Aaron Smith was trying to find a way to mix business with making a difference in the world. He had volunteered abroad, worked in senior positions in the travel and tourism industry, and now has two young daughters. 

He brainstormed with his wife: “We wanted to be good role models for the girls, so from a family perspective, it was important for me to be a good dad, provide them with a university opportunity, be able to do all the things that I’d like them to be able to do, but also to be a good role model. For them to be exposed to things on a global setting, learn new languages; I don’t want them to have any doors closed on them.”

That, coupled with the Royal Roads University Venture Challenge program and help from his partner, Wes Tyre, developed into the website GoVoluntouring.com. His goal? To turn one million travellers into one million volunteers.

Searching for a volunteer program

The website is easy to navigate, packed with information, and constantly being filled with new projects and volunteer organizations. Says Aaron, “It’s going to be one of these things that, right from the get-go and into perpetuity, there’s always going to be new content: there’s new need, there’s new projects. It’s a massive site which will be constantly evolving. My day will never be done!”

Prospective volunteers can choose their parameters from the drop down menus on the right side of the website, whether it’s by country, program type, duration, cost, age, fitness level or religious affiliation. Results will pop up that fit those specific criteria.

“We built these filters in to try and match would-be volunteers with the perfect project for them,” continues Aaron. “That’s just as important to have their expectations met as it is for the NGO that’s looking for the right type of volunteer.”

Volunteer programs

Doing this type of work isn’t just for young students or do-gooders, either. “What we’re really trying to do is position volunteer travel more as a holiday alternative, just frame it differently,” explains Aaron. 

“In my experience, the programs have all been different, they’ve all been in different locations, doing different types of projects, but for the most part, it’s the same people that are doing it: it’s the same lefty, idealistic, GAP year student (I'm a lefty myself!) or faith-based mission that’s down there leading the charge. That’s a massive amount of people that are missing out on the chance to give back, to do something great, but also to have an amazing, deeper cultural experience than you would have drinking mojitos on the beach. I think everyone is better off if we can ‘mainstreamize’ this whole process, and that’s what we’re trying to do.

“We’re also trying to encourage volunteer packages for families. They tend to be more wildlife-based, working on some light research with sea turtles or manatees. So it gets the kids involved. So we’re trying to allow parents to find projects that they can take the whole family to.”

Volunteer organizations

Travellers who are searching for volunteer abroad opportunities can also rest assured that GoVoluntouring.com isn’t taking anything from the NGOs themselves. There is no cost for non-profits to be listed, although the site does charge for-profit organizations in order to sustain the project financially.

What Aaron calls organizations that do “volunteer inclusive holidays” are for-profit enterprises. And there’s a role for them in the volunteer world. “They do an amazing job of getting first time volunteers, because it’s a foot in both worlds…

“Our business has expenses, the more we grow, the more change we enact. You can’t have one without the other. I don’t have any problem taking money to help us grow that from someone who’s making money from the act of volunteering. Fundamentally I’m okay with that. But the non-profits, I couldn’t [take any money from them], that would not sit well with me. There is so much need, they’re on shoestring budgets, they’re under resourced, they need the exposure, they need tech help where they can get it, as well as the volunteers. And they don’t have any way to get them, so this is very much about empowering those agencies that often don’t have [the support].”

And Aaron knows what he’s talking about. He has volunteered all over the world and now hopes to encourage others to do the same. GoVoluntouring.com is a big step towards converting one million travellers into one million volunteers.