The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) mobilizes thousands of volunteers around the world; last year alone, more than 17,000. But behind every volunteer assignment is a lot of planning. Teams need to calculate costs, manage contracts, and make sure resources are used wisely. To make this easier, the UNV Information and Communications Technology (ICT) data team has developed a tool that is changing the way UNV plans and budgets volunteer assignments funded through the Full Funding programme and the Special Voluntary Fund.
Until recently, planning costs across multiple donors, countries, and assignments meant pulling together data from different systems and spending hours on manual calculations. The ICT data team set out to change that.
Working closely with colleagues across UNV—including administration, finance and more—the data team developed a comprehensive Cost Planning Tool that brings financial, volunteer and planning data into a single platform.
The tool provides a real-time view of donor balances, revenue and expenditure, then links that information to volunteer assignments, showing who is funded by whom and capturing the key details needed for effective planning.
By connecting data that was once scattered across multiple systems, it gives teams a clear, reliable picture for making faster and more informed decisions.
Finally, it uses a cost calculator developed by ICT and reviewed by programme experts to estimate the cost of future assignments. It takes into account factors such as the duty station, volunteer category, contract length and local conditions.
The result is a single, reliable source for forecasting costs and planning volunteer assignments with greater accuracy and confidence.
The tool combines financial, operational and cost data in one place, giving teams a clear view of current and future funding needs. They can quickly identify funding gaps, test different scenarios and make informed decisions during planning and donor discussions.
What once took hours of manual calculations can now be done in minutes.
While the technology is sophisticated, its purpose is simple: help UNV use resources more effectively. Better planning means stronger financial oversight, more sustainable volunteer assignments and greater flexibility to respond to emerging needs.
The Cost Planning Tool shows how data can simplify complex processes, support smarter decisions and ultimately strengthen UNV's ability to mobilize volunteers and deliver impact worldwide.
Yet another step in UNV’s journey towards becoming a more agile, innovative and future-ready organization under its Strategic Framework 2026–2029.
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