VSOKingston-Upon-Thames, United Kingdom
VSO (previously Voluntary Service Overseas) is the world’s leading independent international development organisation that mobilises volunteers to tackle poverty and inequality. VSO envisions a “world without poverty” and its mission is to “bring people together to fight poverty”. Since being founded in 1958, it has sent over 50,000 volunteers globally, and currently works in 24 countries across Africa, Asia and the Pacific, operating through a network of head offices and regional hubs.
VSO has delivered pro bono programmes for the past 20 years and presently manages around 6-10 projects yearly. The projects and are usually in country, intensive, and multi-disciplinary projects for individuals or teams which on average last a month. VSO pro bono programmes involve partnerships with companies whose volunteers either work within VSO programmes or who co-create programmes with VSO country partners to achieve corporate sustainability or responsibility goals. Current partners include multinationals such as Vodafone, IBM, Citi, SAP, Mondelez, Randstad and Syngenta.
As a member, VSO is interested in networking, sharing best practices and frameworks, research, resources and training to promote pro bono as a tool for international development. VSO is also passionate about contributing towards improving the measurement of pro bono practices in relation to achieving the SDG's.