How can you mobilise a troop of volunteers, ensure they have consistent information and involve them in a large-scale event such as the Commonwealth Games?
You’re in the right place to find out. This week a new Yammer case study has emerged and it features the sporting event, which is currently taking place in Glasgow, Scotland.
It looks at how the enterprise social network is being used to unite a community before, during – and no doubt after – the event.
Read on to discover what they’ve been up to and how it works.
How the Commonweatlh Games is using Yammer
Volunteers are the lifeblood of any large athletics event. I highlighted this during the 2012 Olympics, when Transport for London (TfL) shared their case study of how they were using Yammer for their travel ambassadors.
“The Players Community” was set up to help maintain the feeling of involvement in the Commonwealth Games, even before the Games started. Its objective was simple; IT to empower all, and the case study features IT service providers NVT and IA Cubed.
“Yammer and the Players Community has enabled me to do away with several other social networks, simplify my social media engagement overall, and reduce the time I spend on it” says Graham Stevenson, Marketing Manager and Volunteer Team Leader, NVT.
The Players Community is actively enabling volunteers to gain real-world work experience. 50 per cent of NVTs volunteers are IT students and by working at the Commonwealth Games, which is sponsored by countless IT organisations, they’re being thrust directly in front of potential future employers, in an environment that allows them to showcase their talents and abilities.
The idea is to make volunteers feel valued, trusted and heard – essential factors for both volunteer recruitment and retention. Tweet this
“As a company located in Glasgow with a majority of Glaswegian staff, we have a lot of belief in the Games and what they represent. The Players Community includes a high percentage of students – the Scottish IT talent of the future. We felt it was important to give them a forum they could use.”
The result? IA Cubed were able to increase NVT’s overall volunteer numbers by 1515% (that’s some figure! – Rachel) and create a network with a more than 82% engagement rate.
What do I think?
I think this is a good example of how you can unite people around a common purpose and use technology to help enable and facilitate conversations and the flow of information.
The screen grabs in the case study show a wide variety of connections and conversations taking place, but I wonder what will happen to the community once the games are over.
I would have liked to have read quotes from the students and volunteers to hear their thoughts on using Yammer and any difference it is making to them during the Commonwealth Games.
If you want to read more about Yammer, there are 70+ case studies on my blog.
I’ve collated everything I’ve published to date on it, via this post – It’s Yammer Time.
My article includes illustrations by the brilliant Virpi Oinonen, @VOinonen including the one pictured.
Rachel
Post author: Rachel Miller
First published: 30 July 2014.
