Neighbour Matcher
About this good practice
Give A Day is a cooperative movement with social purpose and the largest volunteer database in Belgium. Their mission is to take volunteering and neighbourly help to the next level. They inspire to connect all actors in society for social impact through voluntary engagement. They provide IT tools to municipalities, schools, citizens and non-profit organisations. They also offer policy support and methodologies, smartly matching volunteers and other actors.
The city of Aalst engages in caring neighbourhoods. In cooperation with Give a Day, the city has worked hard in recent years to connect neighbours in Aalst. With Give a Day's online matching platform, ‘Neighbour Matcher’, the city of Aalst brings neighbourhood residents together. This digital tool allows neighbours to connect and ask for or offer help with small chores, such as groceries or cooking.
At the start of the project in 2023, the city tested out ‘Neighbour matcher’ in one neighbourhood in Aalst, ‘Ten Rozen’. Key figures familiar with and well-known in the neighbourhood of ‘Ten Rozen’ played a crucial role in launching the Neighbour Matcher. They helped convince local residents to sign up to the platform.
Together with the local stakeholders a neighbourhood party was organised, allowing neighbours to get to know each other in a relaxed atmosphere and allowing the city to introduce the platform and to convince people from the neighbourhood to sign up.
Resources needed
- Communication material and staff working hours
-The Give A Day platform is currently being used free of charge by the city but will become a paid service in the future
Evidence of success
Leading up to the neighbourhood party, letters and flyers were distributed in the mailboxes of local residents with instructions to sign up to the ‘Neighbour Matcher’ platform. This action was a big success. Within one week there were 200 sign-ups on the platform.
The party itself was also a success. It allowed neighbours to get to know each other informally and to connect. As a consequence, social cohesion in the neighbourhood was increased and the threshold to ask for help was lowered.
Potential for learning or transfer
We gained the following insights in launching ‘Neighbour Matcher’:
- It is important to rely on volunteers and key figures in the neighbourhood to launch a platform like ‘Neighbour Matcher’.
- Do not expect miracles in a neighbourhood with limited social cohesion. This issue requires a broader approach.
- Create ongoing awareness. One-time communication is not enough.
- Don’t underestimate the threshold to ask for help. People are reluctant to admit they need help and are inclined to offer help to others instead of asking for help themselves.
Further information
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