20 Years of benevol-jobs.ch – The Evolution of a Platform for Engagement
Since 2005, benevol-jobs.ch has been connecting dedicated volunteers with non-profit organizations. With over 1,500 active opportunities and more than 14,000 registered volunteers, the platform has become an indispensable part of the Swiss volunteering landscape.
What began as a simple online job board has evolved into the most visited volunteer platform in Switzerland. Originally launched under the name freiwilligenjobs.ch, benevol-jobs.ch will celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2025.
With decades of experience, the platform understands the needs of both volunteers and organizations and offers tailored opportunities for meaningful engagement.
2005: It all starts with an idea: a simple online job board for volunteer work in Switzerland. The digital landscape is still in its infancy, and volunteer coordination is largely analog. Increasing digitalization and the growing need for structured volunteer recruitment call for new solutions. It becomes clear: a platform is needed that makes voluntary engagement efficient and visible.
2011: The initial focus was heavily on functionality – in particular, a powerful CRM system for organizations. Design, however, still left room for improvement. With the next development phase, greater emphasis was placed on the visual design of the platform. A first new design and functionality were developed in cooperation with a local IT partner from Eastern Switzerland. The platform now appears in a contemporary format with impressively simple functionality.
2013 – 2016: In collaboration with a professional design agency, benevol-jobs.ch received not only a new design but also a completely revised user interface. The platform became more modern, clearer, and more user-friendly – a significant step forward in its evolution. The new appearance was now visible across Switzerland: promotional posters at major railway stations drew attention to the platform. Thematically, benevol-jobs.ch also became more diverse – the Yodel Festival was the first event to be promoted online. With Parks of Switzerland and Mountain Forest Switzerland, the first corporate volunteer opportunities followed. Another milestone: since December 5, 2014, benevol-jobs.ch has been bilingual, making it even more accessible to users across the country.
2018: A strategic decision in 2018 marked a major turning point: benevol-jobs.ch would no longer be developed in-house, but would instead run on the powerful framework provided by jobiqo – a leading European provider of job platforms. This transition brought greater stability, scalability, and user-friendliness to the platform. The impact was immediate: both reach and acceptance increased rapidly across Switzerland.
2020: With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the strength of benevol-jobs.ch became evident: associations and organizations involved in pandemic aid were given free access to the platform. The goal was to quickly and easily connect support where it was most urgently needed. The response was overwhelming: more volunteers than ever before registered in a short period – a powerful demonstration of solidarity and collective action in challenging times.
2022: Four years after the major technology shift, benevol-jobs.ch received a visual update: with new, modern visuals, the platform’s appearance was refreshed and aligned with current design standards. In addition to visual changes, the platform also advanced functionally: direct contact requests from volunteers were increasingly promoted – making matchmaking more personal, faster, and more efficient.
benevol-jobs.ch lives with and through the benevol regional offices
The benevol regional offices and license holders of benevol-jobs.ch are essential to the acceptance and dissemination of the platform. They actively moderate the platform by ensuring compliance with benevol standards. They serve as contact points for organizations using the platform. They promote benevol-jobs.ch in their regions and foster local acceptance of the platform.
To the benevol regional offices and members
2005: It all starts with an idea: a simple online job board for volunteer work in Switzerland. The digital landscape is still in its infancy, and volunteer coordination is largely analog. Increasing digitalization and the growing need for structured volunteer recruitment call for new solutions. It becomes clear: a platform is needed that makes voluntary engagement efficient and visible.
2011: The initial focus was heavily on functionality – in particular, a powerful CRM system for organizations. Design, however, still left room for improvement. With the next development phase, greater emphasis was placed on the visual design of the platform. A first new design and functionality were developed in cooperation with a local IT partner from Eastern Switzerland. The platform now appears in a contemporary format with impressively simple functionality.
2013 – 2016: In collaboration with a professional design agency, benevol-jobs.ch received not only a new design but also a completely revised user interface. The platform became more modern, clearer, and more user-friendly – a significant step forward in its evolution. The new appearance was now visible across Switzerland: promotional posters at major railway stations drew attention to the platform. Thematically, benevol-jobs.ch also became more diverse – the Yodel Festival was the first event to be promoted online. With Parks of Switzerland and Mountain Forest Switzerland, the first corporate volunteer opportunities followed. Another milestone: since December 5, 2014, benevol-jobs.ch has been bilingual, making it even more accessible to users across the country.
2018: A strategic decision in 2018 marked a major turning point: benevol-jobs.ch would no longer be developed in-house, but would instead run on the powerful framework provided by jobiqo – a leading European provider of job platforms. This transition brought greater stability, scalability, and user-friendliness to the platform. The impact was immediate: both reach and acceptance increased rapidly across Switzerland.
2020: With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the strength of benevol-jobs.ch became evident: associations and organizations involved in pandemic aid were given free access to the platform. The goal was to quickly and easily connect support where it was most urgently needed. The response was overwhelming: more volunteers than ever before registered in a short period – a powerful demonstration of solidarity and collective action in challenging times.
2022: Four years after the major technology shift, benevol-jobs.ch received a visual update: with new, modern visuals, the platform’s appearance was refreshed and aligned with current design standards. In addition to visual changes, the platform also advanced functionally: direct contact requests from volunteers were increasingly promoted – making matchmaking more personal, faster, and more efficient.