Volunteering at Mkono : Meaningful, Educational, Fun

At Mkono, we're grateful to have dedicated volunteers who lend their time and skills to help us grow. Operations, marketing, tech, impact measurement— our volunteers work in various fields, all of which are essential to keeping Mkono running.

Now, you may be wondering : who are they? This National Volunteer month, we want to celebrate our dedicated, passionate and diverse volunteer base. 
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Our volunteers come from various backgrounds; some are professionals, others are students. But they all share a common goal— to make an impact. Let's meet them!

The profile of a Mkono volunteer

Our volunteers come from a wide range of professional backgrounds and industries. While the majority has already been working for a few years for large companies such as Tesla, SoftBank and Boston Consulting Group, many of our volunteers are still students as well.

So, if you are motivated to make an impact, regardless of your experience, we are confident there is a place for you within our team.

Volunteer Opportunities — What can you expect?

​As a Mkono volunteer, you will work with one of our current teams :
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• Operations —  Being the main point of contact with the entrepreneurs, primarily  support them with their mentorship session requests and loan applications.
• Marketing & Communications —  Developing the voice and brand of Mkono, sharing our impact and growing the Mkono community. 
• Fundraising & Impact — Raising the funds necessary for Mkono’s growth, notably by interacting with our donor base; measuring the impact of our services; and updating our community on achievements and necessary changes in our offering.
• Technology — Developing the tools necessary to assist Mkono with the delivery of its services with the entrepreneurs and our partners.
• People — Recruit, onboard and retain volunteers and Mkono Allies.

Depending on your position, aside from working with your team, you will also have the opportunity to collaborate and interact with our Mkono Allies and the entrepreneurs we work with.
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Our volunteers dedicate anywhere to 2-5 hours a week, but we work in a flexible and agile manner to ensure that the workload is manageable throughout the year. 

If you want to learn more about our volunteer opportunities, contact us here.​

Why join Mkono?

Recently, we asked Mkono volunteers to fill out a survey where we asked them to describe their experience in 3 adjectives - meaningful, educational, fun.

Meaningful
Being a startup non-profit organization, we are able to interact with many of the entrepreneurs. We listen to their stories, we see them grow. And so when our loans and mentorship sessions are able to help them achieve their goals, we can't help but smile.

And not only that, as a volunteer, you will have the opportunity to directly see your impact. At Mkono, your work is valuable to us because it makes a noticeable difference.

Educational
Many of the volunteers don't work directly in the microfinance industry. Therefore, working at Mkono allows them to gain knowledge about microfinance, entrepreneurship and the culture in Kenya in general.
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And as for students, volunteering at Mkono provides a valuable opportunity to gain insight from industry volunteers working at Oliver Wyman, Square, Unilever and more. Our intellectually stimulating environment represents a great place to learn from one another.

"[By volunteering at Mkono, I've gained a] closer understanding of the challenges faced by young entrepreneurs in emerging markets, particularly as they navigate the impact of the pandemic."
 - Amina Ahmed

Fun & Community
Our community is multicultural, professional, and energetic.
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By joining us, you will have the chance to meet people from all parts of the world, from all walks of life. Not only will you be able to interact with our diverse network of volunteers and allies, you will find yourself learning about Kenyan culture. 
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In any case, you will be part of a positive community that can provide you valuable experience and good company!

“I really enjoy my volunteer experience at Mkono. I love the team and how passionate everyone is. I like the support that we have and how I never feel “lost” or overwhelmed by the work I have; the team is always flexible and considerate.”
- Jasmine Liu

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Mkono is completely volunteer-run. Therefore, we would like to take the time to thank our dedicated and amazing volunteer base. They truly represent the heart of our organization, and without them, we would not be able to do what we do best : empower young entrepreneurs.

• Learn more about the Mkono team here.
• Read more about us here.
• If you want to learn about our volunteer opportunities, contact us here!