Today begins a full-on field test of my Lean Volunteer process, the one that I’ve written extensively about in my upcoming book, the Lean Volunteer.   Briefly, I’m going to Central America this winter for a few months, to travel and to do a Lean Volunteer project.   Every Friday, I’ll post the work I’ve done to set it all up, applying my process.

If you’d like embark on a travel adventure, and use your business skills to volunteer abroad, please join in this journey with your thoughts, questions, and links to resources.  If you want to see one clear and completely do-able process, then this is the story you want to watch roll out.  If you know someone that you think wants to take such a trip, please tell them about this blog.   And then participate.  Tell me what you want to do.  Ask me about the issues you’re wondering about.  Provide links, articles, and advice that you’ve found useful as we walk through this project.  This will be fun!

So here’s the deal.   It’s been awhile since I embarked on my around the world trip, doing pro bono business consulting for small social enterprises serving lower income communities as I went along. The book is largely written, awaiting the whole publication process, but I want to test out my system.

 

From now through about April or May 2017, I will go through this process and do a project in Central America, with an as yet unidentified social enterprise, in an as yet unidentified country. On my own, I could do this very quickly, since I have a good network and experience. Instead, I’m going to pretend that I’m doing this for the very first time, perhaps just like you, with only the resources that most business professionals have, especially those who haven’t traveled the world as much as they’d like to.

For starters, on this site, I’ll keep a journal of my thoughts, choices, and tasks as I walk through the process. The book has all the background and explanation of being a Lean Volunteer.   My goal for this journal is to make crystal clear a vision of how you can, own your own, create your own volunteer abroad trip, and in the process change your life.  Without the support of any expensive organization.  I’ve done 7 of them, and this will be #8.

Step 1 starts here.  Follow along, and please ask questions and offer up your own tips and advice.

And if you’d like to get a discounted copy of my book when it’s out, sign up here.