The international Panorama of pro bono is online !

Pro Bono Lab decided to launch a study in 2020 on the intermediaries of skills-based volunteering. The objective of this study was to first identify the intermediaries that exist around the world so that they can be identified by companies, non-governmental organizations and citizens interested in skills-based volunteering. The second objective was to understand what they offer and to identify the similarities and differences that may exist between them.

The intermediaries may have the same job, i.e., putting people or organisations with a social or environmental project in touch with volunteers who can share their skills; the way of practicing is not the same according to the countries in which they are located. Some intermediaries work only with employees of companies, others propose to any type of public to get involved. They will support only social change organisations (charities, non-profit organizations, social enterprises…) or they will support individuals, local authorities, or communities. Some intermediaries will offer skills-based engagement formats only, others will offer field actions or have developed advocacy, research activities, etc.

All these specificities make the richness of intermediaries: to allow the development of activities with a social and environmental impact, the development of a fairer society, more solidarity, and the sharing of skills, it is necessary to adapt to local habits and customs.

This study will therefore focus on the specificities of intermediaries by geographical regions. These results serve to clear the subject, but they should be taken with caution. Not all existing intermediaries responded to the questionnaire, the information we have is the one answered by the respondents and therefore within a country, views may differ depending on the organisation and how it fits into its ecosystem. Nevertheless, we have been able to observe certain trends which we will report on in this study.

Pro Bono Lab is committed to providing the necessary resources for the development of intermediaries around the world, exchanging good and bad practices to allow each of these organisations to be inspired by what is being done elsewhere but also to cooperate with each other.

There is strength in unity!

We would therefore like to thank all the intermediaries who participated in this study, as well as the international networks to which we belong: The Global Pro Bono Network and Points of Light.