serve.sg is an open-source skilled volunteer matching platform, designed and driven entirely by volunteers, for volunteers.

Unique value proposition

(or how different is serve.sg from the other platforms in Singapore)

• Open-source: The open development process means that serve.sg will evolve - following the initial development - as per the needs of the volunteers, charities, and non-profit organisations.
• Matching (and proposing): Unlike existing platforms which only allow charities or NPOs to host projects, serve.sg allows volunteers to also pitch good ideas instead of merely accepting existing projects. Reciprocity and collaboration are key themes. A channel for "solutions to look for problems" is therefore created because sometimes charities or NPOs may not know all the possibilities or their potential until they see good ideas.
• Team-based collaboration: Volunteers can also work in teams, so that first-time volunteers can learn from veterans, thereby facilitating skills diffusion and social learning.
• Synergy with service-learning programmes: Not only is the ability to pitch projects to charities or NPOs complementary to service-learning in school, it is part of different features to attract students and schools en masse.
• Post-project feedback: Volunteers and charities or NPOs, at the end of each project, can rate one another.
• Gamification: Moving ahead, gamification would encourage volunteers to put in quality work and to incentivise charities or NPOs to be good hosts.
• Skilled volunteerism: Volunteers can conceptualise innovative solutions and pitch ideas, and there are no limits on the relevance of skill sets.

Roles we need

• Analytics - data insights on how the platform is used
• Marketing - pitching, SEO, speaking engagements
• Partnerships - ensure we have the right mix of organisations and people in the ecosystem to successful execute the project
• User success - impact assessment, enable tangible benefits to our users
• User experience - usability from nonprofits' and volunteers' perspective

Here is where you will find all our formal documents

1. Google Drive
2. Github Organisation
3. Onboarding Document

#TODO: sanitise the proposal document and put it up, port over documents in the right format to github

So what is Open Source anyway?

Open Source Culture

• Openness and Sharing
• Remote Communication
• Abbreviations and Slang
• Volunteerism and Gift Economies

Funding

MCCY's "Our Singapore Fund" has approved $17,700.00 or up to 60% of total qualifying Project expenditure, whichever is lower.

License

Considering either MIT or GNU license for the platform

Timeline

Phase 1 Development

1. Marketing and publicity

• Launch of Facebook page
• Engagement of volunteers, charities, and NPOs.
• Logos: US$30 (5 designers, US$6 each, April 9, 2018).

2. Platform development

• Developer charges: S$2,850 (December 7, 2017) + S$2,850 (April 28, 2018).
• Domain purchase: S$49.99 (January 12, 2018) + S$49.99 (January 8, 2019).
• Hosting: S$150 (June 1, 2018).

3. Soft Launch

Soft launch completed at the Institute of Policy Studies Community Forum 2018. Coverage on serve.sg by Lianhe Zaobao.

Phase 2 platform refinement

1. Platform development:

• Developer charges: S$1,300 (September 10, 2018) + S$1,300 (October 29, 2018).

Phase 3 preparation for launch

1. Platform development:

• Developer charges: S$5,000 (February 25, 2019) + S$5,000 (...)
• Hosting: S$250 (May 23, 2019).

Formal Launch of basic platform

Target August 2019

Congratulations you are about to become fUtUrE rEaDy

1. Make a github account
2. Fork this repo into your own account.
3. Follow instructions
4. You are now fUtUrE rEaDy

Once you've added your name into the roles, you can take the time to try some of the other features.

Congratulations! You have reached the end of this guide.