Volunteers Power the Open Crowdsourcing Movement

A lot is going on behind the scenes for us here at Ushahidi, and though many people think it's mostly the Ushahidi "core team" doing this work, what success we have had so far can be directly attributed to the quality and number of volunteers involved. This is mappers, translators, programmers, media monitoring, trainers and so many more. We're trying to make sure that the Haiti effort is effective, and are at the same time putting in new structures to manage things we've never had to do before. Large groups of volunteers, and the organizational structures that are needed to make that work effectively, are new to us and we've learned a great deal from the Fletcher Situation Room in Boston. [gallery]

Organizing Volunteers

It took A LOT of work to get the Haiti crowdsourcing situation room together. It metamorphosed over the first couple days as there was a growing need for organization and compartmentalization needed for efficiency. The team at the Fletcher Situation Room were the first, and they quickly organized around roles and chose leaders for each area. Below is their org chart for the 70+ person strong situation room:

I asked Vanessa Corlazzoli who is the overall Volunteer Coordinator to put it in her own words:

The Ushahidi volunteers are dedicated and extremely capable individuals that continue to pick up new skills every day. They are able to adapt to new circumstances and learn about new technologies quickly. But perhaps most importantly, they are passionate about helping people on the ground and using their talents and time to alleviate crisis. In just few days, Ushahidi has been able to set up new offices in London, Geneva, New Haven, and Boston. At the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, at Tuft's University, over 230 volunteers have been trained. I have learned a lot in the last few days about how to scale up an organization and how to best provide support to a growing number of volunteers. In an environment, where one is constantly making decisions I have learned the importance of communication and working together to achieve our main goals: help Haitians and relief efforts. Another inspiring part of my task is to help integrate the Haitian Diaspora into Ushahidi. These particular volunteers have been crucial in translating SMS messages and are currently working to fill in outstanding street names in Open Street Map. It is a pleasure to work with each and every single volunteer! Without them, Ushahidi would not exist.

List of Fletcher Volunteers as of January 20, 2009*

Adam Berkowitz

Althea Middleton-Detzner

Amy Margolies

Amy Patanasinth

Amy Truong

Anna Schultz

Annette Grinager

Barbara Martin

Beka Feathers

Carol Waters

Caroline Andresen

Caroline Meeks

Claudia Bucco

Dan Brutlag

Dana Binnendijk

Denise Roz Sewell

Elsa Palanza

Engelmann Gregor

Erin Linsky

Hana Cervenka

Helen Ho

Hilde Berg-Hansen

Ida Norheim Hagtun

Jacqui Deelstra

Jaroslav Valuch

Jen Ziemke

Jennifer Catalano

Jesse Smith

John Floretta

Kelsi Stine

Laura Gordon

Laura Zusman

Liz Sullivan

Luis Marquez

Marcia Kammitsi

Maren Christensen

Minta Madeley

Nona Lambert

Ola Ulmo

Patrick Elliot

Rebecca Perlmutter

Sophia Dawkins

Suzanne Andrews

Vanessa Corlazzoli

Yanina Seltzer

* Please note that this list does not include: DC Volunteers, Geneva Volunteers, or Creole/French translators , and overall supporters.