AUTHOR: MARIA CHRONOPOULOU | PHOTOGRAPHY: VASILIS KOUROUPIS
– So, I would like you to tell me how the ethelon initiative started. I see that you had another name in the past. Will you also say a few words about that?
– Two organizations were launched in September 2012: GloVo and Volunteer4Greece. At the beginning, we were two different organizations. We did not know each other, we were established just a week apart and what we did was to engage volunteers, either to NGOs or social actions. Until then, there had been no framework for organizing volunteers. The result of this was that, on one hand, many social action groups and NGOs were absorbing volunteers without knowing how to manage them and, on the other hand, lots of people wanted to help but did not know where to go. A number of seminars for NGOs started to take place using the platforms of Volunteer4Greece. Although the NGOs were highly focused on a specific sector—for example, the environment, refugees, people with disabilities—they had significant shortcomings in terms of business, marketing, social media, crowdfunding, fundraising and the organization and management of volunteers. By 2015, the two organizations were evolving in parallel, each with its own impact. On several occasions, GloVo helped Volunteer4Greece with volunteers and Volunteer4Greece helped GloVo with NGOs. So, Christmas of 2015 we had a conversation about how we could join forces in order to achieve a common goal.
– So, these two organizations, Volunteer4Greece and GloVo, merged into ethelon?
– Exactly. This was the first NGO merger in Greece. That is the most important thing for us.
– What difficulties did you encounter when setting up ethelon?
– Certainly, merging two organizations that had people from different backgrounds had its own difficulties. This is because, unlike the mergers of companies, which are mainly based on financial analyses, the values of each organization and the importance of the human factor played a significant role for us. So, we saw that what we had in common was greater than our differences. At GloVo we were 20–25 year-olds, mostly students, whereas Volunteer4Greece was made up of people of 35–40 years of age with several years of working experience. But we had common characteristics and both organizations were involved in similar (social) actions. In addition, when you have a non-profit nature, one of the challenges you face is how you can be sustainable and how you can grow without taking on projects that have nothing to do with your purpose and your vision. However, decision-making becomes easier when there is a clear vision and established values.
– What exactly does ethelon deal with?
Ioanna – We connect volunteers with social actions and, at the same time, we promote volunteering among people of all ages and from all walks of life—from children and companies to older people. We make sure that everyone can participate in volunteer activities and we hope that, over time, more people will get involved.
– How does your cooperation with NGOs arise? Do you look for them?
– In the beginning, we might have looked for them but after five years of operation the NGOs are coming to find us and they are asking to have a presence on our platform. The process is as follows: each NGO creates a profile on our platform where it can upload a volunteer position and people who are interested can apply. The NGO receives the application and the details of the interested person through our platform and they are then able to communicate with the applicant. It is like a job platform but, apart from helping the NGOs to find volunteers, we are working directly with them in terms of social action.
– What are your main sources of revenue?
– Forty per cent of our revenue comes from volunteering programmes that we take on; setting up and managing specific events and social actions. In this context, we undertake the recruitment of volunteers and their training, as well as anything that needs to be done after the event or action, whether that takes one day or six months. Another 40% of our revenue comes from working with companies that are interested in creating volunteering programmes for their employees. Finally, 20% of our revenue is covered by foundations that we work with on specific projects. However, we do not rely on funding from foundations in order to continue our work as we wish to be self-sustaining.
– How can foreigners who come to Greece or people who live abroad help you in your work if they want to?
– Nowadays, most things within an organization are digitalized, so, now, in 2018, there are fewer restrictions in terms of geographical distance. If someone wants to help they can either do so virtually or they can come to Greece for a period of time. We can also help the person to connect with the local NGOs and there are NGOs like us that work in the English language.
– What assets do millennials offer in volunteer work?
Elina – As millennials, we may be more active because, as a generation, we have a lot more choices. Some of us do not just want to work at a nine-to-five or nine-to-six job and receive a salary; we want the company or organization that we work for to offer us other things and to praise certain values. Fortunately, there are currently many organizations in which someone can find the stimuli by which he or she is attracted. Furthermore, many companies choose to be involved in volunteering, either for their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) or as a tool to strengthen the relationships between employees.
– Do you think that the work of ethelon is affected by the current crisis in Greece?
– The crisis has affected our environment and surroundings but not our work. We would have continued to exist anyway. Perhaps things would have been better, perhaps worse; we cannot know.
– Which organizations abroad do you collaborate with?
– From Spain, we collaborate with the Aprendices Visuales and the Association of Young Entrepreneurs of Valencia and, from France, with the European Centre for Leadership, Entrepreneurship and Education. We also belong to four large networks, such as the Points of Light, which is an organization that does what we do but worldwide and they put a lot of focus on the hands-on part of volunteering—hence, it has the Hands-on Network as its branch. We also belong to the European Volunteer Centre (CEV) and the Ashoka Changemakers of the Ashoka Foundation. Through these networks and organizations we exchange best-case practices, we establish international collaborations and we try to bring know-how to Greece. Furthermore, we are proud to say that over the last five years we have taken over the EXIT Festival in Serbia.
– If someone belongs to or knows of these networks, can he/she communicate with you?
– Through CEV and Points of Light, yes, since both have a global map that shows their local member organizations. For both organizations/networks, we are the only members in Greece.
– Congratulations, we hope that others will follow. What is your vision for volunteering?
– We want volunteering to become part of people’s everyday lives, to become part of their mindset. For example, I participated in two or three volunteer programmes in the US where I saw that, regardless of what someone is doing in life and regardless of whether they are 18 years old or 70 years old, they consider it self-evident to participate and offer help.
– Great, I think you covered everything.
– Thanks for choosing us.
– We thank you.
