Shanghai to build unified volunteering information platform

SHANGHAI - Shanghai will further regulate its volunteer service by making amendments to existing rules and establishing a unified volunteering information platform.

According to the draft amendment, the city will strengthen data management of volunteer information, increase incentives and improve social security for volunteers, and prevent some volunteer service from ending up as a catspaw for commercial purposes.

Shanghai so far has several volunteering information platforms running, with no interconnection between each one, which leads to duplicate records of registration and data input.

The unified information platform is expected to integrate information and data resources related to voluntary services in Shanghai with unified collection, management and sharing.

To improve the incentive mechanism for volunteers, the draft amendment also stipulates specific preferential measures for volunteers with a good record of voluntary service, including priorities in volunteering, receiving social security and medical treatment, and enjoying public employment services.

Shanghai has seen booming volunteer service over the past few years, with 4.13 million registered volunteers on the Shanghai Volunteer platform and 1.07 million on Youth Shanghai at present. The city now has 231 volunteer service organizations.