Volunteer FAQ

I am wanting to volunteer but this will be my first time.  What kind of support will there be?
Throughout the whole experience you will have support from the event staff and your team.  A coordinator will be assigned to your team to make introductions to teammates and the charity.  We will provide information prior to the weekend: charity details, scope involved, how to set-up, PM and Developer handbooks.  The weekend of, you will be supported by not only the event staff but by PM and Tech ninja’s.  Our tech ninja’s are experienced technologists with Givecamp experience that will be on hand to help project teams during the event.  They will be the escalation point for technical questions or issues.

How much time will be involved?
Prior to the weekend we do ask the volunteers attend the kickoff and related boot camps (approx. 2 hours commitment per event).  We will have a charity introduction meeting and your team will have several meetings prior to the weekend event to plan for the project.  Project managers do have about three weeks of planning with a few hours dedicated each of the weeks to coordinate and document tasks.

How large are the teams?
This is dependent upon the size of scope and the complexity or the project.  Teams have been anywhere from 4-9 people.  The team generally consists of a project manager, BA, UX, tech lead, developers.

As a project manager do you have to have a technical background?
You do not have to have a technical background.  A technical lead will be assigned each project.  As a project manager, the framework of project management whether business or technical

What if work is incomplete?
Charities will have the opportunity to reapply for GiveCamp the following year to continue any remaining development or net new development they may have on their development roadmap.

How are volunteers picked for charities?
During the PM bootcamp, project managers are able to submit which project are their top three.  For developers and UX, we assess skill level, prior Givecamp experience and technology knowledge as related to the scope of the project when assigning teams.  Ultimately, we staff to support the charity project and not all volunteer preferences can be met.

What type of training will be available?
Handbooks will be available for PMs and developers to guide them through the Give Camp experience.  As for in-person trainings, there will only be a PM bootcamp.  Staff will be onsite to support any needs that come up that weekend.

How involved will we be with the charity?
Each Charity will have an assigned Givecamp staff member that will coordinate an initial meeting between the charity and team members.  There will be some pre-work prior to the weekend to make sure teams are prepared to deliver.  After the initial meeting, the project manager and tech lead will set up a couple sessions to determine the requirements, scope and walk through the agreed delivery with the charity.  During the weekend itself, the director or a lead from the charity will be present the entire weekend for questions and confirmation as teams iteratively test their development.

Three days seems short to complete a project.  How do you determine what the work will be?
During intake the projects go through two reviews for a feasibility assessment to determine the likelihood of finishing the project over the 3 day weekend.  Tech lead volunteers discuss as a team what is achievable and that is brought back to the charities for clarification and agreement.  Once project are assigned and the teams can get involved, the project managers will set up one or two requirements discussions with the charities where the teams can get a better understanding for what can be delivered.