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“HealthCare Vounteer”:http://www.healthcarevolunteer.com connects any volunteer with a health-related volunteering opportunity for free. We are building the world’s largest listing of healthcare volunteering opportunities. Neilesh (Neil) Patel is a social entrepreneur and Founder of HealthCare Volunteer, a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization. He got started with volunteering at the age of 17, when he started “StudentsHelp.org Consulting”:http://www.studentshelp.org, the world’s largest student-run non-profit that provided free computer technical support to thousands of people and non-profits worldwide.

What inspired you to get involved in entrepreneurial activities at such a young age?

I stumbled across social entrepreneurship by mistake. Back when I was 17, a friend and I started a computer consulting company. When we couldn’t find clients due to our young age, I suggested that we make our services free so we’d be more competitive. We’d be “volunteers,” I told him. He looked at me strangely for a moment, but then agreed. We became a hit instantly, and I experienced personal rewards and feelings that were more satisfying than money could ever be.

Also, as a child, I traveled around the world with my parents. Today, I’ve been to over forty countries and seen firsthand how many people struggle with basic health needs. I saw an opportunity to use my previous skills to improve volunteering, and ever since then volunteering promotion has become a way of life for me.

HealthCare Volunteer has certainly ballooned since you started it last year. What has been your strategy for publicizing the site?

Search engines, web site links and news articles have been our top three sources for new visitors to our site. In 2006, our first year of operations, HealthCare Volunteer was used in over 118 countries and was featured in nine media publications. Since we are a non-profit organization, we have no marketing budget and we rely on free publicity for the growth of our site. Like all things, it takes time to grow, but slow steady growth works just fine for us.

I would imagine that there are many organizations that would like to be included on your site. How do you manage quality control to make sure that potential volunteers are connected with the best possible volunteer sites?

Thus far, we have kept an option next to each volunteer listing to report errors or inaccuracies in our listings. We also review the content and images of each organization to maintain integrity of the listings as well. In the very near future we will be rolling out a service whereby volunteers can write testimonials about each organization and their volunteering experience. We will be making the community much more interactive so that volunteers have an easier time connecting with one another and learning from one another’s experiences.

Bonus: What volunteer experience has left the biggest impression on you?

My first volunteer experience ever was when I was 16 years old – I had the opportunity to volunteer at a local convalescent home. Volunteer service was required to graduate from my high school, and I thought after I finished my required thirty hours of service, that I would be on my way and never volunteer again. Little did I know that it would ingrain a lasting effect that would spark a couple of volunteering ventures that would touch the lives of thousands of people. I think at the end of the day, you realize that the best feeling is to know that you have made some positive contribution to this world.

Copyright © 2007 by Sonia Aggarwal