Volunteer Ireland and the network of Volunteer Centres have today launched a new app, I-VOL, to help people find volunteer roles in their local area. The app was made possible thanks to funding from the Department of Rural and Community Development.

The app will allow people to find volunteer roles based on their location, interests and time available. Users will also be able to create a profile to keep track of roles they have applied for and log any volunteer hours they undertake.

South Dublin County Volunteer Centre Manager Tricia Nolan has heralded the launch of the app as a major milestone for volunteering. “One of the most common reasons that people don’t volunteer is that they don’t know how. This app will make it easy for people to find volunteer roles near them and with over 23,000 volunteers being sought by over 8,600 organisations on I-VOL right now there are plenty to choose from. What’s really exciting about the app is that people can simply open the map and see roles nearby in just a few clicks.”

Minister of State for Natural Resources, Community Affairs and Digital Development Seán Canney TD added “I am delighted to fund the development of Volunteer Ireland’s new free smartphone app. It is very encouraging to see such innovation which promotes and connects volunteering all over the country. Now with a click of a button, volunteers can immediately see a wide range of volunteering opportunities not only in their town but in their county as well. The I-VOL app is another step forward in developing and supporting volunteering and I am pleased to support this important new initiative.”

The development of the app is a collaboration between Volunteer Ireland and the network of local Volunteer Centres. Manager of South Dublin County Volunteer Centre Tricia Nolan, who has worked on the I-VOL database for a number of years and led on the development of the app, stressed the importance of technology to volunteering.

“In the last 12 months, we have had over 300,000 visits to the national volunteering database I-VOL, with more than 170,000 of these visits via a mobile phone or tablet. We’re delighted to now launch an app that will allow prospective volunteers to search and apply for volunteering roles around them with thousands of not for profit organisations, and be alerted to new and urgent volunteering roles.”

“This app will prove valuable to those who have volunteered before as well as those who are interested in volunteering for the first time and want to get an idea of the breadth of roles available throughout Ireland.”

The I-VOL app will allow users to access volunteer opportunities from over 8,600 organisations. Users can search for roles near them using the map and narrow their search by interest, cause and time they have available. They can also apply for roles directly through the app and keep track of their applications and volunteer hours through their profile.

The I-VOL app is available to download now in the App Store and Google Play Store.