaluation was the relevance of and appropriateness of the IVP model. The evaluation looked at the design and coordination of the IVP and assesses if the pilot has succeeded in its intention and if the model is valid. The report highlights factors that are seen to support or constrain the program, and point to possible changes for the next phase. Finally, the evaluation looks at the financial viability of the program and tests to see if there is potential for the model to be self-sustaining financially. Relevance The report found the model was valid and unique within the movement. The shorter assignment length has allowed for discrete pieces of work to be done at the direction of National Societies. The addition of the option for online volunteering has opened up flexibility for volunteers who may not have otherwise been able to volunteer. While it may still take some time for National Societies to feel comfortable with the platform and online volunteering the initial results show that there is momentum and promise for the program to be successful. The peer to peer aspect of the model has allowed information, expertise and skills sharing within the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement and further supported locally led humanitarian action. Effectiveness The report found while the program was able to operate there could have been more time dedicated to ironing out processes prior to recruiting volunteers. It would be prudent to review pre-departure information and continue working closely with National Societies on assignment development to ensure alignment with strategic commitments. The program has been able to recruit volunteers who have been diverse, with the addition of peer to peer assignments and online volunteering being an enabler for this. Throughout the program 27 out of 33 assignments listed were filled. Of the filled assignments, 19 were online, and 8 in-country. Thirteen (13) of the 27 were peer to peer assignments within the Red Cross Red Crescent movement, with six assignments being group assignments. In total 200 volunteer users registered on the platform and 34 were successful in securing either an individual assignment or a group assignment. National Societies who received volunteers were, Australian Red Cross; Cook Islands Red Cross; IFRC Asia Pacific – Malaysia; IFRC CCST Pacific – Fiji; IFRC North Pacific sub-office on behalf of Micronesia; Marshall Islands and Palau Red Cross Societies; IFRC PMO – Cox’s Bazar Response; Mongolia Red Cross Society; Nepal Red Cross; Philippine Red Cross; Vanuatu Red Cross Society; Vietnam Red Cross Society. Sustainability The report found that National Societies have a continuing demand for volunteers. While National Societies acknowledged that online volunteering has greater flexibility and financial viability the report found there was still a preference for in country assignments. Further the report found that National Societies need some guidance and support from the Program Coordinator in order to be able to scope well defined volunteer opportunities which highlights the long ramp up time and level of investment that is required to develop the ‘network effect’. The report also found that the original self-sustaining funding model that utilised revenue from International Humanitarian Training services and subscription fees from corporates and Universities was unrealistic. Therefore, the evaluation recommends a new business model is developed with consideration of product market fit and alternative sources of funding or revenue. Appropriateness The report found the program was aligned to localisation principles by supporting locally led humanitarian action and National Society strengthening, and was closely aligned to recommendations outlined in ‘Going Local, Achieving a more appropriate and fit-for-purpose humanitarian ecosystem in the pacific.’ The peer to peer aspect of the IVP, including treating Australian Red Cross as a volunteer receiving National Society has allowed for an

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open dialogue between all National Societies. All participating National Societies involved have been able to dictate the terms and management of this program through their involvement in the IVP Reference Group. Recommendations

• Localisation should remain at the forefront as a priority of the program.

• The International Volunteer Program to continue with a program coordinator to support National

Societies to operationalise the platform, recruit volunteers to the platform and support National

Societies where needed.

• Support is provided to National Societies on how volunteers are used (mapping to OCAC and BOCA)

• National Societies are given more time to adapt to having volunteers online

• The platform is trialled in a country where internet is poor. Adjustments can be made to the platform

so it can be used throughout the movement.

• The platform is shared with a wider variety of potential volunteers (through corporate partnerships

and universities)

• Assignment mapping to be undertaken to understand what volunteers and National Societies want to

ensure a pool of people can be used to fit National Society needs.

• National Societies could be given more guidance and support in selecting the best local champion to

be the IVP volunteering focal point.

• A Business model canvass to be developed with detailed consideration of product/market fit and

alternative sources of funding and revenue

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2. Introduction The International Volunteering Program (IVP) was borne out of 18 months of research and extensive consultation with several National Societies, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Australian Red Cross’ International Programs. It incorporates feedback and lessons from various stakeholders involved in deploying and receiving international volunteers through previous international volunteer programs. Importantly, the new model focuses exclusively on strengthening the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement through the exchange of volunteers. The evaluation covers the first year of the IVP pilot (July 2017 – October/November 2018) and has focused on the experiences and views of National Society partners, volunteers and participating Australian Red Cross staff. The program will continue until March 2019 to allow sufficient time for Australian Red Cross to determine its future. The overall goal of the program is to provide an opportunity for National Societies to access some extra technical support and human resources to help realise some of its National Society’s development goals. It was envisaged that both online and in-country volunteer assignments would contribute towards National Society Development by providing discrete inputs into the National Society’s existing strategies, plans and activities. Volunteer roles have supported the work of National Societies in areas such as; Finance & Sustainability; Resource Mobilisation; HR & Volunteer Management; Communications; ICT; Protection, Gender and Inclusion (PGI), and Monitoring, Evaluation & Reporting. The project logic of the IVP is attached in Appendix 1 of this report.

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3. Methodology The focus of this evaluation was the relevance of and appropriateness of the International Volunteer Program pilot model. The evaluation looked at the design and coordination of the IVP and assesses if the pilot has succeeded in its intention and if the model is valid. The report highlights factors that are seen to support or constrain the program, and point to possible changes for the next phase. Finally, the evaluation looks at the financial viability of the program and tests to see if there is potential for the model to be self-sustaining financially. The evaluation used a mixed methods approach to collect evidence on the evaluation questions. The methods included a literature review; an analysis of volunteer and National Society reports and previous evaluations conducted by United Nations Volunteers, Australian Volunteers for International Development and Australian Red Cross (including the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade returned volunteer survey); a comparison of the current model and the proposed model; and a reworking/ redesign of the International Volunteer Program Project Logic. The evaluator, with consultants from Mongolia, Vanuatu and Nepal, interviewed volunteers, National Society representatives, International Federation of the Red Cross staff and Australian Red Cross program staff involved in the pilot. Two surveys were also sent out, one to volunteers and another to National Societies. This is further expanded in 3.3 Data collection, analysis and synthesis. 3.1 Purpose and audience The intended use of the evaluation is to inform decision making around future direction, form and financial viability of the program post-pilot for Australian Red Cross’ Volunteering Directorate. It has also been sent to the International Programs Leadership Group for their learning. The Volunteering Directorate and International Volunteer Program Staff are responsible for the follow up of evaluation findings and recommendations. 3.2 Key evaluation questions (KEQs) KEQ1. Relevance. To what extent does the International Volunteer Program model provide a basis for achieving the core goals of the program?

• Is the current model more effective than alternatives? What were the constraints/strengths which led

to the decision making for the current model? Is the model valid or does it need refining?

• What options are available to adapt the program design to build on strengths/overcome constraints –

to achieve overall balance in assignments, an also meet National Society needs / program objectives’?

• Is the International Volunteer Program design suited to addressing the needs of National Societies,

and providing attractive volunteer opportunities for target volunteer cohorts?

KEQ2. Effectiveness. How well have program delivery processes supported the achievement of outcomes?

• Do current processes result in the recruitment of volunteers who have the skills, experience and

personal attributes appropriate to their placement, National Society and cultural context? Is suitable

recognition given to ensuring diversity in the mix of volunteers, consistent with Red Cross' policies on

gender, disability-inclusive development and reconciliation?

• Are there clear policies and procedures explaining how volunteers should be used – individually and

collectively – to develop the capacity of National Society and contribute to Strategy 2020 outcomes?

• What progress has been made by the International Volunteer Program Pilot towards achieving its

intended outcomes?

KEQ3. Sustainability. How well has the program established processes and outcomes which are likely to be enduring?

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• Is International Volunteer Program likely to be financially self-generating, self-sustaining & self-

organised?

• Can the model generate the revenue needed to be self-sustainable?

• What demand do National Societies have for volunteers provided through the International Volunteer

Program? Does the level of demand vary for online or in-country volunteers?

KEQ4. Appropriateness. To what extent has the program aligned with supporting locally led humanitarian action? 3.3 Data collection, analysis and synthesis The evaluation captured, synthesised and analysed broad range of views, to gain a deeper insight into the strengths and weaknesses of the program from different points of view and then synthesise these views as part of the analysis. The desk-based study is written in the report against KEQ 1. Consultations were conducted with the International Programs program staff involved in the project design and pilot - including National Societies and representatives from the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, IFRC. Through this we investigated the validity of both the pilot and the proposed program design, taking into account both the new and current logic. We looked at the extent the model takes into account localisation principles, the in-country context, and how it compliments other work Australian Red Cross is doing in volunteering. We have also taken into account how well the model, as well as the extent to which it promotes ownership and cost-effectiveness. The model was compared to similar programs to look at its uniqueness and effectiveness. An approach involving the use of both qualitative and quantitative methods was used to collect data to answer the KEQs. Relevant results from each of the data sources were compared and contrasted to draw out findings based on the KEQs and sub-evaluation questions. The information was tested against the intended results in the revised program logic and pilot plan drawing conclusions against KEQ through an evidence base allowing relevant stakeholders to have an understanding of what has happened. Recommendations are provided in the conclusion to help program staff improve the model along with conclusions relating to financial sustainability. The final analysis has been based on

A review of 70 documents;

A survey of 35 volunteers;

A survey of 8 National Societies;

Twenty-nine (29) key informant interviews including volunteers, National Societies, IFRC representatives and

Australian Red Cross Program staff;

Thirteen (13) End of Assignment Reports completed by both Volunteers and National Societies.

3.4 Limitations There were a number of challenges and potential limitations for the evaluation. These included: Translation and bias: Some of the National Societies interviewed did not speak English, and interviews and translations were completed with assistance from evaluation companies in Nepal, Mongolia and Vanuatu were used to complete interviews. These people may have influenced the answers that others in the National Societies provide with their own views during the translation process. This may mean a slightly biased picture of the program and its outcomes may have been obtained. The use of mixed methods limited the number of these incidents and wide sampling should mitigate some of these biases. This is an internal evaluation led by IDE in partnership with the IVP team and therefore not totally independent and impartial. We have attempted to mitigate this through a Critical Reference Group comprised of international programs and National Society staff and triangulation of data through interviews and surveys. The varying capacity of fieldwork staff and limited supervision: The pool of independent evaluators and facilitators available to undertake interviews in-country was limited. While some members of the team were highly

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experienced, others were not. Again, the use of mixed methods and wide sampling should go some way in countering this limitation. Timeframes and Changeover of program staff: Timing of interviews and changeover of international programs staff meant that several program staff interviews were rushed. Similarly, there were some delays in IPLG approving the ToR for the evaluation. The program also moved from International Programs to the Volunteering Directorate during the writing of the evaluation.

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4. Findings 1.1 Relevance

KEQ1. Relevance. To what extent does the International Volunteer Program model provide a basis for achieving the core goals of the program? The IVP model provided a basis for achieving the two key goals for the program as per the Program Logic which are ‘National Society capacity is increased in alignment with National Society Development Plans and Priorities’ and that ‘the IVP has the ability to be self-generating, self-sustaining and self-organised. Specific information addressing the programs ability to meet these are answered in KEQ2 Effectiveness and KEQ3 Sustainability with the validity of the model being addressed below. The model. Is the current model more effective than alternatives?

• What were the constraints/strengths which led to the decision making for the current model? Is the

model valid or does it need refining?

The IVP Pilot is a unique program offering placements between National Societies within the Red Cross Red Crescent movement. It currently operates via the Australian Red Cross through the Volunteering Directorate (previously International Programs). The current model differs from the previous international volunteer iteration due to the duration of the assignments, location of the assignments and the provision for inter Red Cross capacity development throughout the Asia Pacific region through peer to peer mentoring. It must be noted this is an Australian Red Cross model and does not depend on any external funding. This is the only volunteer program that offers this kind of peer to peer work within the Red Cross Red Crescent movement.

The approach in the pilot is based on the notion of linking volunteering to existing National Society planning using the Organisational Capacity Assessment and Certification (OCAC) to facilitate self-assessment of capacity and performance issues. OCAC is an existing process that allows all National Societies to determine their organisational strengths and weaknesses and the best approaches for their self-development with clear and measurable targets.

The types of volunteering the pilot proposed used were: 1. Corporate volunteering

2. University volunteering

3. Peer to Peer or Movement volunteering within the Red Cross (could be extended to local volunteers to

achieve public access)

4. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Organisational Partnerships

5. Engagement with diaspora communities1

All of these volunteering types had the option of being face to face (in-country), online assignment or micro-volunteering initiatives. Tubb (2017), the consultant employed to write the International Volunteering Model Report which formed the basis of the program design, stated;

‘The central development process of the new model is a long-term organisational development of National Societies (long-term strategic direction, organisational relationships, and work practices) through sustained capacity development. The assumptions here are that the volunteer’s contribution will enable National Societies to address various capacity constraints and this, in turn, will address the performance issue/s central to organisational development. While the AVID program mapped assignments to National

1 International Volunteering Model Development Final Report & Project Plan Katherine Tubb 2017

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Societies and National Society development frameworks to an extent, taking this further and more formally is the essence of the new model.'2

Assignment length This section explores whether shorter assignments are more or less useful than long term assignments, and in what circumstances. One of the main changes from previous international volunteering models is the length of the assignment and the shift away from long-term assignments lasting between one and three years. As part of Australian Volunteers for International Development, Australian Red Cross aimed for its volunteers to support internally driven rather than externally-mandated change by serving the host organisation’s purpose, becoming part of its culture and helping it to realise and chart its future3. In recent years, Australian Red Cross’ international volunteering programs have emphasised a mutual exchange, including interpersonal relationships between individuals as a step in a broader process of capacity development of host organisations. The new pilot asserts that capacity development can still occur with shorter placements and via online communication. The evaluation found that there were mixed views on whether the shorter assignment model would be effective in delivering outcomes for National Societies. One funding partner stated in key documents from 2015 that three months for an assignment is too short. They don't believe that there is room for the volunteers to gain the depth that is needed to complete particular tasks. Worley Parsons noted “Three month assignments may have been too short for the scope of the project. Volunteers, both remote and in-country, noted the limitation of three-month assignments. Assignment length was again highlighted when mentioning the consideration of the size of the work. A remote volunteer wrote that ‘there needs to be much more time allotted to devise a meaningful solution in relation to the size of the problem. We were asked to complete an FS (feasibility study) for a "remote" public works project given three months that typically would take 12-18 months.”4 Program staff also raised concerns due to the messaging that ‘you will need 3- 6 months to settle into your assignment’ during the AVID program. National Society surveys and interviews also reflected this view. While assignments were able to be designed to fit and were completed within the three-month time frame National Societies, having been accustomed to having volunteers in-country for 12 – 24 months expressed their hesitance with the new timeframe.

‘…the biggest weakness of this program as per my understanding is that the period of three months is relatively small. So if it could have been extended to a substantial time frame, both the volunteer and hosting National Society could be benefited mutually. Three months is a very less time, and sometimes it just flies by in just understanding the country context5.’

‘I can't call it a weakness, but there is certainly an improvement area. When the assignment is huge, the duration of three months as specified might not be enough. I did suggest this earlier as well. I would stress it again that (if feasible) we can add a clause to extend the volunteering duration to six months. This is one area where we can improve.’6

Others held mixed views but ultimately understood and accepted the new time frame for assignments indicating while the length of the assignment has changed, there is still capacity for skills exchange and capacity development within the new context. This indicated understanding the shorter assignments meant empowering

2 The Contributions of former international volunteers to local and global development agendas. Prepared for Australian Red Cross by Dr. Martine Hawkes p 14 3 The Contributions of former international volunteers to local and global development agendas. Prepared for Australian Red Cross by Dr. Martine Hawkes p 16 4 Program Review – Red Cross & Worley Parsons Skilled Volunteers Pilot Program (July -September 2015) 5 National Society 3 6 National Society 5

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National Society staff to be the drivers of change with volunteers providing short term technical input into larger projects.

Again, that's not necessarily a bad thing; I guess it's just a smaller input to the previous kind of volunteers that the AVID program had which is a year at least. I know in my experience when I was a volunteer, I felt like a year wasn't even long enough to get things done. So I don't know how much people can get done in three months. But there's also the potential for it to work better that way because it is a small piece of work that people do and maybe it's more focused than the previous kind of assignments that we do.7

While previous volunteer programs had a longer assignment length, research has shown that capacity development is able to be achieved in a shorter time frame. In the Australian Red Cross’ End of AVID report written by Dr Martine Hawkes, ‘skills exchange' topped the list of outcomes reported by host organisations and volunteers. This finding is noteworthy for two reasons: the impact of these skills on host organisations' capacity to serve their communities; and the type of conditions that facilitate an exchange of skills between volunteers and their local counterparts. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development also emphasises that the transfer of knowledge and peer learning are strong mechanisms for capacity development – as long as they happen through engagement over a period, and are mutual.8 The Office of Development Effectiveness (ODE) found that long-term assignments are not necessarily the only way to develop capacity, stating;

“Volunteers contribute capacity mainly by sharing their knowledge and skills with the staff of host organisations. Although Host Organisations are confident they will retain this capacity once, the volunteer leaves the volunteers themselves are often less certain of this. However, host organisation satisfaction was not positively associated with long-term capacity development. Most host organisations were more focused on immediate capacity concerns rather than long-term development. This was even for organisations that hosted multiple volunteers.”9

Many AVIDs (including AYADs) were recruited with professional skills and undertook assignments expecting to be able to use these in a development setting. The reality was that most of the time it was the soft skills such as word processing, mail merge, English language, and excel skills that were the immediate value for Host Organisations.10 One of the primary target groups that the pilot is focussed on is Post Graduate university students as part of their study or post-graduation. While this type of volunteering is generally geared towards youth gaining experience and development within the sector much like AYAD program that sat within AVID the ODE report noted that this did not equate with the notion of volun-tourism or gap year assignments. The ODE evaluation indicated ‘it is a common misconception that AYADs are young and inexperienced and primarily agents for public diplomacy and personal development rather than capacity development. The overwhelming majority of AYADs interviewed for the evaluation had the significant professional experience required by their Host Organisation11'. Tubb (2017) notes in her Pilot report that ‘to meet the needs to National Societies … there will be various organisational support needs such as English language, editing, report writing, basic IT and fundraising support. These generic support functions, specifically requiring the input of English language assistance would suit an early workforce volunteer or University undergraduate seeking experience working with the humanitarian sector.”12 It should be noted however that the program only allowed postgraduate or masters level students to undertake assignments. While there is still contention around the length of IVP assignments, this discussion can be continued with National Societies as part of any future operating models.

7 National Society 16 8 The Contributions of former international volunteers to local and global development agendas. Prepared for Australian Red Cross by Dr. Martine Hawkes p15 9 Evaluation of the Australian Volunteers for International Development (AVID) program Office of Development Effectiveness January 2014 p 4 10 Evaluation of the Australian Volunteers for International Development (AVID) program Office of Development Effectiveness January 2014 p 4 11 Evaluation of the Australian Volunteers for International Development (AVID) program Office of Development Effectiveness January 2014 p49 12 International Volunteering Model Development Final Report & Project Plan Katherine Tubb 2017

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Online volunteering This section explains the relevance of online volunteering. The main findings have been that online volunteering is financially viable and promotes diversity through its flexibility, though is not always suitable for National Societies. Demand for online assignments are further unpacked in KEQ 3 Sustainability. Another change this pilot volunteering program brought for National Societies was being able to work with volunteers online. Program staff noted that this might be too much of a change for National Societies if the IVP only offered online assignments.

[the consultants] focus was very pure online, and we thought that was going to be too much for a shift for National Societies especially since that we were just coming out of Australian Volunteers for International Development and they were used to people being in-country and for people to be in-country for long periods of time. We felt we needed a staged approach where there was still the in-country component but was going to be far reduced to 3 months, but all of those roles would have an online component so they would start socialising and get that start.13

The Evaluation Report: Impact of UN Volunteers Online Volunteering service stated that one of the main benefits to remote online micro-volunteering was that ‘receiving organisations have benefitted regarding areas of distinctive contribution, with a focus on "access to services" which are readily assigned through the Internet. Even more important has been a contribution to mobilising a more diverse cadre of United Nations Online Volunteers. Not only has the opportunity for volunteerism been expanded through the United Nations Online Volunteering service and the substantial contribution of United Nations Volunteer Programme Officers in some countries, but specific target groups – persons with disabilities, women, youth and volunteers from developing countries – have gained access to these opportunities.'14 Ensuring volunteer diversity was challenging for previous volunteer programs. Within the ODE reporting period of 2011–12, no volunteers self-identified as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, and only two volunteers self-identified as having a disability within the AVID Program. This finding contrasts with 3 per cent of the Australian population identifying as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander and up to 19 per cent who self-report a disability15.16 United Nations Online Volunteers also reported that volunteers' satisfaction and development were the two primary outcomes of their online volunteer experience. For organisations, particularly those civil society organisations with limited resources, the impact of online volunteerism through United Nations Online Volunteers was significant. Organisations cited factors such as technical expertise, cost-effectiveness and flexibility as reasons to engage volunteers in both a full time and micro fashion. They also noted that in the absence of United Nations Online Volunteering service they would have had great difficulty meeting their development outcomes. Diversity within the IVP is further unpacked against KEQ3 Effectiveness. Research conducted by consultants before the launch of the program also highlighted the need for a more flexible approach to volunteering to ensure that the program would be open to people from all walks of life to take part in.

…the accessibility and diversity of people are always limited by cost. I’m talking about people in wheelchairs, with kids, etc. Also with working with indigenous communities. I reached out to a lot of community organisations, and that was another reason for the online model. You know there… things were brought to my attention like it wasn't normal for people to leave their communities for three months, it just wasn't a possibility. How do you open it up to different groups of Australian societies?17

13 Program Staff 6 14 Evaluation Report: Impact of UN Volunteers Online Volunteering service Rudy Broers, Independent Evaluation Consultant 15 While no volunteers self-identified in the survey as being Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders 3 out of the 27 assignments were filled by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander volunteers, with one sharing her story via interview in KEQ 2 16 Evaluation of the Australian Volunteers for International Development (AVID) program Office of Development Effectiveness January 2014 p49 17 Program staff 3

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Volunteers who weren't able to travel due to work or study commitments referred to the convenience of being able to complete assignments online

...It was flexible in the sense that it allowed me to work on my own time and pace. There were clear deadlines, and there were clear goals to work to, and there was a sense that I could work on my own time using a medium that I am comfortable with. I could choose the own hours I could work. The only restrictions were when it involved actual meeting, so when I had a meeting with a counterpart, we had to sort of arrange a sort of time, which was still flexible.18

Constraints A significant amount of program staff interviewed cited time was a constraint in developing the program prior to recruiting volunteers and that the program may have included an increase of localisation principles had that time been available. Pieces of work that needed to be completed with National Societies to begin the recruitment processes included policies and procedures that were to be co-designed, mapping partners to engage with assignments and a complex legal processes to arrange for National Societies to have volunteers report to them and for the National Societies to take legal responsibility for them.

I think it has done pretty well, it’s done as well as it was allowed. … the Australian Red Cross is a very… risk-averse place. …I think it was severely underestimated by the International Programs Leadership Groups and others about how long it takes to get a program like this off the ground19.

I think the concept behind it was really attractive, in the sense of taking skilled professionals in Australia who have expertise to offer and making that available to National Societies who couldn’t afford for consultants to come and do those things and then as a Corporate Social Responsibility opportunity as a professional development growth opportunity it has made work more enhancing for staff, I think all of that was a great concept, we just didn't have the time to flesh any of it out and test it20

These constraints are further explored in KEQ 2 Effectiveness. Design improvement

• What options are available to adapt the program design to build on strengths/overcome constraints –

to achieve overall balance in assignments, an also meet National Society needs / program objectives’?

As the program was in pilot phase it was able to adapt as it was rolling out. One key adaptation was moving the program from the International Programs Directorate to the Volunteering Directorate. This was done as a move to consolidate all Australian Red Cross volunteering programs and the start of looking to a ‘one stop shop' entrance for the public to get involved in Red Cross Volunteering. National Societies relied upon the IVP coordinator for support with program management aspects and use of the platform. Few are yet confident enough to be able to do this independently. Many noted that a reason the program was successful was due to the fact the IVP coordinator was able to provide guidance throughout these processes. Giving the program more time develop and giving National Societies more time to feel comfortable with the platform would retain the uniqueness of the program and allow the platform to be a broker between the National Societies and highly skilled volunteers as it was intended.

18 Volunteer 2 19 Program staff 7 20 Program staff 8

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…considering what we have been able to do to get the pilot to get to this point, really with just Paul. I

mean a few of us have pitched in where we needed to, but he's really done 95% of the work... it is

incredible. So I think with more resourcing we could have a lot more. Though I don't know if we needed to

achieve more to evidence the pilots' outcomes.21

Moving forward there are a number of opportunities to explore with the International Volunteering Program:

1. Online volunteering:

Whilst National Societies say they prefer in-country volunteers there seems to be a willingness to explore

online further. With the right support National Societies could begin to see this as a more viable option.

Given how cost-effective online volunteering is together with the market demand by volunteers

themselves this seems to be something to test further.

2. Skills specialisation:

There is an opportunity to build out opportunities around specific skills areas required by the National

Societies such as Finance, HR, and IT and create the network effect within these specialisations only to

start building scale and momentum.

3. 3rd Party Platforms

Develop an Application Program Interface (API) to be able to easily ‘feed’ opportunities in to other 3rd

party platforms such as corporate in-house systems or volunteer matching platforms such as Vollie and

SEEK Volunteer.

4. Sustainable Development Goals:

Corporates are putting an increasing focus on achieving the SDG’s. Linking the opportunities on the IVP

platforms with the SDG’s would add value to corporates and their CSR strategy.

5. Communication Tools:

Better integration of communication tools such as Zoom to facilitate engagement between National

Societies and online volunteers.

6. Matching of volunteer interests with opportunities:

As identified in the next section the key reason for volunteering is to gain new skills and/or professional

development opportunities with 23 volunteers indicating their motivation for volunteering was

professional development and a further 16 stating they would like volunteer to improve their skills.

Developing a better understanding of what professional/skills development volunteers are looking for

and enabling them to quickly identify these in the opportunity postings or job descriptions could be an

easy way increase customer value to the volunteers.

Addressing national society needs

• Is the International Volunteer Program design suited to addressing the needs of National Societies,

and providing attractive volunteer opportunities for target volunteer cohorts?

The design focused on localisation principles has allowed National Societies to direct what they need and own the assignments. The program could further grow to provide a wider range of attractive volunteer opportunities and suitable candidates.

21 Program staff 4

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The Platform The IVP operates through an online platform allowing National Societies, volunteers and Australian Red Cross to work together. Australian Red Cross operates as a broker in this, allowing National Societies the freedom to own the assignments. The platform used for the IVP was designed by Xrosswork and is an integral part of the IVP model. The platform was recommended by partner organisation Worley Parsons, a global engineering firm and partner of Australian Red Cross, who uses the platform to connect its staff from different offices throughout the world. The IVP coordinator and Xrosswork spent two months adapting the platform for the IVP from its original design in the corporate context. A team of seven volunteers and an additional 12 Australian Red Cross International Program staff volunteered to help the IVP coordinator test the platform before going live. These volunteers also helped to rebrand the platform and draft content and external communications for the platform. As of 20 August 2018, the majority of assignments had only been advertised within the closed platform. Two roles were able to be cross-posted and advertised on external websites as no suitable applications were received through the platform. National Societies who have access to the platform post assignments to a job board. Each assignment posting details the specific skills required, expected outputs, the duration and time commitment of the assignment, whether the assignment is online or in-country, and has an assignment description or ToR attached (if the assignment is over 40 hours total commitment). Assignments are then viewed and approved by the IVP platform administrators before going to live. The platform has an internal algorithm that sends push notifications to volunteers who have profiles that match the skills required for a particular assignment. To gain access to the platform prospective volunteers need to create a profile containing information about their background, qualifications, motivations, and select from a list of relevant skills. To apply for assignments a CV or equivalent must be attached to the profile for National Society to be able to assess the volunteers’ suitability. Assignments which are matched by the platform to users appear in a field known as the ‘Smart List’. This can then trigger the National Society to see they have a match and decide if they want to take further action or approach a potential volunteer. Once a volunteer is selected by a National Society the platform prompts NS managers and volunteers to complete a collaborative work plan. The platform also facilitates group communication as it allows dialogue and sharing attachments within its ‘collaborate’ functionality. This allows multiple volunteers to be able to complete one assignment. An example of this is a business development assignment that was with the Vanuatu Red Cross Society, see below.

Melbourne Business Practicum Four students from the University of Melbourne were able to partake in an assignment online and gain credit towards their degree. The students worked together on the attached assignment description and achieved the following outputs under the remote supervision of the Vanuatu Red Cross Society staff: 1. Review of the current fundraising activities of VRCS (including existing business/social enterprises) 2. Mapping of potential avenues for fundraising in Vanuatu, 3. Compile a spreadsheet of available small grants and potential donor organisations 4. Develop a basic business plan for at least one local fundraising opportunity. One member of the team had this to say about the experience22. Our team's goal was to gain experience of real-life problems and successfully provide solutions; gain confidence in presenting our case to the client, to improve our critical thinking, writing, presentation skills; to be able to work well as a team under time and pressure constraints. Through this experience, the team has learnt to be resourceful, given limited information/data available. We also learnt to work together as a team, embracing our differences and playing to each team member's strengths. The experience made it feasible to work with a diverse array of skills, talent and perspectives regardless of location. And the beauty of a system like this is that they can

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come to you without you having to actively search or scout them. There was once a time when being far apart was an inconvenience to collaboration. To work with someone, you'd have to travel long distances or pay a lot of money for long-distance phone calls. It could be such a drag that many people avoided it altogether and focused just on local resources and talent which limited their potential for growth.

The Vanuatu National Society stated: The business development/fundraising report will be utilised as the basis of an upcoming fundraising meeting. It has provided a discussion point and some ideas to the team on the potential for fundraising. Hopefully, if we are able to find funding for a business development position, this report will assist them in exploring the options available to Vanuatu Red Cross Society. The team did very well in the face of a number of challenges in collecting information. The report is a great starting point for us to discuss how we can make the Society more financially sustainable in the future.

The ability for volunteers to be able to say ‘I have this x amount of hours per week and these skills' means that National Societies can match time and skill sets much like a group project to ensure the specific pieces of work are completed. It also works well for volunteers who may want to contribute a few hours per week but are unable to commit to full time volunteering for the period of the assignment. The platform has a collaboration function whereby National Societies and Volunteers can interact together on the pieces of work. It allows comments to be posted and can create a conversation back and forth in a similar fashion to an email but with the transparency of the IVP coordinator, system administrators and National Society IVP focal points being able to see all and address issues if needed. This also allows the National Society full control of managing the volunteer’s work flow in both online and in-country assignments. When the assignment is completed the volunteer completes an end of assignment report which is signed off by National Societies. The volunteer and National Society manager then complete an appraisal of the volunteer’s technical and non-technical skills. Both parties can see what the other has written, and there is even a ‘reputation' rating whereby National Societies can see whether volunteers who have completed assignments have done so in a satisfactory manner when they are looking to recruit again. This platform allows for specific collaboration and capacity development between multiple parties and provides for numerous and diverse volunteer groups to contribute to the International Volunteer Program. Survey results shown in Figure 1 indicate general satisfaction from volunteers and National Societies with 22 respondents indicating they have been either very satisfied or satisfied with the platform and no respondents indicating that they were dissatisfied.

Volunteer cohorts and motivations. This section looks at whether the IVP is providing attractive volunteer opportunities for target volunteer cohorts. While we were not able to report on specific information regarding target volunteers, we did look at where

volunteers were being recruited from and what their primary interest in volunteering with the IVP is/would be.

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Figure 1 . How satisfied were all users (volunteers and National Societies) with the Xworks platform?

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The survey found that there was not a lot of variation in where volunteers where being recruited from. A quote from the online survey of volunteers stated

‘More dissemination of this IVP platform is required, there are very few people know about it, how it works, how people can contribute, this should be well disseminated - and only certain group of the people know about it, which should be shared widely.’23

This is also reflected in the survey numbers with the overwhelming number of respondents indicating they heard about the program through their universities. Figure 2 shows seventeen out of 35 volunteers surveyed stated they found out about the program through their university with only two stating they found out about it through ARC.

While the demand for volunteers has been reasonable the suitability of opportunities has not necessarily matched the supply of skills of volunteers to create an assignment match This is due in a large part to the inherent tension between how volunteers, in particular, corporate volunteers, want to contribute and the needs (or perceived need) of the National Societies for in-country volunteers. Demand for volunteers and the recruitment of volunteers is further expanded upon KEQ3 Sustainability.

23 Volunteer survey – unknown author.

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Figure 2. How did you find out about the International Volunteer Program?

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Figure 3. What is your motivation in becoming a volunteer?

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The majority of volunteers interviewed and surveyed indicated that their primary motivation for volunteering was to gain new skills and/or professional development opportunities. Figure 3 shows 23 indicating their motivation for volunteering was professional development and a further 16 stating they would like volunteer to improve their skills. While some program staff were surprised by this, they also agreed that if the National Society is getting something from the assignment and having their needs met then volunteers using the IVP as a basis for Professional Development is a win-win.

Professional development, to give back? I think it’s good for both. It's a win-win. It’s good for both as so many national societies are so under-resourced and they just can't bring in that skill set, so I think that if a professional gets exposure to do that kind of work and the National Society wants it and can get it and its of value to them then for that volunteer if it’s good for their career or if they just want to do it because it’s good for their career or because they want to do good, I think they both add value. I think you have to have volunteers who have the right value set, that’s a minimum requirement. I think other than that is ok. As long as the National Society is in control.24

Figure 4 shows that the sector volunteers are most interested in volunteering with is community development with 19 selecting this, almost double the second most preferred sector of education/ training with ten. If the program were to adopt an approach where it is working a lot more with external partners there is an opportunity to map the types of assignments that were being developed and target specific sectors. This would mean both volunteer, partner and National Society would be able to gain from the experience.

If the program is extended there is potential for it to be linked to other networks through the platform such as LinkedIn, or Facebook to open up the program and create a community of volunteers. Online communities facilitate spaces where volunteers are able to stay in touch with the program and are more likely to look at volunteering again.

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Figure 4. What sector are you interested in volunteering in?

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4.2 Effectiveness KEQ2. Effectiveness. How well have program delivery processes supported the achievement of outcomes? Process effectiveness

• Do current processes result in the recruitment of volunteers who have the skills, experience and

personal attributes appropriate to their placement, National Societies and cultural context?

Throughout the program 27 out of 33 assignments listed were filled. Of these 19 were online, and 8 in-country. Thirteen (13) of the 27 were peer to peer assignments within the Red Cross Red Crescent movement, with six assignments being group assignments and eleven (11) National Societies received volunteers. Of the six unfilled assignments, two assignments received zero applications, one received a suitable applicant who later withdrew to volunteer in Ethiopia, and three assignments received multiple suitable applications but the National Society manager resigned and recruitment could not take place.

All National Societies and IFRC representatives that were interviewed and surveyed said they felt empowered by the selection process of volunteers. They stated that with previous programs while qualifications and experience were counted, it was hard for them to get a sense of volunteer motivations and their attitude towards work and the challenges involved with working in foreign countries. Each National Society has so far been pleased with the personal attributes of the volunteers. Many stated they liked the autonomy the platform allowed them.

Since, we did the recruitment by ourselves we had positive feedback towards the recruitment. From among

pool of experts, we had the opportunity to select the one that suits the best to work on that assignment.

We would say since the program function was clear and flexible, we had the opportunity to select the best

candidate for the completion of our assignment.

There was a degree of hesitation by some National Societies to take on particular volunteers due to perceived limited skills and experience. They stated that while they were happy with the result of the assignment and the volunteers' attributes they would have preferred a more extensive and more qualified range of people to select from.

S/he wasn't well experienced, but then again, her/his commitment and dedication was enough to match our requirements.25 We compromised a little on the volunteer skill. Our regional [unspecified] advisor at [unspecified] also

warned us while recruiting the volunteer. We saw many online applicants interested, but very less in-

country volunteer applicants. So if we had the option to shortlist one from ten options, it could have been

better. So we were in a situation of choosing one from two. However, then again, the volunteer we

selected exceeded our expectations based on my reading. It was not that the profiles did not match at all.

It was just that we lacked options.26

This was also echoed by some National Societies concerning working with university students.

25 National Society 2 26 National Society 7

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This was my feedback too. If they were sending university graduates, that might not be acceptable …. We

already have enough competent experts.27

Through the surveys we conducted it was found that generally, both National Societies and Volunteers believed they were an adequate match with National Societies indicating they were either very satisfied or satisfied with the volunteers’ skills. One challenge in recruitment has been that volunteers noted some difficulty in knowing if assignments were still active to be applied for on the platform due to expired estimated end dates. Assignments may have been posted and not filled and remained on the platform with dates that had not been updated to reflect extended time frames. This may have been due to National Societies not feeling comfortable with updating assignment information on the platform, or not having the time to undertake administration activities.

…there was some difficulty in the first one in terms of the deadlines for the dates set for the assignments. Initially I was looking for assignments you had dates that were on the still looking for applications that were say four or five months ago and technically they were expiring and they were still on there so I didn't know what was the situation and what I found out depending on the person on the representative for the National Societies is that the dates could be pretty flexible, I wasn’t sure if the date were set or not.28

This view was also shared by National Societies who stated they found the IVP difficult to adapt to. At times during recruitment National Societies have not been ready to take on volunteers even when they have written assignment descriptions and been through the recruitment process.

I have another online volunteer for [unspecified], but [unspecified], insisted on having someone who was familiar with grant writing so I posted an assignment.. Then [unspecified], was very slow in taking it, and I don't want to push for it. The volunteer is already very keen and her credentials very good, and [unspecified], was very happy to have those credentials working with them but they were slow and I don't want to push for [the volunteer] to come in because if there is no strong commitment for the National Societies to engage with her I don't want the volunteer to come there because she will become so frustrated because there will be no movement. The motivation needs to be there for the National Societies. I think we ended up losing [the volunteer], but I think it's a better option than having her inside then leaving her hanging later on. Because even if the National Societies ask for it and then if they are bombarded later on with other priorities... the lesson learned is that I really need to make sure that the National Societies will really allocate time.29

• Is suitable recognition given to ensuring diversity in the mix of volunteers, consistent with Red Cross'

policies on gender, disability-inclusive development and reconciliation?

As mentioned in KEQ1 the United National Volunteer evaluation of online volunteering stated that the ability to work remotely opened up many options for a diverse range of volunteers. The uniqueness of the program focussing on National Societies within the Red Cross Red Crescent movement has meant it is no longer just Australians going to support National Societies overseas. The design of the program has meant that National Societies within the movement can come to Australia and teach and support the work Australian Red Cross is doing but also within the Asia Pacific region in a peer to peer setting. An objective of the program was to provide an experience for individuals who would not always have a chance to benefit from this experience.

This volunteer 30 undertook a three-month in-country assignment and has taken on a second assignment online

27 National Society 7 28 Volunteer 2 29 National Society 1 30 Volunteer 4

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Look I think it's terrific for people like me who can't spend a year overseas. To get some international experience

and it's a pretty amazing experience, it's a life-changing experience. I'm just talking from my experience as a

mother with kids; it's just really hard to toddle off for a year or even six months. However, with this one you're

still getting the international cross-cultural experience even if you're doing it online. And I also, even on the online

experience I think it's just made me a much wiser person. One thing I reckon I have learnt… you know my father is

Ngadjuri from South Australia, so I thought I was culturally competent. And I worked with [unspecified] years and

done all this stuff. But it was different. And I learnt a lot about not judging other people's culture. [unspecified]

people are beautiful people but they are very strong in what they want. Aboriginal people don't speak up with

what they want; they are shy. If the [unspecified] people want a certain outcome, they will get that outcome. I

just was pretty upset when I got there, well not upset. The assignment changed to fundraising, and they needed

that. So who am I to judge what they need. They didn't hit me across the head, they didn't hurt me. And I spoke

to someone, and they said ‘it's their land it is their culture it's what they do' I think it's changed the way I do stuff

in Australia too. I just wanted to thank them for giving me a chance. I'm a bit older than most. A 52-year-old

indigenous woman. My chances and opportunities are limited, so I really thank them for that. And they really

were good to me. I was funded in(country)too. It was the best thing that could have happened.

Throughout the pilot 13 of the 27 assignments filled were peer to peer with volunteers from the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement. An example of this is an assignment that was through the Asia Pacific Migration Network (APMN), the migration focal points from the Australian Red Cross and Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS).

A ‘safe migration toolkit' for Nepal Red Cross Society A volunteer from the Nepal Red Cross Society volunteered with the Australian Red Cross for one month The toolkit aimed to consolidate the migration experiences, previous activities and future opportunities in Nepal RC into a tangible document to help progress the migration agenda in NRCS, in line with previous Movement policies, resolutions and commitments relating to migration. A member of the NRCS senior leadership presented on the toolkit during the APMN General meeting in Bangkok 2018, which was attended by 17 National Societies. The toolkit was well received and National Societies were interested in learning more about how it could be adapted into different country contexts. Saagar also presented this work to the senior leadership when visiting Nepal. The toolkit aims to be a living document and will go through iterations as it is piloted in the National Society branches and with volunteers, and is a means to sensitize and inform NRCS colleagues of the unique Red Cross Red Crescent role in assisting and protecting vulnerable migrants at all stages of their journey. As the APMN is focused on peer to peer learning and capacity building (amongst other activities), the process undertaken by NRCS in developing the assignment may be replicated in different National Society context in the future

While the peer to peer nature of the IVP allows a diverse mix of volunteers the survey results from volunteers regarding their age showed the majority of volunteers where aged 25 – 34. This corresponds to information found in KEQ 1 showing that the primary place volunteers had found about the program was through their university.

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The peer to peer nature of the IVP with the addition of the flexibility of online volunteering gives great promise for the IVP to be able to enrol a diverse range of volunteers as the program grows.

• Are there clear policies and procedures explaining how volunteers should be used – individually and

collectively – to develop the capacity of National Societies and contribute to S2020 outcomes?

As mentioned throughout this report there have been multiple comments from program staff and National Societies regarding time frames for the creation of all supporting materials for the programs. While program staff felt rushed and frustrated there was not enough time to do a complete co-design process with National Societies to look at policies and procedures, many pieces of work were completed by Australian staff and passed through the IVP Reference group with little or no input. Some program staff mentioned the difficulty in getting policies and procedures through Australian Red Cross’ rigid processes. Others felt there was an assumption that because Australian Red Cross had run international volunteer programs previously that the creation of new documents could be done quickly.

I think a big one was time and that anything that was going to happen had to be rushed and then if we were trying to test the template for an assignment description for National Societies instead us sitting down together and then putting it together, they didn't have time for us, so we develop it and then we would send it to them and they would say oh that looks ok, or not say anything and then instead. So everything became rushed, so we'd design it and pull out and push people to give feedback I think it was just time and everything happened quickly, and there could have been some scope for some genuine co-design with National Societies.31

Concerns were raised by National Society representatives that some assignments might not be linked to the National Societies Organisational Capacity Assessment and Certification and Branch Organisational Capacity Assessment. Similarly, concerns were raised about the need for International volunteer assignments to contribute toward and align with National Society Development plans and priorities at a broader IFRC and movement level. Notwithstanding this National Societies have opted to developed assignments to address their strategic requirements, based on their own assessments.

I think the biggest weakness is the always the big risk or potential or not aligning to commitments that the National Society has within OCAC and BOCA with the regional office, and National Society office and then having a

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Figure 5. Age of volunteers surveyed

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volunteer who is not aware of these commitments and then comes in and just does their thing.. I think that will really derail. That will cause issues it will cause tensions. You will have a product in the end which may not be the product that it should be..32 Programs and on-boarding processes were simplified which meant that volunteers and National Societies were able to work together faster due to not having on-board to Australian Red Cross and Australian domestic legislative requirements. The localisation principles adopted meant that the processes adopted were suitable for each particular National Society. This is further expanded upon in KEQ 4 Appropriateness.

Australian Red Cross … we have some ridiculously bureaucratic processes that the organisation hangs onto because the organisation feels comfortable with them and that’s ok. But if you lift those up and put them on Kiribati Red Cross nothing will happen. So we have to make the processes as light as they could to ensure it was suitable. That was important to us. That the National Society didn't feel like we were doing anything to them but they were requesting our support and we were helping them.33

This has meant that processes such as risk are now owned by National Societies, though the rigour of these processes have not been tested as there have been no major incidents as yet. While one volunteer citied they had broken their arm and were looked after well in country, the pilot has not tested incidents where things have not gone well. The uniqueness of the legal relationship of the program with National Societies and Australian Red Cross as a broker for volunteers could open up challenges if a serious incident were to occur.

And what someone of the reputational risks and other risks, like if something were to happen to an Australian volunteer in another country and for us to say we brokered this relationship but we bear no responsibility there are still a few things we need to explore further.34

Some volunteers who went in-country raised issues about briefings before departure. Some said they were treated as if they were going to a delegate position in a high-risk country, also raising concerns around the relevance of security briefings for IVP assignments.

We got a security briefing... What happens is that they try to scare you … so you are kind of aware, but for

someone who has never been to a briefing like that before we were like where are we going because the

security person said all this stuff that was scary. So I think some of the information needed to be a bit

updated.35

It would be prudent to review the processes and procedures post-pilot and incorporate learnings to ensure that

information shared with volunteers is relevant and suitable for the IVP. While it may be tempting to replicate

pieces of work and processes that are already in place within ARC, the IVP is an independent program and should

have relevant pre departure information that reflects it as such.

Progress towards outcomes

• What progress has been made by the International Volunteer Program Pilot towards achieving its

intended outcomes?

The two end of program outcomes the IVP intended to achieve are:

1. National Society Capacity is increased in alignment with National Society Development (NSD) Plans and

priorities

32 National Society 1 33 Program staff 4 34 Program staff 5 35 Volunteer 1

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2. The IVP has the ability to be self-generating, self-sustaining and self-organised.

The financial viability of the program will be addressed in KEQ 3 Sustainability. Throughout the program 27 out of 33 assignments listed were filled. Of these 19 were online, and 8 in-country. As mentioned earlier 13 of 27 of them were peer to peer assignments within the Red Cross Red Crescent movement, with six assignments being group assignments. In total 200 volunteer users registered on the platform and 34 were successful in securing either an individual assignment or a group assignment National Societies who received volunteers during the pilot were:

Australian Red Cross

Cook Islands Red Cross

IFRC Asia Pacific – Malaysia

IFRC CCST Pacific - Fiji

IFRC North Pacific sub-office on behalf of Micronesia, Marshall Islands and Palau Red Cross

Societies

IFRC PMO – Cox’s Bazar Response

Mongolia Red Cross Society

Nepal Red Cross

Philippine Red Cross

Vanuatu Red Cross Society

Vietnam Red Cross Society

While it is too early in the process to look at the long-term impact of assignments that have taken place over the past year, there have been clear examples of progress towards increasing National Society capacity. It should also be acknowledged that impacts will vary from National Society to National Society. The two examples below are indicative of the types of assignments the IVP has produced and the relationships the program has with broader Red Cross community.

A volunteer who went to a National Society to complete a Volunteer Management assignment was then recommended her to another National Society to assist them with a volunteer strategy. Volunteer 1: I think definitely the fact that we have Red Cross has all these different National Societies around the world it’s always a bit surprising that this wasn’t already happening. So when you meet people and you say you work for the Red Cross they always say ‘oh so you go overseas, oh that and BLOOD'. Everyone knows it's an international movement. And it's not really reflected I mean it is in our very diverse workforce but actually seeing and knowing what other National Societies do, I don't think the average person in the office really has any idea. And when I actually went to Mongolia, I mean I think Australia is sometimes forgotten or forgets because we are so far away always, but being in Mongolia and seeing the team there and being able to go to conferences in Hong Kong and Malaysia and that real sense of Red Cross being one big family. I think the pilot helped Australia be a bit more involved in that. National Society 10 She contributed to a lot of things to our National Society. For example, a lot of us didn't know volunteer policies. We had a volunteer policy. But still, we couldn't really update to international level. So she was an expert on that. And she was very good on writing skills, her English was perfect. That helped a lot of our staffs. We learned a lot of words in English, a lot of writing skills, on exactly the volunteering part. So it was good. As for the strengths, the volunteers introduced with the National Society activities and came up with ideas on what we were planning and trying to do in a very short period of time. In particular, they actively worked on helping us with the volunteer

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management or improving the policy and programs on the volunteers. There is a very limited legislative environment and lack of regulating the volunteer activities in Mongolia. However, during this period we could learn from the best practices of the Australian volunteers, found responses to such questions as How to regulate the legal issues of the volunteers? What should be the legislature? As well, we involved the Australian volunteers in our discussions on law drafts and law processing. It was a big strength.

A volunteer worked online with a National Society to complete a business review on First Aid Programs. The quotes below show how the IVP is able to have significant reach even when assignments are online. Volunteer 2: The changes that I am aware of because I was working on the providing a business review on the first aid program for a National Society in the Pacific. And there were lots of challenges working in there. But in terms of changes, we were able to get the people involved to start thinking about different ways of designing the first aid program in terms of a business perspective to make it finically sustainable. And I think that affects the businesses and the areas that they are used to operating in. Prior to that review, I would say there is a certain...There is a change in how first aid coordinators think about their relationships with businesses and how that influences the different programs. I was told the difference through a report that the people who are involved in the work. From that the reports there, for instance, we looked at cutting expenses and ways of affecting the cost of providing first aid in terms of materials that we have provided what from what I have heard and what is reported they are looking at new ways to develop and they are following the recommendations that I have provided. National Society 1: Because he was also working directly with me I was able to facilitate as well because he's not Red Cross person, so I was able to help. One of the objectives was for him to... to review the first aid program of the National Society to make it a more income generator, because the net profit isn't a significant income to the income stream. We know the reasons through lots of discussions in the office but there are no defiant reasons why. They also know that they spend a lot on this and that... we really wanted to have a single document that will consolidate all these issues and to improve on so they will have more net profit. So that's what he did. But even before that because he is not a Red Cross person I wanted him to have a bigger view on what the Red Cross is about with comparison with of what he is looking at in the National Society. Because in the end, the Red Cross is a community, it's a global movement there will be similarities and differences, with first aid as well. The idea of a Red Cross First Aid as an income stream is fairly common across the movement and it will only be different from the demographics of the National Society or the branches. So I ask him and I link him to other National Societies like Micronesia and another branch in the Philippines to give him an overview as well as what he could do with the National Society he is volunteering for. And he has also other views that help him with his engagement with the National Society that he came to and it did help him with his review. So in that sense, I think he did very well. Our final report was just shared by the health coordinator of the National Society and they are considering the recommendations made in there. Which in a way was already validated by the health coordinator before he finalised his report. It's because it's a new voice, it's not just my voice talking about how the business must have good income contribution how do we improve efficiency and effectiveness in the business side of the service that will sustain the National Society.

4.3 Sustainability KEQ3. Sustainability. How well has the program established processes and outcomes which are likely to be enduring? Financial sustainability

• Is International Volunteer Program likely to be financially self-generating, self-sustaining and self-

organised?

At the start of the pilot it was anticipated that the platform would be financially self-generating, self-sustaining and self-organised. In order to understand whether this is indeed the case we need to look at each individually.

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Self-generating: In order for the platform to be ‘self-generating’ National Societies need to be creating and posting their own opportunities without the intervention of a third party. To date however this has rarely been the case at least until National Societies become familiar with the platform. This has meant that the Program Manager has been actively working with the National Societies to plan, scope and post opportunities on to the platform. This included identifying and scoping relevant opportunities, advising on the creation of a (mandatory) position description and approving each posting. Further, the success of the platform is highly dependent on who is championing the initiative within the National Society. Where there is a local champion who will actively source opportunities there is increased likelihood of ownership of the process as opposed to where there is no local champion or it is not a high priority for the individual tasked with managing the initiative. Interestingly, the initiative has had greater traction when it was not managed by the volunteering team within a National Society but rather a senior Manager or director who has a robust understanding of the strengths, capacities and needs of their National Society and who can animate fellow National Society staff to identify and develop meaningful volunteer assignments. In future, National Societies could be given more guidance and support in selecting the best local champion to be the IVP volunteering focal point. Another factor which impacts whether the platform is self-generating is ensuring adequate supply of appropriately skilled volunteers. From recent research conducted by Australian Red Cross and Latitude Network, we know that various different cohorts of highly-skilled volunteers are interested in accessing online and in-country volunteer assignments. 36 However, reaching these volunteers is less likely and more time consuming through a private platform only available to volunteers from corporate, university, National Societies, diaspora and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community partners. The pilot began with an insufficient number of volunteer providing partners (two corporate and two University partners), and it took several months for an adequate number of volunteers to enter the platform in order to match with assignments that National Societies were posting. To combat this problem, the IVP Program Manager developed additional partnerships with three universities and three corporate partners from February - July 2019. The decision was also made to develop a publicly viewable volunteer assignment post so that volunteers who do not have an account can express interest in a particular role and register to join the platform at the same time. This new feature enables National Society and IVP program Manager to target groups of volunteers who are not currently in the platform and it makes the platform ‘semi-private’ or a partially closed platform. This increase in partner numbers coupled with the introduction of volunteers who are not linked to a partner may limit the ability of ARC to institute a subscription fee (see below) and may also result in higher platform subscription costs as the number of users begin to grow. Self-sustaining: The International Volunteering Platform was intended to be financially sustainable through ‘innovative funding approaches’1 These funding approaches included subscription fees to corporates and universities of up to $50,000 per annum as well as income derived from International Humanitarian training services. It was expected that the ‘self-financing aspect of the model will ultimately enable its scalability as a legitimate global human resource platform within the movement allowing wide scale access and impact.’ To date this has not been the case with the training services terminated due to a variety of factors including a lack of demand for training courses and growing costs associated with running the courses.. This diminished income stream coupled with insufficient efforts to explore corporate appetite to pay an access subscription for the platform, resulting in this assumption of the business model never being tested with corporate partners. The assumption that corporates would want to pay for a platform that provides ‘wide scale access to diverse skilled volunteering opportunities’2 may well be sound however the challenge has been in getting the critical mass of opportunities that would provide value to a corporate or university.

36 Red Cross Project Beehive: Focus Group Research Findings & Implication – Final Report. Latitude network. Russ Wood & Dale Renner (3rd May 2018) p.6-8

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Further work is required to better understand product market fit or the degree to which this product satisfied strong market demand. As a first step we would need to clearly determine who the target customer is (Corporate, National Society, University or Volunteer) and develop a proposition that delivers significant customer value.

Fig.1 Product/Market Fit Diagram Self-organising: Much like the issues with ‘self-generating’ the ‘self-organising’ element of the program has also proven to be unrealistic at least in the short to medium term. Again, particularly as some National Societies are introduced to the platform they require substantial support to manage their assignments and their volunteers successfully. Whilst it was anticipated that the collaborative nature of the technology would enable volunteers and National Societies to self-govern a range of interactions3, intervention from the program manager has still been required in many instances.

• Can the model generate the revenue needed to be self-sustainable?

Whilst it would not be impossible for the program to, at a minimum become self-funding, it is unlikely to generate any significant revenue in its current form. This is due to a number of factors including:

a) Corporates don’t like paying for platforms especially if they already have their own in-house volunteer

matching platform (ie. National Australia Bank),

b) Where corporates have their own platform it takes time to overcome barriers with integration,

c) Efforts required to create the ‘network effect’ and ensure there are the right number and type of

opportunities to meet the demand.

Conversations with Katrina Hudson, Manager SEEK Volunteer, have highlighted the extremely long ‘ramp up’ time for corporates to sign up to a volunteer matching service and the level of client relationship management required, especially for such a niche platform like IVP, would be a significant investment. Whilst unlikely to become a source of income for the IVP corporates are a source of highly skilled volunteers if we can solve the integration and matching issues. Interviews conducted during the evaluation do however point to an opportunity for National Societies to contribute financially to the program. There were several comments highlighting the fact that National Societies were getting access to ‘international expertise in a cost efficient way’ and that if they had to recruit an external consultant or international delegate to do the same job it would have been incurred at a significant cost. For example, a 3-month delegate deployment costs approximately $47,000 while a 3-month IVP in-country assignment costs approximately $5,000-10,000 depending on deployment location and volunteer background.[1]

[1] Current RCRC staff and volunteers are eligible for a fully-funded 3-month in-country volunteer assignment, which costs approx. $10,000 and covers flights, accommodation, health clearance, daily living allowance, insurance, visas and pre-deployment training. For successful applicants who are not current RCRC staff or volunteers a 3-month in-country deployment covers accommodation, health clearance, insurance and pre-deployment training and they are responsible for flights, visas and living expenses..

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Similarly, if the National Society were to add this piece of work to an existing staff member this too would come at an additional cost of reduced capacity of that staff member to complete other work. There may, therefore be an opportunity to scope a business model in which the National Societies pay a fee for service/access. The ‘Pay-per-Posting’ option is an established marketplace model and a version of this pay-per-posting price model could be adapted and tested with National Societies as not only does it have the potential for raising income but also means that National Societies have more ‘skin in the game’ and may be more likely to invest time in creating and managing their volunteer projects. This pay-per-posting model would involve a significant culture shift for National Societies and the broader movement so perhaps phasing this minor cost-recovery measure in over a period of time or requesting this cost be covered by Partner National Societies, the IFRC CCSTs or National Societies with a certain turnover is a softer way to introduce such a measure. Another funding model that is worth further exploration is a cost-sharing model for in-country deployments, whereby the volunteer, host NSs, Partner NSs, the IFRC are ARC’s International Program, or a combination of these actors, share the aforementioned costs associated with deploying in-country volunteers.[2] A similar cost-sharing model could be developed for online assignments, albeit a much smaller price tag.

Demand from national societies

• What demand do National Societies have for volunteers provided through the International Volunteer

Program? Does the level of demand vary for online or in-country volunteers?

All eight National Societies who answered the survey and those interviewed expressed interest in having volunteers through the IVP. The interviews and surveys conducted found that the level of demand varied between National Societies and volunteers regarding whether they preferred assignments to be online or in-country. Fifteen out of sixteen National Societies interviewed stated they would prefer in-country volunteers due to cultural normalities of working with people face to face, slow internet, or having little confidence using the platform. Many also expressed that while they had strong feelings about working with people in-country they also accepted that it might be an outdated form of volunteering and appreciated the financial benefits of being able to work with a volunteer online. This ties in strongly with information presented earlier against KEQ1 stating that National Societies would need time to adopt this model of volunteering.

[2] The A cost-sharing model for in-country deployments was successfully used for several deployments during the IVP pilot, however, in all cases the costs were shared by ARC’s international programs country staff when they saw strategic alignment with their portfolio’s.

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In contrast to this, eight volunteers we interviewed and surveyed stated they would prefer to volunteer online due to the convenience of the being able to take on work in a flexible manner and not have to give up jobs, study and family commitments to be a part of the program. Three volunteers did state that there would be a benefit in going in-country relating to getting to know the work and the people they would be working with, along with the culture of the particular National Societies. While the pilot has shown that many volunteers prefer online volunteering, this may not always be the case and worth exploring in future iterations of the IVP. Corporates are very unlikely to want to send staff on 3 month in-country assignments, and individuals themselves prefer online opportunities as they can incorporate them easily into their lifestyles providing flexibility to work at their own pace. However, some university students are open to undertaking in-country assignments as they tend to have less family and work commitments and see in-country assignments as an opportunity to build their experience, especially those Masters students looking to break into the Humanitarian sector. There were also references made to hybrid assignment where either volunteers began or completed their assignments in-country but spent the majority of the assignment working online. National Societies also mentioned they would like more control over whether assignments are online or in-country, and felt the decision-making process in this area lacked autonomy.

We can say that the level of competency we required, there was a qualified, experienced, and energetic volunteer to satisfy our needs. However, understanding our context in Nepal, we asked for an in-country volunteer; but the volunteers with our required level of expertise wasn't available for in-country. We didn't want to lose this opportunity of a qualified human resource. Therefore, we hired the volunteer under the condition that s/he had to come to Nepal for at least a week. What I feel about this is we aren't well developed with technology as compared to Australia. To understand the in-country experience and in-country reality in countries like Nepal, online volunteering might not be 100% reliable.37

5.4 Appropriateness

KEQ4. Appropriateness. To what extent has the program aligned with supporting locally led humanitarian action? The design of the model is aligned with supporting locally led humanitarian action. The program has supported National Societies and allowed for skill and information sharing within the Movement. The program has a focus on peer to peer exchanges between National Societies and has attempted to shift control of Human Resource processes regarding international volunteers to National Societies. While the previous volunteer program Australian Red Cross has worked on had very strict targets that needed to be met and sectors which the

37 National Society 3

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

Online In-country No preference

Figure 6. Are volunteers and National Societies more interested in online or in-country assignments?

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Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade prioritised work in, this iteration/program has been led by National Societies and has even allowed for volunteers to come to Australia and for the Australian Red Cross to be seen as a volunteer receiving National Society.

I don’t think Australian Red Cross had ever received an international volunteer in the past. I think those

changing power dynamics are really important.38

Throughout the pilot, the IVP coordinator has provided support to National Societies through each stage of the program cycle when National Societies have requested such support. Importantly, the IVP coordinator has not made key decisions regarding how the program should operate in each National Society. As such National Society staff have been responsible for identifying their National Society needs and possible assignments, designing assignment descriptions, shortlisting and interviewing candidates, managing volunteers and evaluating volunteer performance. If the program continues it may take time for National Societies to feel comfortable with driving every aspect of the IVP, however, this will be fundamental to it being able to be self-sustaining. Ensuring National Societies have program management support and processes in place to design appropriate assignments, successfully recruit volunteers and manage them effectively should still be supported by a program coordinator. This is especially true for smaller National Societies who may not have the time and HR resources to successfully implement the entire program cycle. This does not mean that National Societies do not have control of the program, more so a resource to assist them to get the best from it.

I think it’s got huge potential [the program]. …. One of the strengths it is designed with the localisation

principles in mind. Not just national society support, but that people were volunteering with National

Societies, not with Australian Red Cross. We [are] a broker. Also, I think that is really fundamental that if an

Australian Red Cross person is engaging, then it is someone we have helped directly engage with that national

society. So they had no reporting responsibilities to us, they aren't accountable to us39.

In this regard, there are several aspects of the program that National Societies cannot or will not want to become responsible for. These include recruiting volunteer candidates from non-movement partners to the platform, communicating and engaging with prospective volunteer pool, developing corporate and university partnerships, coordinating the deployment of in-country volunteers. ‘Going Local Achieving a more appropriate and fit-for-purpose humanitarian ecosystem in the Pacific’ a report commissioned by the Australian Red Cross, financed by the DFAT and prepared by the Centre for Humanitarian Leadership, Fiji National University and Humanitarian Advisory Group looks at what is needed to achieve localisation. In a section called ‘What needs to change' they highlight a number of recommendations called ‘moving forward. Many of these are key elements of the International Volunteer Program and show its alignment to supporting locally led humanitarian action. These include and are not limited to;

Enable national actors to determine the TOR of any required international deployments and to manage

performance appraisals

National Societies designed volunteer assignment descriptions (ToRs) based on their own OCAC, strategic

plans or needs assessment. National Society Managers were also responsible for managing volunteer

performance appraisals using an End of Assignment Report template which volunteers submitted to them

for approval and also an inbuilt application in the IVP platform which guided National Society managers

through a performance appraisal of volunteer technical and non-technical skills.

38 Program staff 8 39 Program staff 5

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Review all human resources policies with a localisation lens.

The IVP coordinator and IVP Reference Group intentionally designed the HR policies for the International

Volunteer Program to give as much control and flexibility to each respective National Society on their

terms, within their context.

No lead roles should be given to international staff.

Volunteer roles are clear in prescribing that the volunteers are there to support National Society staff.

Volunteers report directly to National Society Managers and have a counterpart within the National

Society to exchange skills and knowledge with.

Reconsider the use of international consultants

The program opened up the ability for peer to peer learning drawing from experts within the movement.

The program also introduced online or remote volunteering which reduced financial barriers of travelling

for consultants from National Societies.

Consider flexibility in standards and adaptation to national and local conditions.

National Societies were able to dictate what worked for them

Develop policies in consultation with those they will impact40.

A co-design process was initiated prior to the launch of the program. IVP Reference Group established to

co-design policies, procedures and tools. This Reference Group endorsed all major policies and

procedures, however, this was very time consuming and burdensome on some National Societies. In

future, it would be good to support National Societies more by investing more financial resources in co-

design to alleviate this burden of co-designing such processes.

The report also states ‘Enabling national actors to define and engage with localisation on their own terms and in their own language.’41 This program could have pushed every piece of the program cycle onto National Societies, however during the consultation process to set up the pilot, National Societies were able to pick and choose which activities they wanted to be a part of with the support of the IVP coordinator. we were always thinking of having more peer to peer, more two way opportunities and we are in the early stages of this. but being able to see someone help from one Pacific island to another. I think it’s something that is something that is a real virtue should we be able to get it up and running and scaled up for example someone from the Pacific coming to Australia for a little while You can almost summarise it, it is taking volunteering away from the whole white knight syndrome, it's a two-way street, and making it more about self-organising. We're a broker we don't have to control [it].There were some big legal obstacles to get over …, but I think it is a big accomplishment42.

5. Conclusion This evaluation has found that the International Volunteer Program model is valid and effective in addressing the needs of National Societies. The design of the program has allowed for unique experiences for the National Societies and volunteers who participated, allowing for learnings and skills sharing within the Red Cross, Red Crescent Movement. Localisation was a key part of the program and can be seen clearly throughout it, in terms of delivery, the peer to peer nature of assignments, and National Societies owning the process. The IVP was also

40 ‘Going Local Achieving a more appropriate and fit-for-purpose humanitarian ecosystem in the Pacific’ 2017 Centre for Humanitarian Leadership, Fiji

National University and Humanitarian Advisory Group p 26-28 41 ‘Going Local Achieving a more appropriate and fit-for-purpose humanitarian ecosystem in the Pacific’ 2017 Centre for Humanitarian Leadership, Fiji

National University and Humanitarian Advisory Group p 34 42 Program staff 5

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found to be closely aligned to recommendations outlined in ‘Going Local, Achieving a more appropriate and fit-for-purpose humanitarian ecosystem in the pacific’. Eleven (11) National Societies have received 34 volunteers working on 27 individual and group assignments. These volunteers were suitable for the roles and have delivered outcomes which National Societies have found beneficial. Volunteers were able to adapt to the online platform and the program was flexible enough to meet volunteer needs. The International Volunteer Program coordinator has also played a key role in maintaining the momentum of the program through the recruitment of volunteers, supporting National Societies and finding partners for the program. The peer to peer nature of assignments as well as the option to be able to volunteer online opened up opportunities for a diverse range of volunteers to take part in the IVP. While not all National Societies were comfortable with online assignments there was a willingness to learn and adapt. The report also found that National Societies have an ongoing appetite to continue engaging with the IVP in the future. Notwithstanding the positive findings in the evaluation regarding appropriateness and effectiveness of the model, the evaluation has also shown that the business case underpinning the financial viability of the IVP was flawed. Therefore, if Australian Red Cross or the broader movement want to continue the program, alternative sources of funding must be found and a new business model developed. A key challenge identified through this evaluation has been a lack of time to complete key pieces of work prior to the launch of the program. Based on the evidence there are good early signs to show the effectiveness of the program, though it must be noted that it was a pilot and there are still areas that need to be adjusted. There is a willingness by all involved to make the program a success. Below we have outlined key recommendations we feel would add to the delivery of the program. 1.2 Recommendations

• Localisation should remain at the forefront as a priority of the program.

• The International Volunteer Program to continue with a program coordinator to support National

Societies to operationalise the platform, recruit volunteers to the platform and support National

Societies where needed.

• Support is provided to National Societies on how volunteers are used (mapping to OCAC and BOCA)

• National Societies are given more time to adapt to having volunteers online

• The platform is trialled in a country where internet is poor. Adjustments can be made to the platform

so it can be used throughout the movement.

• The platform is shared with a wider variety of potential volunteers (through corporate partnerships

and universities)

• Assignment mapping to be undertaken to understand what volunteers and National Societies want to

ensure a pool of people can be used to fit National Society needs.

• National Societies could be given more guidance and support in selecting the best local champion to

be the IVP volunteering focal point.

• A Business model canvass to be developed with detailed consideration of product/market fit and

alternative sources of funding and revenue.

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Attachment One: Program Logic

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Attachment Two Interviews with National Societies and Program Staff Intro 1. Introduction: consent; name, role in IVP? 2. About you: professional 3. Describe your involvement in the program? What program activities have you been involved in? 4. How many volunteers have you hosted (both online and in country)? Relevance 1. Have you used or are you aware of other volunteer programs? (Please name and cite engagement) 2. What do you see as the strengths of the IVP program in relation to these other programs you may have

been involved with? 3. Do you see any weaknesses in the IVP? If so what are they and how could they improve? 4. How flexible is the program to adapt in order to meet your needs? 5. What was/is the NS motivation in recruiting volunteers? Effectiveness 1. How well did the recruitment process meet your expectations? Comment on materials,

policies/procedures, support, the online platform and time spent on the assignments. 2. How well did your volunteer/s skills match the requirements of the assignment? 3. Can you describe any changes (positive or negative) that the volunteer may have contributed towards?

These might be individual skills transfer, organisational capacity, contributing to organisational goals, outside the orgsanisation etc. What is it about the volunteer placement that supported these changes?

4. Is the Xworks platform satisfactory? Do you have any suggestions to improve the platform? 5. Can you describe any other changes that your staff or organisation may have gained from the

assignment? Sustainability 1. Will you continue to engage IVP volunteers in the future? Can you explain why? If not, what would

encourage you to engage IVP volunteers? 2. Do you have a preference for online or in country volunteers? Can you explain why? How beneficial have

you found online roles? Any other comments?

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Attachment Three Interview questions for volunteers Intro 1. Introduction: consent; name, role in IVP? 2. About you: Personal and professional 3. How many assignments have you completed (both online and in country)? Please describe. Relevance 1. Have you used or are you aware of other volunteer programs? (Please name and cite engagement) 2. What was/is your primary motivation in being a volunteer? 3. What do you see as the strengths of the IVP program in comparison to other similar programs you may

have been involved with? 4. Do you see any weaknesses in the IVP? If so what, and how could they be improved? 5. How flexible is the program to adapt in order to meet your needs? Effectiveness 1. How well did the recruitment process meet your expectations? Comment on materials,

policies/procedures, support, the online platform and time spent on the assignments. 2. How well do you feel the assignment matched your skills and experience? 3. Can you describe any changes (positive or negative) that you may have contributed towards in in your

assignment? These might be individual skills transfer, organisational capacity, contributing to organisational goals etc. What is it about your assignment that supported these changes?

4. Can you describe any personal or professional skills you feel you have gained from the assignment? These could be cultural competency, language, knowledge/understanding, awareness of development, other etc.

5. Is the Xworks platform satisfactory? Do you have any suggestions to improve the platform? Any other comments?

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Attachment Four Volunteer Survey Demographic Information 1. Gender M/F/O 2. Age (list) 3. Highest Educational Attainment (list) 4. What sector are you interested in volunteering in? (Using occupation codes) 5. Do you identify as an Australian Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander? 6. Do you identify as someone who has a disability? Program information 1. How did you hear about the program?

• Through an ARC contact;

• My university;

• My work place;

• Other

2. What is your motivation in becoming a volunteer? (Tick all that apply)

• make a difference;

• professional development;

• improve specific skills;

• experience another culture;

• to work with the country of my heritage

3. What motivated to choose the IVP? (Comment) 4. Are you more interested in online or in country assignments? (Comment)

• Online;

• In-Country;

• No preference

5. Have you applied for any assignments? Y/N 6. How would you rate the level of support given to you by ARC? 1-5 (comment) 7. How satisfied are you with the Xworks platform? 1-5 scale (comment) 8. Will you continue to engage with IVP in the future? y/n (comment) 9. Have you applied to or be a volunteer elsewhere? Y/N Any other comments:

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Attachment Five National Society and Program Staff Survey Intro 1. Which National Society do you work with? 2. What is your role? 3. Has your National Society used volunteers in the past? Yes/no

Which volunteer program? 4. What best describes your role in the IVP (choose all that apply):

• Designing assignment

• Placing volunteer

• Supervising volunteer

• Overseeing/administrating placement

• Other (please describe)

Questions about volunteers placed in IVP 1. Did you receive a volunteer/s? (yes/no) 2. If so, how satisfied were you that the volunteer/s skill set matched the requirements of the assignment?

1-5 scale (Comment) 3. Can you describe any changes (positive or negative) that the volunteer may have contributed towards?

These might be individual skills transfer, organisational capacity, contributing to organisational goals, changes outside the organisation etc. (Comment)

Questions about the IVP 1. Did the IVP meet your organisational needs? (Comment) 2. Was the IVP able to meet the requirements of the National Society? (Comment) 3. What are the most positive aspect of the IVP for your National Society? (Comment) 4. Any negative? If so what? (Comment) 5. What would you change to ensure the IVP meets the needs of the National Society? (Comment) 6. Are you more interested in online or in country assignments? Why? (Comment)

• Online

• In-Country

• No preference

7. How would you rate the level of support given to you in regards to assignment design? 1-5 scale (Comment)

8. How would you rate the level of support given to you in terms of policies and procedures (including the platform)? 1-5 scale (Comment)

9. How satisfied are you with the Xworks platform? 1-5 scale (Comment) 10. Do you have any suggestions to improve the platform? yes/no (Comment) Any other comments:

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References Evaluation of the Australian Volunteers for International Development (AVID) program Office of Development Effectiveness January 2014 Evaluation Report: Impact of UN Volunteers Online Volunteering service Rudy Broers, Independent Evaluation Consultant Going Local Achieving a more appropriate and fit-for-purpose humanitarian ecosystem in the Pacific’ 2017 Centre for Humanitarian Leadership, Fiji National University and Humanitarian Advisory Group International Volunteering Model Development Final Report & Project Plan Katherine Tubb 2017 Program Review – Red Cross & Worley Parsons Skilled Volunteers Pilot Program (July -September 2015) The Contributions of former international volunteers to local and global development agendas. Prepared for Australian Red Cross, Dr. Martine Hawkes Red Cross Project Beehive: Focus Group Research Findings & Implication – Final Report. Latitude network. Russ Wood & Dale Renner (3rd May 2018)

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