LinkedIn’s adding a new option to help users signal their interest in volunteer opportunities, and help charitable organizations find people looking to assist in their various causes.
As you can see in this example, LinkedIn’s new “Open to Volunteer” option will add a new informational tab to your profile which highlights what causes you’re interested in contributing to.
As explained by LinkedIn:
“With 75% of LinkedIn members expressing interest in volunteering, we are rolling out a new feature, Open to Volunteer. This tool makes it easier for members* to find open volunteering opportunities with nonprofit organizations that match their skills and interests. With the skills required to do our jobs set to change by nearly 70% by 2030, volunteering not only provides a unique way to develop in-demand skills, such as communication and empathy, it fosters a greater sense of purpose and inspires connection within our communities.”
LinkedIn members will be able to indicate their interest in volunteer opportunities by selecting the “Volunteer” option from the “Open to” drop down menu underneath their profile picture.
“From there, they can enter the causes they support, their skills and preferences, such as their location and if they’d like to volunteer in person or virtually.”
Once this is active, LinkedIn will highlight relevant volunteer opportunities in-stream, while users will also have the option to receive alerts for opportunities that may be a fit for them.
It could be a good way to drive more volunteer participation, and help members showcase their charitable interests. While as noted, it will also provide another way for charitable groups to find interested users, though it could also lead to a rise in DM outreach around such.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it could be, while I also suspect that some may use this as a virtue signaling marker, as opposed to actually looking to participate in such initiatives.
But the positives likely outweigh the potential negatives in this respect, and it may be a valuable way to drive volunteer contributions.
You can read more about LinkedIn’s “Open to Volunteer” option here.
