Can you give us a brief overview of the AOZ Volunteering department?
The AOZ Volunteering department offers comprehensive volunteering opportunities for refugees in the city of Zurich.
It is responsible for developing basic principles and setting standards that are adopted for all AOZ locations and programs.
In addition, the Volunteering department coordinates and supports the development of new programs to ensure efficient and uniform support for volunteers and refugees.
What types of programs and activities are offered?
There are various programs, such as the tandem program, in which volunteers accompany a refugee or family for at least six months, and group offers that include regular activities with a group of refugees.
Volunteers receive an introduction and are supported during their assignment.
They can take part in further training and claim expenses.
Corporate volunteering is also available for companies.
After making contact, a personal consultation takes place.
What was the main motivation behind the development of the online platform?
On the one hand, data processing with the previous database had reached its limits, so a more efficient solution had to be found.
Secondly, the project was supported by the mentoring program Future Kids where a similar solution was already being used successfully. There was already a database in which all current assignments were managed digitally, including a journal function, not just Excel sheets.
However, the registrations of volunteers and course instructors were recorded in analog form and then had to be typed into the database.
So the big step forward was actually the possibility for volunteers to register online and for the social counseling service to register and keep track of their course instructors online.
Another trigger was the overload of the volunteer work department at the time due to the Syrian crisis.
What challenges did the project face?
At the beginning of the project, the volunteer work department faced several challenges.
It was clear to everyone involved that a lot of work and considerable expertise would have to go into this project in order to guarantee its success.
I would like to take this opportunity to highlight my team, which made a significant contribution to the ongoing development and optimization of the platform.
The development of the platform was something of a journey of discovery for both us and Panter.
The platform grew organically and had to be constantly adapted to changing requirements, which made the work a real tinkering session.
It was also important for us to find a cost-effective solution, as our budget was limited.
In the course of development, more and more requirements were placed on the platform, such as the display of various statistics and the export of key performance indicators for optimization.
This certainly increased the development effort.
Despite these challenges, the platform was successfully developed and adapted to our requirements.
Can you describe the special features and what you consider to be the most important functions of the platform?
A key feature is that the platform bundles all the necessary tools and information in one place, which considerably simplifies journal management in particular.
It also enables simple and efficient payment of expenses.
Another advantage of the platform is the good overview of all programs.
This makes administration and coordination much easier.
The platform has established itself as a fundamental working tool and a return to the time before the introduction of the online platform has become unthinkable for us.
It is particularly noteworthy that the platform was developed according to our specific needs.
This customization ensures that it is optimally adapted to our work processes and requirements.
What results have been observed since the platform was launched?
Internal transfers are now much easier to handle.
The journal also enables faster orientation.
Overall, the platform has significantly promoted teamwork and enables more efficient and professional collaboration.
I can’t give you any specific KPIs right now, but the positive effects on working methods and team dynamics are noticeable in my opinion.
How many volunteers are currently registered with you on the platform?
Every year, around 550 volunteers are registered as part of the AOZ.
How was the collaboration with Panter?
Very positive.
We particularly appreciated the personal closeness and the pragmatic approach, which made the collaboration very efficient and uncomplicated.
Panter is characterized by constructive, open and transparent communication, which has created a solid basis of trust.
In addition, Panter impressed with its ability to quickly develop a good solution that was continuously improved.
As already mentioned, our online platform has grown organically and Panter has always adapted it to our needs.
I would particularly like to emphasize the fast, competent and pragmatic support when the war in Ukraine broke out.
We had to reinvent ourselves virtually overnight in terms of volunteer management in order to support all the new emergency shelters for refugees from Ukraine with volunteer interpreters.
Without the great cooperation with Panter, we would hardly have been able to do that back then.
What further developments or extensions are planned for the platform?
What does the future of AOZ look like?
A design workshop is already being planned to further improve the user interface and we now also want to use it to manage short assignments.
We also want to make the platform more interactive in order to involve the volunteers even more.
