What inspired you to co-found Volunteer World?
I have always been working voluntarily. During my school years I was the coach to our local soccer youth and in high school I started packing auxiliary containers that were sent to developing countries.
Felix, one of the founders as well as one of my best mates, decided to do volunteering abroad after school and wanted to organize everything by himself. However, getting into direct contact with a project turned out more complicated than he expected. After returning from volunteering in Namibia, he founded the blog “Team Social Work“ to share his experiences. After nine years of bootstrapping, Felix and I decided to take our blog project to a professional level. Inspired by “Team Social Work” and supported by Christian as the Head of IT, our vision became reality with the launch of our comparison platform Volunteer World in July 2015.
Pascal at a school in Costa Rica
Can you tell us about your role as the Managing Director?
As the Managing Director my role is manifold - for the most parts, I coordinate the strategic business development as well as finances and try to stay out of the operating business. In cooperation with our co-founder and Head of IT, I develop and enhance projects for our plattfom. However, I also get involved into our online marketing efforts such as SEO and paid ads. I support our marketing team whenever possible or necessary.
Pascal in his hometown Düsseldorf
What makes you proud of the work Volunteer World does?
To see every day how well Volunteer World is developing and thus making a valuable contribution to the market for international volunteer work is my main motivation and makes me really proud. Furthermore, we’re able to make volunteer work more ethical and responsible. The exchange with international NGOs, the close contact with the volunteers and of course a unique, talented, highly qualified team that is looking for its equal are further aspects.
Why should individuals choose to volunteer with Volunteer World over other volunteer programs?
Apart from Volunteer World’s long standing experience with international volunteer organizations, there are several other reasons for volunteers to choose our platform:
Firstly, we have very high ethical standards when it come to the choice of our partner organizations. Secondly, we came up with an extra layer of security, that provides the volunteers with an additional safety net.
Furthermore, we offer our volunteers a safe and easy comparison and application process with a constant live support from our experienced team. We do everything to find the perfect volunteering opportunity for every interested volunteer.
You have a lot of international experience in traveling and working on many social projects throughout Asia, Europe, and Central/South America. How do these experiences influence the work that you do?
Each journey I have made was an inspiration of its own. The market for international volunteering is constantly changing and the focus on sustainability is becoming increasingly important. Volunteer World therefore applies even stricter criteria in the selection of its partners. The constant exchange onsite is important in order to better understand the wishes of new generations of volunteers.
For example, an Internet connection onsite is a big issue, whereas a few years ago it was only occasionally requested. Knowing these kind of “issues” and having seen and experienced living conditions onsite, it is easier for me to understand and communicate between international volunteers and volunteering organizations.
Pascal at a sea turtle project in Costa Rica
What can volunteers expect when volunteering with Volunteer World?
Our international volunteers are provided with an abundance of quality checked international volunteer programs. Using Volunteer World to find their perfect volunteering opportunity, volunteers can expect and easy overview of the differents tasks and services of each program. In addition, they are offered an extensive support. Our experienced team will answer any question to their best knowledge and help interested volunteers find exactly what they’re looking for. Another benefit for Volunteer World volunteers, is their access to our Best Price Guarantee, Flex Option, and Refund Guarantee.
All three make sure that the volunteers won’t lose any money that is meant to support those in need. With our Refund Guarantee, we will refund the volunteer’s fees if the trip is cancelled by the organization, due to e.g. overbooking. If the volunteer cancels the trip, the deposit can always be used for another program, that’s our Flex Option. And with our Best Price Guarantee, we guarantee that our volunteers won’t find the volunteering opportunities offered on Volunteer World anywhere any cheaper.
If you could participate on one of your programs, where would you go and why?
I would definitely take my best friend to one of our great partner programs in Thailand. It’s a small NGO that runs an elephant sanctuary in the middle of the jungle. The reason we’d go there is our fascination for these gentle giants. Unfortunately, they have been exploited by the logging and the tourism industry for far too long. Now it is our turn to give back and support the conservation of this majestic animal species.
Pascal at a childcare in Sri Lanka
What does global citizenship mean to you?
I had the honour of being voted “Best Social Entrepreneur in Europe” by Forbes magazine. This gave me the opportunity to meet other social entrepreneurs from all over the world. I appreciate the constant exchange with my American colleagues and only recently visited New York to develop new ideas with them.
As a global citizen, you should humbly appreciate the travel freedoms that the 21st century offers and remember that "With great power comes great responsibility" (Uncle Ben from the movie Spider Man). This is something that I have learned and internalized over these past years.
Why is it important for individuals to travel and experience new cultures?
Nowadays, traveling, and especially the concept of going abroad, has become more and more important. The first reason that comes to mind is the experience one gaines with regard to their CV. Recruiters all over the world highly appreciate some kind of international experience, no matter if they are a semester abroad at a university or an international internship.
There are, however, some invaluable lessons to learn, that will not only embellish your CV, but will serve you with lifelong personal benefits. Amongst others, the following points are reasons why traveling is so important: It will build your confidence; Meeting new cultures helps to develop a cultural sensitivity; Globalization is no stranger to you; Traveling will get you out of your comfort zone; Broaden your skills of a second (or third) language; and Traveling and networking go hand in hand.
What hopes do you have for the future of Volunteer World?
My motto is “Social entrepreneurs are not content just to give a fish or teach how to fish. They will not rest until they have revolutionized the fishing industry.” — Bill Drayton
Volunteer World is not only designed to simplify the lives of international volunteers, but also to send a clear signal to the entire volunteer industry. Our mission is to sort out the industry's rotten apples and we are committed to improve the quality of the volunteering programs across the board. For this reason we are in constant contact with the project coordinators and discuss possible improvements to the program settings, in particular to meet the hopes and wishes of the local population.
