Summary of the part devoted to analyze the lack of volunteers for the projects

Catalan community is composed by around 10 million people 6 million of which with internet access.

The main problem is not the reduction of the number of volunteers but the increase in the number of projects. The number of volunteers seems stabilized along last years.

[modifica] Actions to increase the volunteers

[modifica] Attract

• Create a collection of stories of volunteers, a mix between interview and biography (history-telling). Make diffusion through press, libraries, schools…
• Break the barrier to contribute due to the reluctance to allow economic profit from the results of own volunteer work. In the license suggest or condition the economic profit to reinvest part of the profit in the development of more free works.

[modifica] Facilitate the starting

• Provide basic previous knowledge (courses). In Catalan community there is a traditional large associative network but they are not used to internet.
• Facilitate identification of where-how-what, to do to start. Examples: Donate time (http://mozillaservice.org/) do micro-tasks (http://www.microvoluntarios.org/) Engage Successful wikiprojects http://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viquiprojecte:Els_1.000. This project had an extraordinary success, its main characteristics are: Very ambitious but reachable goal, a lot of opportunities to contribute in different ways, quantity quality, different areas… continuous monitoring of the results at global and individual level and a competition component.

[modifica] Retain the already participating

• Recognition. Make Certificates of being collaborator of the project. Provide in the project the full name and photos of the authors. Credit who has done what. Give the possibility to contact the authors and thank them.
• Follow up of the recognition.
• Organize in person working sessions connected with social activities.
• Give the projects component of socialization. In line of what social networks do.

[modifica] Actions to understand the motivations to participate

• Study cases of fast growing communities: Mozilla designers, Mozilla women…
• Surveys to already contributing people about their motivations.
• Surveys at street to understand the possible motivating factors for not already participating people.
• Special study for women. Why women don’t participate? Make a specific brainstorming.

[modifica] Inter-project coordination

Group together all Catalan projects: Ubuntu, Mozilla, Viquipèdia, Drupal... Join actions to attract volunteers. Join use of centers or tele-centers. Organize join events. Join relationship with global movements at world level.