This guest post is by Super Volunteer, Jerry Bishop. At Sparked, we can’t say enough about Jerry. His commitment to online volunteering is off the charts! Thanks Jerry. You can find Jerry’s Sparked profile here: http://www.sparked.com/profile/118de0fb7f
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I realized this weekend that it was a year ago Christmas that I began as a
volunteer on Sparked.com. The year has gone by really fast and I have been
reflecting on what my volunteering has meant to me.
More than anything, I am just so grateful to be able to volunteer through
Sparked and in very small ways, help people who are on the front lines of
making a difference. It may seem crazy but in researching answers to
challenges I often feel like I am taking a little trip to a new place and
clicking on the Choose a Challenge feature is like taking a spin on a
roulette wheel where every number is a winner.
I also really enjoy being able to ‘meet’ the others Sparkers and
collaborate challenges. I love reading people’s answers and getting a
little glimpse into who they are through their profiles. Seeing the ideas
and contributions of others inspires me and challenges me to improve my own
contributions. The Sparked site is also nice in that we can acknowledge the
great ideas of others with a Thumbs Up or comment.
But having just looked back through my past challenges I feel a little
guilty my contribution has been more consistent. After all, it takes so
little time to help out on a challenge that I should simply schedule it
like everything else (done).
Looking back this weekend has also reminded me how important Sparked has
been for so many organizations, the challenge authors, and the causes they
serve. It reminds me to follow-up with a few of them I haven’t seen in a
while. It also reminds me just how important the micro-encounters we have
with one another on Sparked can really lead to some very big things
happening.
PS – I would also like to acknowledge the fantastic work by the Sparked team for their continued investment in the service. It has been a lot fun watching the innovations roll out and the popularity of the site explode.
