IVolunteer International’s flagship project, IVolunteerNow, was going through a period of customer discovery and beta testing when COVID-19 ravaged the world. People searched avenues to give back, help their communities, and mobilize during this time. When in-person gatherings declined, communities and nonprofits suffered the most without essential volunteer support and the lack of an on-demand platform to find and connect to people in their community. Thousands of people arrived at IVolunteer International’s website, looking for projects. Unfortunately, the app was in beta-testing mode and the website no longer hosted volunteer opportunities.
I wish we had designed and launched the app before the pandemic. Of course, no one could plan for a pandemic like that. But better late than never, so I’m excited to finally publish it to the world so that when someone wants to take action, they don’t have to feel helpless ever again.
Nipuna Ambanpola, Executive Director
COVID-19 changed the landscape of how people mobilized in their communities to take action. There was increased focus on providing local and organic to support rapidly evolving causes, on top of the traditional support provided to established nonprofits. There was a new learning curve and IVolunteer International received advice and calls from stakeholders to strengthen the app with additional features.
In September 2023, IVolunteer International opened a Request for Proposal and invited companies far and wide to submit their proposals to design and deploy IVolunteerNow with updated features on both iOS and Android application stores. After several rounds of discussions, information requests, meetings, and reviews, SJ Innovation based in New York City was awarded the contract to work alongside IVolunteer International to complete the mobile app.
SJ Innovation LLC was started in 2004 as a small, family business and since has grown to include offices in New York, Ukraine, India, and Bangladesh. The company currently has over 170 employees worldwide who offer more than 100 years of combined experience.
Collaborating with IVolunteer International embodies SJ Innovation’s commitment to using technology for community empowerment, a cornerstone of our vision for positive global impact.
Shahed Islam, CEO of SJ Innovation
The project will kick off in late November and is expected to finish in mid-2024.
About IVolunteer International
IVolunteer International is a 501(c)3 volunteer advocacy tech-nonprofit organization in Savannah, Georgia with the vision of creating 7 billion volunteers in the world. It is a Platinum Seal nonprofit organization on Guidestar and a Top Rated Nonprofit on Greatnonprofits. IVolunteer International is also a member of Volunteer Groups Alliance, a global coalition of organizations that contribute to sustainable development through volunteering. IVolunteer International is also a Civil Society Associated with the United Nations Department of Global Communications. Website: www.ivint.org. For more information contact Nipuna Ambanpola on [email protected]
