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| Path: Main Street : Resources & Library : Research Articles : Feature Article |
Are 'Virtual Volunteers' the wave of the future?May 13, 1999; Canadian FundRaiser
A rich resource of volunteer expertise and support is available in cyberspace and just waiting to be tapped. Right now, there are at least two Web sites ready -- or almost ready -- to help you make the most of this resource: Virtual Volunteers www.serviceleader.org/vv/index.html, and at the Volunteer Opportunity Exchange at www.voe-reb.org.
Few people, in fact, actively seek opportunities to volunteer by - for instance - perusing newspaper columns, but if they bump into an interesting challenge on-line, they may well sign up. Many others simply prefer to interact with people (whether it's signing up for volunteer work or actually conducting it) at arm's length, i.e. on-line. Still others may find on-site volunteering difficult or impossible because of a disability, mobility issue, home obligation, or non-traditional work schedule. And finally, young people are historically loathe to support community services, but may respond more positively to an opportunity to do so via their home or office computer.
Using off-site volunteers via the Internet can extend the resources of an agency, enlisting help from many volunteers possibly not able to help in any other way. It is also environmentally friendly (no car exhausts, less paper waste, etc.), the service leader site points out.
The site has a wealth of information and ideas on how to make the most of this unused or underused resource, and would well repay a visit from anyone in a nonprofit organization responsible for maximizing the agency's use of volunteers to augment staff activities. For example, the site defines two distinct forms of virtual volunteering: technical assistance provided to staff or other volunteers to achieve a variety of goals or undertake various tasks, or direct contact between the virtual volunteer and clients/recipients of service.
Just a few of the long list of examples or potential virtual services cited under the two headings include:
- conducting on-line research
- providing professional consulting
- designing brochures, newsletters, logos, etc.
- translating documents maintaining a database
- electronically "visiting" people in hospitals or homes
- providing on-line mentoring or instruction
- supporting group members via chat rooms or newsgroups
The service leader site has links to help agencies set up virtual volunteering programs and offers examples on how others have done so successfully. It also provides materials for use in volunteer programs and offers to lead seminars or workshops in effective virtual volunteering and managing a corps of virtual volunteers.
Meanwhile, the Volunteer Opportunities Exchange site, a joint project of Human Resources Canada and Volunteer Canada, came on line during April with an interesting package of services: volunteer opportunity searches combined with a volunteer 'profile' facility that helps match volunteers with tasks that match their interests and skill-sets.
For further information: www.serviceleader.org/vv/, www.voe-reb.org/dev/projects/voe/, or Michel Ouellette at Volunteer Canada, 613-241-4371 x 232.
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