Democratizing Access to Talent – MovingWorlds.org is Launching Globally

We are thrilled to announce the global launch of MovingWorlds.org

With our new matching site and global support team, people will now be able to find inspiring social impact organizations around the world where they can volunteer their expertise – Go Experteering – for any length of time. In doing so, they can empower world-changing ideas while immersing themselves in a new culture.

Our Story

Three years ago, the founding team met as strangers in Buenos Aires… I was in my final month of a year-long adventure spent volunteering my skills around the world. Derk was in Argentina supporting social entrepreneurship. We connected over the realization that for social impact organizations, “Access to talent” is one of the leading barriers to global progress. Meanwhile, professionals that want to volunteer their skills around the world for flexible timeframes don’t have a place to connect to organizations that need their skills the most, and they shouldn’t have to pay to volunteer.

Over the past three years, we have been working hard to develop a model, grow a team, expand our network, and build a technology solution to make international connections at scale – and it’s working!

Unleashing Potential to Tackle the Global “Talent Gap”

Like the crowdfunding movement, we set out to empower individuals to accelerate change. But unlike Kickstarter, we don’t facilitate financial support. Instead, we encourage the giving of your most valuable assets – your heart and your brain.

According to leading global development organizations, a “lack of access to talent” is one of the leading barriers to progress for social impact organizations around the world. In other words, startups, nonprofits, schools, healthcare organizations and other “changemakers” are struggling because they can’t access the right skills at the right time to scale and create an impact.

Connecting people that want to change the world with organizations changing it – for any skill and any time commitment

The new MovingWorlds is much more than a matching website. We work with our organizations to scope compelling opportunities, and are building productive partnerships with organizations that catalyze social impact such as Village Capital, Unreasonable Institute, and Kiva. In some cases, we’ll source custom opportunities for our members to ensure an alignment of skills and needs. Behind the MovingWorlds website is an impressive list of global partners, an international support team, an online training on Experteering Best Practices, and a very comprehensive guide to help people plan and have a life-enriching experience.

So where are Experteers going and what are they doing? Everywhere. In our first 2 years of operations, we have facilitated connections in over 40 countries, resulting in over $1 million dollars worth of donated expertise. Here are a few

• Dan and Lynn spent a year helping Mercy Corps launch a new social innovation project to empower small businesses in Indonesia with design and marketing
• Drew spent 4 months in Panama to design and then train locals to build a green and self-sustaining research and lodging facility
• Joyce spent 6 weeks supporting a sustainable shoe company launching an e-commerce strategy while living for free in Buenos Aires
• Liz spent her 2-week vacation coaching women-led startups in the Middle East on marketing strategy and tools
• Nicole joined a growing startup to help it scale and reach international markets
• Michael spent 1 month helping a resource-strapped nonprofit college improve accounting and its storytelling efforts to initiate a fundraising campaign
• Erin and Colin merged their software engineering and web design skills to support a nonprofit empowering women in Guatemala
• See more stories here

Moving Beyond “Voluntourism” to High-impact Experteering Engagements

In order to create ethical and safe engagements that lead to a sustainable impact, there are a few key steps we facilitate for all engagements:

1. Providing Transparency

Our global support team assists organizations in scoping their projects, and curates opportunities to make sure they are aligned for professionals. We capture the proper information about organizations and people, and share that to the right parties at the right time. Additionally, we provide a forum during the planning process to learn the essentials needed for every match.

2. Facilitating Matches That Align on Essential Factors

The skills of the Experteer must match the needs identified by the organization requesting support. Our matching site helps make this possible by suggesting matches, as well as letting people and/or organizations search on their own and request introductions. In the event that either party can’t find a match, we work with our networks to find more relevant opportunities that haven’t been listed yet.

3. Partnering and Planning Together

The key to every Experteering engagement is a clearly scoped partnership between two parties which can communicate effectively with each other. Once a match is made, we provide a foundation for the Experteer and Host Organization to discuss a set of predetermined topics so both parties can work together to scope a project based on skills, needs, and availability.

4. Humility and Openness

Working across cultures and in new environments is challenging. It requires people to be open, humble, and eager to learn. We provide training for professionals to be effective Experteers, as well as resources for Experteers and Hosting Organizations to educate both parties on Experteering best practices.

Helping You Get Ahead by Giving Back

Alice Korngold, author of A Better World, Inc., claims that

“Gaining international experience in a volunteer capacity, especially skills-based, not only fulfills our personal desire to ‘give back’ but it also makes us more empathic, communicative, innovative, and ultimately, better leaders.“

In fact, 39 major corporations – including IBM, SAP, and Microsoft – are using international skills-based volunteering in leadership development programs. Top MBA programs, like Harvard and Wharton, also include international service as a part of their curricula.

Join Us in Catalyzing Change

We live in a global society that rewards international experience as well as acts of service; AND we live in a time where the most powerful thing we can give is our brain. As Harvey S. Firestone put it

“You get the best out of others when you give the best of yourself.“

You can call it Democratizing Skills, but it’s really the notion that by creating change, you’ll also be changed in ways you never imagined. That’s the spirit of MovingWorlds.

We hope you’ll join us by exploring ways you can volunteer your expertise – Go Experteering, or by hosting skilled volunteers.

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