VOLUNTEER HUB Kaya Gromocki Volunteering and Engagement Officer
As Vegan Society staff continue to work mainly from home, our remote volunteering has also continued to thrive. I am currently recruiting for another remote role, a Specialist Grants Advisor Volunteer. So far, I have been lucky enough to recruit Ritu, a volunteer who is supporting the International Grants Programme (see page 6). The fact that I can find skilled volunteers for roles that require such specialised experience is an incredibly rewarding aspect of my job. This statement could not be more fitting than when it comes to our proofreading volunteers, who have been a true asset over the course of the pandemic. We currently have 12 active proofreading volunteers who support us every single day. These individuals improve the quality of our blogs, articles, newsletters, social media posts, website content and this very magazine, ensuring that our written content is clear, consistent and accessible. Proofreading volunteers take on tasks ranging from 100 to 45,000 words. For the first time in The Vegan Society’s 77-year history they are based right across the globe, from Europe and Australia to the United States. They come from a wide range of backgrounds, each bringing their own specialist knowledge and interest to our work. When they are not giving their time to us, they are science editors, attorneys, teachers, software testers, translators, and business owners. Many aspects of global and remote volunteering that might be considered a hurdle have actually proven to be beneficial. Tight deadlines, for example, can more easily be met if you have a volunteer in a different time zone who can proofread your article overnight, while a volunteer who is fluent in multiple languages can translate and proofread copy. The pandemic has undoubtedly been a tragedy, but more than anything it has also taught us that as a charity we are more capable and more adaptable than we knew, thanks in part to those who support our work through volunteering.
32 | The Vegan Issue 3 2021
