Wanting vs doing: share your knowledge, we'll share it globally

Something strange is happening in volunteering. More people than ever want to get involved, and yet the total time volunteers actually give is declining. People do want to help, but in shorter chunks: half a day here, an event there. No longer the same task every week, year after year.

Anyone who works with volunteers feels this every day. The coordinator with three open vacancies and not a single match. The association seeing its loyal core grow older. The company that wants to contribute to society but doesn't know where to start. And the volunteer who is eager to help, but drops out at the first form, the first lack of clarity, the first “we will call you back”.

The problem is not that people do not want to help. The problem is that helping has been made too difficult. That is why we are starting this blog today: to share knowledge that makes volunteering easier. And that knowledge doesn't just come from us. Do you have interesting knowledge or news of your own? Share it with us, and we'll share it with the world!

Simplicity removes the barrier

At Give a Day, everything revolves around one principle: make volunteering as easy as ordering a pizza.

For the volunteer, that means a match that fits who you are, how much time you have, and where you live. A day, a period, one-off or structural: you choose. For the organisation, it means less administration and more time for people. Vacancies, contracts, insurances, and expense reports are all in one place, GDPR-proof and with built-in checks. And for cities, municipalities, and companies, it means a local network that really works.

In recent years, this has led to more than 100,000 matches, together accounting for around 120 million euros in social impact. More than 13,000 non-profits, 100 cities and municipalities, and over 30,000 corporate volunteers found their way this way. Not because we shouted loudly, but because it simply became easier. Because every barrier you remove is a volunteer who actually starts.

Why this blog

All those matches yield knowledge every day: what works, what doesn't, and why. Until now, this knowledge was scattered across conversations, training courses, and inboxes. Starting today, it gets a permanent home: this blog. A place where we think out loud about volunteering, volunteer coordination, and the social engagement of companies. From practice, not from theory.

What you can expect here

We present five types of articles:

• Guides and manuals. Explained step-by-step: from posting your first vacancy online to correctly arranging expense allowances.

• Inspiration and stories. Coordinators, volunteers, cities, and companies have their say. Their approach, their frustrations, their best ideas.

• News and updates. What is happening in the sector and what is new on our platforms.

• Tips and best practices. Concrete ideas you can already apply tomorrow in your own operations.

• Policy and legislation. From volunteer status to insurance: what is changing and what does it mean for you, in plain language.

In addition, each article will be assigned a target group: volunteers, volunteer organisations, companies, or local governments. This way, you can filter what is relevant to you in a single click, and you won't scroll through stories written for someone else.

Your platform can also publish articles

This is perhaps the most important part: this blog is not ours alone. Every local platform on Give a Day and Iedereen Vrijwilliger – from city or municipality to organisation – can write and publish articles itself. After all, your volunteer news, your stories, and your practical knowledge deserve the same stage. And this is how it works:

1. Start a new article. Choose a title and a featured image, and indicate who you are writing for (target group) and what type of article it is. This way, your article automatically reaches the right readers.

2. Build your story with sections. Headings, paragraphs, bullet points, and numbered lists: you can click them together however you want. Lacking inspiration or short on time? The built-in AI assistant helps you write.

3. Make it visual. Add quotes, tables, dividers, and images, or choose a free stock photo from the library. That way, no article has to look bare.

4. Configure and publish. The summary and meta information are generated automatically, so that your article ranks well on Google. Do you only want to share something with your own members? Then check the private option. And with 'Translate with AI', you convert your article to another language in one click. Ready? Let's publish.

Join in

2026 is the year of the volunteer. We are making it the year in which volunteering becomes easier, and in which the sector's knowledge no longer gets stuck in inboxes.

So: do you have interesting knowledge or news? Share it with us via liam@giveaday.eu, and we'll share it with the world! Write an article on your platform yourself, or send us your idea and we will develop it together. Would you rather get some inspiration first? Then come back regularly: we share what we learn, we ask the right questions, and occasionally we like to challenge ourselves and the sector.

See you soon.