Short-Term project against long-term project - which one has a bigger impact on the organization and the stability aftermath? Let’s see why the two are different and why.
Let’s start to determine what’s a short-term project? Short-term ESC volunteering refers to placements ranging from 2 weeks to 2 months. It's a quick way to contribute and gain experience in less time and easier logistics that makes you discover volunteering and get a clear idea on what you want to do and how exactly you can contribute to the organization. This is the time when it gets complicated. You have less than 2 months to propose and implement any change for organization or a project in a foreign country you may not know. Leaving a long-lasting impact, if that’s your intention, in just a couple of weeks can be tough or challenging.
Now for the long-term project you have 2-12 months. It allows you for deeper immersion, more significant impact, and the opportunity to build lasting relationships within a community. You will understand the project more, will get more connected to the people you will meet and work with, have more time to develop your skills, discover a brand new culture, and create a good project that you are proud of having been doing.
To conclude, short-term projects can be good if you want to travel for the summer vacation for example or want to have an international experience but, in my opinion, you will have less impact on your project and the organization compared to long-term projects, when you can develop deeper connections, skills, knowledge, create something bigger and experience a long adventure.
The most important thing is to choose with specific intention. Being in a country on a short-term project and discovering something new or being on a long-term project and leaving a bigger impact.
Resources:
“Short-Term vs Long-Term Volunteering: Which is Right for You?” (Sam, August 29, 2025) https://volunteering.org.au/blog/short-term-vs-long-term-volunteering-which-is-right-for-you/
“Can short-term volunteering have an impact?” (Petrina Darrah, August 17, 2022) https://www.gvi.co.uk/blog/can-short-term-volunteering-really-have-an-impact/
Text a fotka: Diego Guerreiro
Diego je dobrovoľníkom programu Európskej komisie Európsky zbor solidarity na dobrovoľníckom projekte v organizácii DOBROdružstvo. Projekt bol podporený Európskou komisiou z programu Európsky zbor solidarity.
