Volunteering

Volunteering

What it Means to Volunteer with Us

Volunteering for ocean impact within Balean is rewarding and inspirational. It offers the opportunity to make a positive change in the world while expanding your knowledge, experience, and network with like-minded people. While rewarding, volunteering is also time-consuming and comes with specific obligations to ensure our collective success.

Volunteer Requirements

To maintain a productive and respectful environment, we seek volunteers who demonstrate:

• Commitment: A strong passion for the ocean and a dedication to the community’s objectives.
• Communication: Good communication skills to help us work together effectively.
• Proactivity: We love to hear new ideas! If you have a creative spark and the initiative to propose something fresh, don’t hesitate to share, we truly value your input and vision for the community.
• Teamwork: The ability to collaborate effectively in a fully remote and multidisciplinary organization.
• Respect & Cordiality: We welcome anyone who wants to make a positive impact; we value a friendly environment and respect for all, regardless of culture, background, or gender.

Roles and Responsibilities

Volunteers support our mission through various pillars. Please note that while these are our main areas of focus, this list is not written in stone! We would love to explore what you enjoy doing and how you want to collaborate or grow within the foundation:

• Communication & Storytelling: Contributing ocean stories and creating content (articles, social media, or research) for our community.
• Community Management: Interacting with members, fostering engagement, and managing social channels.
• Events & Activities: Assisting in the organization of workshops, projects, and community events.
• Open source contributions: Put your technical skills into action and help us improve the platform. Explore our Challenges.
• Operations: Supporting the daily administrative and operational needs of the foundation.
• Representation: Representing the Balean Foundation in a positive and professional manner.

Commitment and Expenses

• Time and Availability: Each volunteer is responsible for organizing their own schedule within their daily life to meet agreed-upon goals and community tasks.
• Virtual Collaboration: This commitment includes the availability to hold virtual meetings to organize or coordinate ideas.
• Flexibility and Communication: If you are unable to fulfill a task or attend a meeting, don’t worry! Just let us know in advance. Our team values flexibility, understanding, and open communication to stay organized.
• Compensation: As a non-profit, although we would love to, we generally cannot afford to pay all volunteers for the work they do for our oceans. Exceptions for a “volunteering allowance” are rare, bound by strict regulations under Dutch law, and based on strategic dependency or specific knowledge .
• Expenses: Costs and expenses for travel or materials are, of course, covered by Balean; simply discuss these with us upfront and we will take care of it .

New to the Community?Join Us!

If you are ready to help us leverage the potential of our oceans, please complete our application form here: Link to Google Form.

We will be in touch soon!

If you sign up as a volunteer, you also agree to the Balean’s volunteering Code of Conduct.

Already a Volunteer?

If you are already part of the team, here is how to stay active and make the most of your journey with Balean:

• Check our Communication Channels: Stay connected by checking Slack for daily updates, quick questions, and coordination with your sub-teams.
• Pick up a Challenge: Visit the GitLab Challenges project to find new tasks in marketing, infrastructure, or software development.
• Share your feedback: We want to grow with you! If you have ideas on how to improve our community or want to explore a new way to collaborate, let us know. Your voice helps shape Balean.
• Support your Peers: Offer assistance or mentorship to new volunteers to foster the welcoming and collaborative environment we value.

Thank you for being part of a community that believes in open, inclusive, and scalable ocean impact.💙