Examples of online volunteering
Virtual volunteering is assistance provided by volunteers via the Internet to agencies and their clients. Online volunteers can (and do):
- electronically "visit" with people who are homebound, in a hospital or a rest home; this can be done in addition to onsite, in-person visits
- provide online mentoring and instruction via email or private intranet (helping students with homework questions, helping an adult learn a skill or find a job, etc.)
- staff an email or chat room answer/support line, like a phone answer/support line, where people write in questions and trained volunteers answer them; or, be part of an online support group, where members provide advice to each other via a chat room, list serv or newsgroup
- supervise or moderate an agency-sponsored chat room, listserv or newsgroup
- work with other volunteers and/or clients to create a project, such as writing about the news of their neighborhood, school, special interest group, etc.; or gathering history information relating to a particular time or region, to post on a web site or use in printed material
- distance learning: training volunteers in a subject via the Internet
- conduct online research, finding information to use in an agency's upcoming grant proposal or newsletter, gathering information on a particular government program or legislation that affects an agency's clients, gathering web site addresses of similarly-focused organizations, etc.
- provide professional consulting expertise: answering an agency's questions regarding human resource, accounting, management or legal issues, writing a speech, developing a strategic plan for a particular department, etc.
- conduct online outreach and advocacy: posting information to appropriate newsgroup and list serves, preparing legislative alerts to be sent via email, etc.
- do daily searches for news articles relating to an organization or a particular topic
- design an agency's newsletter or brochure, or copy edit an agency's publication or proposal
- design a logo for an agency or program
- translate a document into another language
- prepare information for an agency's World Wide Web site; register an agency's Web site with online search engines, directories and "What's New" sites; provide advanced Web site programming, etc.
- make sure a World site is accessible for people with disabilities or people using assistive technologies
- design a database
- provide an online orientation to all volunteers with Internet access (whether or not they are onsite or online volunteers), or survey volunteers via email about their experiences with an agency or program
Virtual volunteering does not mean that volunteers work ONLY via the Internet. Many organizations find a combination of onsite and online tasks for volunteers works best for everyone involved (volunteers, staff, clients). Assignments can have different levels of virtuality. For instance, one volunteer may interact with clients online but meet onsite with a staff member regularly; another may talk with a client via email in addition to their regular face-to-face visits.See examples in practice:
http://www.serviceleader.org/vv/Thanks for the posting and insights to Jayne.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><> Jayne Cravens vv@serviceleader.org Manager, Virtual Volunteering Project http://www.serviceleader.org/vv/ at the University of Texas at Austin 512-232-2295 and Tech Tips for Not-for-Profit & Public Sector Organizations http://www.coyotecom.com/ <><><><><><><><><><><><><>
