for W3c validation

I thought this “Thank you to our volunteers” video put together by the team at Vittana was an extremely smart move on their part. Creating videos such as this that portray the personality behind an organization is exactly the way to go about building stronger relationships with existing volunteers and humanize the organization further for potential volunteers. There are no shortage of organizations out there who are seeking help from volunteers, so each and every one must attempt to stand out from the rest — and often that comes down to personal relationships, which can only be built via getting to know the team.

I got an email from my friend Lindsey Maxfield, the Communities and Operations Manager for Vittana, a week or so ago thanking me for volunteering my time with a link to the video above, but didn’t watch it until yesterday (I know, I’m behind). I’ve met the entire core Vittana team and they are all amazing individuals passionate about providing access to higher education via student loans in the developing world. I’ve known their CEO Kushal for several years as a result of both of us residing in Seattle – at least until I decided to pack up shop and relocate – and being involved in the local microfinance community; he’s as sharp as they come. Everyone only has so many hours in the day to give their time. I’m happy to be part of the new Vittana Ambassadors program, and I can firmly say that it’s the time that I’ve spent with their team over the past few years that got me interested in the program. At the end of the day, people want to spend time with and work for people they can relate to — and it’s easy for me to relate to the entire Vittana team.

If you want to get more involved with Vittana, there is more information here. In addition, I believe they are also looking for a Marketing Manager. Or of course you can lend to a student such as Beatriz Urado Medina from Peru.