Humanitarian Designers is putting together a small team of volunteers for a 4-month period to participate in running the organisation and its development
You can apply anytime. We will keep your profile for the upcoming cohorts.
What is the HD Volunteer Cohort?
A cohort is a group of volunteers onboarded together for a specific period of time to strengthen the resources and activities of an organisation.
At Humanitarian Designers, we want to reach a new step in sustaining our activities and make it meaningful for our volunteers. By co-creating this first cohort, we want to enable a space for mutual exchange and create a group dynamic where everyone can learn from each other.
We are looking for diverse and motivated people, ready for a short-term commitment. Experience is a plus but not mandatory, so don’t hesitate to reach out and apply!
Practical information
- 6 members
- 6 months starting in February and September
- Minimum 4 hours per week
- Online
Volunteers will focus on 3 areas
- Community
- Communication
- Knowledge management
This may evolve depending on needs.
How will it work?
We want to create a group ready to collaborate and support each other. After an onboarding period, the cohort will join weekly coordination calls and will be able to define their tasks. We ask for a minimum of 4 hours per week, including meetings and asynchronous work. Each member will be responsible for managing their time commitment and deliver on their tasks.
Out of the 3 cohort’s poles, we will encourage everyone to choose one they are most interested in. As a cohort, you will collaborate with all the poles and learn from each other.
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TIMELINE
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ONBOARDING - 2 WEEKS
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COHORT - 5 MONTHS
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OFFBOARDING - 2 WEEKS
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Volunteering
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Sign the volunteering agreement, learn about our tools and activities, and complete your first task.
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Define & accomplish your tasks. Participate in coordination meeting. Join 1:1 mentoring meeting with the core team.
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Create a handover or renew with our next cohort. Receive a reference letter and appear on our Community page.
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Why should you join?
All profiles, from all cultural, economic and ethnic backgrounds, are welcome in this cohort: whether you are motivated to learn about humanitarian design or willing to contribute to a cause and an organisation close to your heart, this cohort will enable you to learn and apply this experience to your own personal journey.
Connecting and networking
During 6 months, you will share tasks and goals with motivated and like-minded individuals willing to give meaning to their work. By making the group relatively small and interdependent, we hope to create an intimate workspace where longer-lasting relationships can emerge.
Although the work of the HD Cohort is mostly internal, external activities (e.g. participation in events and conferences) may arise. As a volunteer, you’ll be informed about these opportunities and will be welcome to take part. They can be a great way to connect with our partners and to build relationships with other organisations you’re interested in.
Adding value through experience
Whether you’re new to humanitarian design or an experienced practitioner, we will start by covering the basics of our values and methods, so you will get to know what humanitarian aid is, how to collaborate more ethically, and what power and privilege mean.
In addition to the learning experience you will gain by working with us, this volunteering experience can be a springboard to a career that is more in line with your values. We will provide you with the necessary reference letter and resources, so you can use it for your future job applications.
Short-term volunteering
Humanitarian Designers is a grassroots volunteer-led non-profit organisation. We stay alive thanks to the precious time our members choose to give.
We understand that no one has unlimited free time, yet to remain consistent with our activities and reach a new stage in our development, we depend on members’ commitment and reliability.
The HD Cohort offers this opportunity in which volunteers can commit to a short-term project. Cohort members and core team members will collaborate and contribute meaningfully to the Humanitarian Designers’ mission, while learning from each other.
Resources and personalised mentoring
You will have access to and insight into all our knowledge base and community members. Being active in our organisation is an opportunity to better understand our structure and functioning and foster your own growth from it.
You will also benefit from being in close relations with our experienced core team, who will happily dedicate some time to help you with your own career aspirations if you need.
A DEDICATED TEAM WELCOMING YOU
You will be able to count on our motivated core team to support you along this journey.
Faq
When is it happening?
Cohorts are spanning from February to July and from September to February. Our plan is to have two dedicated weeks for onboarding, five months of volunteering, and two weeks of offboarding.
Where is it happening?
The cohort is happening online, so anyone can apply. Yet, our core team and activities are based in Europe, so if we have to synchronise for an online meeting, it will be based on the UTC+1 timezone.
How many people will be accepted in this cohort?
We are selecting 6 volunteers per cohort. We chose this number to ensure
- two people per pole: community, communication, and knowledge management;
- a cohesion and sense of belonging within the cohort; and
- that the core team could handle the group and create a nice experience.
Can I stay longer than six months?
Yes of course, to maintain the spirit of the cohort, you will have to renew for another six months and focus on your own set of tasks in collaboration with the core team.
What if I have to leave before the end?
Please, be honest with yourself prior to applying. The cohort aims to create a sense of belonging, collaboration, and shared responsibilities within the group. Because there is a limited number of positions, someone leaving could be detrimental to our effort.
Of course, there are always exceptions and unforeseen scenarios where a person must leave.
What will I work on?
The activities will involve basic tasks such as creating and publishing posts on social media, curating jobs, create discussions in the Slack community, invite speakers to present their work during online knowledge talks, improve our knowledge base on Notion, create a public knowledge base on our website, etc. Volunteers will have the agency to suggest and initiate new ideas if they fit HD’s mission and vision.
What will be the selection procedure?
- We will send an invitation to an info-session during the month preceding the launch of the new cohort. Participants who are joining -or informing us if they cannot join- will be evaluated and selected.
- In the following week, everyone will receive an email confirming or declining their application.
- If you are accepted, you will start receiving the onboarding emails.
- If you are not selected, we will keep your name for the next cohort, if you wish it.
Our aim is to create a cohort that has complementary members; where diversity of competences, seniority, and regions are important. We are looking for members that are motivated, proactive, reliable, know how to work in team, by themselves, and with digital tools.
I have more questions, can I ask someone?
Yes, you can contact us on our email address.
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