VEGA Volunteers by the Numbers

• VEGA draws on its network of over 65,000 experts -- active and retired businesspeople, farmers, bankers, professors, civil servants, and other professions.
• The typical VEGA volunteer has over 15 years of experience in his or her field. Two-thirds or more have a graduate degree in their profession.
• The typical volunteer assignment lasts two-four weeks. There is a growing demand for “virtual volunteers” who can provide expert assistance to local entrepreneurs and business ventures (e-mentoring) via email, SMS, Skype and other means.
• VEGA Member organizations have implemented over 25,000 volunteer assignments in 140 countries over the past 40 years.
  

We believe that America’s greatest resource is its people, and in its efforts to help other countries develop, the United States should harness Americans’ wonderful spirit of volunteerism. The VEGA consortium of 17 NGOs recruits, trains, places and supports skilled volunteers who provide management and technical assistance to micro, small and medium size enterprises, agribusinesses, financial institutions, educational institutions, NGOs, local governments, central ministries, advocacy organizations, associations, and communities - all who benefit from this highly effective form of foreign assistance and citizen diplomacy.

Leveraging volunteer skills and spirit is not a new activity for us. Volunteerism was the driving force of the creation of VEGA and its Member organizations, going back over 40 years in some cases, and it continues to be both a core value and unique asset.

VEGA’s brand of volunteerism is a unique and highly cost-effective way to transfer skills to clients in emerging markets in need.  A demand-driven approach is used to structure practical, results-oriented technical assistance and training missions. By building a relationship with the host and conducting a thorough needs assessment, VEGA Members create scopes of work that benefit the host and match the right volunteer to the project. After assignments end, we evaluate lessons learned, measure immediate results and monitor what the impact is going forward.

Volunteers benefit as well, bringing home a greater understanding of the conditions under which people around the world live.

Volunteering with VEGA Member Organizations Comes in Many Shapes and Sizes. Here is a sampling of several options:

Farmer-to-Farmer (FtF): Seven VEGA Members (ACDI/VOCA, CNFA, FAVACA, IESC, NCBA/CLUSA, Partners of the Americas, and Winrock) are active implementers of this program, which enlists U.S. farmers, extension service personnel and agribusiness experts to share their expertise with counterparts overseas. Funded through the Farm Bill and managed by USAID, FtF has sponsored 10,000 volunteer assignments over the years. Read more…

Financial Services Volunteer Corps: Since FSVC’s inception in 1990, over 8,500 experts from the international financial, legal, and regulatory communities have taken part in more than 2,500 FSVC missions, reaching more than 35,000 counterparts in over 50 developing and transition countries. Read more…

Mid-Career Programs

IIE’s Emerging Markets Development Adviser Program (EMDAP) offers MBA/MA degree students and recent graduates an opportunity to gain international experience by providing assistance to organizations in developing countries. Read more…

The MBA Enterprise Corps - a division of CDC Development Solutions - deploys recently-graduated MBAs from the top U.S. business schools for long-term volunteer assignments with the goal of driving growth in emerging economies worldwide. Read more…

MBAs Without Borders (MWB), a division of CDC Development Solutions, empowers local entrepreneurs in developing countries by matching them with top MBA leaders around the world.  Read more…

SAVE Travel Alliance (Scientific, Academic, Volunteer, and Educational). Travel is more than movement from one place to another—it is a means to explore, to learn, to help and to grow.  Most importantly, travel has the power to change.  Now more than ever, travelers and destinations alike want to properly harness the power of travel to make positive impacts on people and places. Read more…

International Corporate Volunteerism: CDC Development Solutions is the leading organization designing and implementing programs that leverage corporate employees to support local businesses, nonprofits, and governments in emerging markets worldwide. Read more…

Through your support we can send more expert volunteers who generously donate their time, expertise and much more to further the impact VEGA programs have in the lives of our beneficiaries