Who we are and why we created Collaborate

We are a group of a group of four women who came together through our shared vision of ‘making it easier to make change’. We are passionate about using our skills and time for social change – and we know we are not alone.

We have volunteered for community organisations that have struggled to get great projects off the ground. They are big on ideas for our environment, our communities, things that would make a real difference to the lives of New Zealanders, but short on capacity; they need more people with skills and time to make them happen.

We have also experienced how hard it is to find opportunities that work around our busy lives and where our personal skills can really add value.

The problem is not a lack of human resources, ideas, or opportunities, but a lack of connection.

Our vision

We want to make volunteering easy. We want volunteering to be effortless so that people can more easily get involved in their communities. We want anyone with a free Sunday afternoon or an evening after work to be able to easily put that time to good use.

Think how much easier Uber made getting a taxi, Airbnb made finding accommodation, and Tinder made finding a date. We want it to be just as easy to give back to your community.

All New Zealanders benefit from the work of community organisations, through their efforts to tackle issues that affect us all; things like poverty, climate change, and disaster relief. So, the more capacity they have to do this great work, the better for us all.

Volunteering itself is also incredibly rewarding – it allows you to work with a diverse group of people that you wouldn’t necessarily come across otherwise. It also gives you a greater understanding of what is going on around you and empowers and develops your skills to do something about it.

Where we’re at

The Collaborate app is in development and we hope to launch it midway through the year. To have your say on how you want the app to work for you, or to sign up to pilot the app, click here.