In October 2024, Team4Tech brought nine skilled volunteers from Salesforce to Hanoi, Vietnam to participate in a 5-day, on-site, collaborative project supporting our NGO partner, Vietnet-ICT.
Training to Bridge the Digital Divide in Vietnam
Currently, only around 36% of Vietnamese youth (aged 15-24) have foundational digital skills, despite strong enthusiasm for technology’s role in the workforce. The demand for digital skills among youth has significantly increased, particularly in response to the growing digital economy and the fast pace of technological innovation.
Many Vietnamese youth find that the digital skills they acquire in school do not meet the needs required by employers. Reports suggest that employers frequently cite a lack of adequately trained digital professionals, especially in areas like cybersecurity.
Vietnet-ICT is an NGO based in Hanoi, Vietnam supporting communities to access and benefit from information technology and communication services via promoting partnership and capacity building. Vietnet-ICT also specializes in providing ICT skills and digital safety training to disadvantaged communities in Vietnam.
Skilled Volunteers Tackle Simultaneous Projects to Make a Big Impact in a Short Time
The nine skilled volunteers on the Salesforce team collaborated on four different streams of work for this project:
- website management
- monitoring and evaluation
- social media strategy
- public speaking skills
While on-site, volunteers worked collaboratively with the Vietnet-ICT team to co-design and test solutions that would further their organizational goals. Vietnet-ICT assigned two members of their staff to support each subteam.
This program not only supports giving back to the community but also helps employees develop skills such as adaptability, resilience, and empathy. Partnering with organizations like Team4Tech serves as a guiding light, helping us reach more people and amplify our impact.”
— Salesforce Volunteer
Volunteers provided an extensive list of feedback and suggestions on the existing design and layout of the Vietnet-ICT website. The subteam focused on website design did extensive research on the websites of other NGOs and provided rationales for the suggestions offered.
Another subteam of skilled volunteers helped with implementing a data dashboard to assist with Vietnet-ICT’s data visualization. Vietnet-ICT needed a dashboard so data from their four programs could be entered, managed, and analyzed for decision-making. The volunteers created a simple, easy-to-replicate dashboard for one of their programs, with plans to scale to other areas of their work.
The skilled volunteering team also developed a goal-setting framework (V2MOM) to help operationalize project management more effectively across the organization.
Another subteam of skilled volunteers assisted Vietnet-ICT with creating a comprehensive social media plan covering various social channels including TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn and suggesting tools to increase the frequency of posting.
Lastly, a subteam including volunteers with a training background assisted the Vietnet-ICT staff with public speaking training. They covered modules on body language, posture, and personal branding, and delivered the training to Vietnet-ICT’s entire staff.
This experience offered a fantastic opportunity to broaden both personal and professional perspectives, strengthen essential soft skills, and engage with a dynamic, multicultural environment. It provided valuable insights into diverse mindsets and cultural perspectives, enriching our approach to challenges and fostering a more adaptable, global outlook.”
—Salesforce Volunteer
Building on Skilled Volunteer Work for More Effective Storytelling and Outreach
Your help enabled us to refine our social media strategy, improve website design, and strengthen our monitoring and evaluation systems, allowing us to communicate our mission more effectively and measure our impact more accurately. Beyond technical support, your team’s valuable public speaking insights inspired us to share our story confidently. A special thanks…for creating an environment where everyone felt heard, supported, and encouraged to contribute their best. This professional friendship and collaboration enhanced our skills and reminded us of the power of connection.”
This project is just one example of Team4Tech’s global contributions to education. Our organization continues to accelerate the impact of education-focused NGOs globally.