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| Path: Main Street : Resources & Library : Research Articles : Feature Article |
Virtual volunteering -- a revolution in community serviceAugust 12, 1998; Canadian FundRaiser
The power of the Internet is beginning to revolutionize the way people get involved in social causes. Virtual volunteering enables organizations and agencies to expand the benefits of their volunteer programs by utilizing volunteers in new areas. Computer networks are a way to increase the pool of young volunteers which non-profits can draw from. In fact, according to Impact Online, a new non-profit organization in the US whose mission is to increase community involvement via the Internet, over 75 per cent of people surveyed through the Internet said they would increase their level of community involvement through on-line programs.
Today's technology has much to offer the non-profit sector, but until now, little has been done to take advantage of it to bring about social change. The power of the Internet is beginning to revolutionize the way people get involved in social causes by providing a virtual meeting ground in cyberspace for people with a desire to make a difference. In fact, current on-line technologies provide an excellent way for an organization to augment its volunteer methods while providing new ways for volunteers to get involved.
Volunteering off-site via the Internet allows anyone to contribute time and expertise to non-profit organizations, government offices, and other agencies that use volunteer services, without ever having to leave their home or office. This 'virtual volunteering' also enables these organizations and agencies to expand the benefits of their volunteer programs by allowing for more volunteers to participate, and by utilizing volunteers in new areas.
Virtual volunteering can take two distinct forms:
1. Technical assistance provided by volunteers online to requesting agencies. This assistance includes:
- Conducting on-line research for an organization's grant proposal, newsletter, etc., or to find out about a particular government program that is affecting an organization's clients.
- Answering a non-profit's questions regarding human resource or management issues.
- Designing a non-profit's newsletter or brochure, or editing a publication or proposal.
- Translating a document into or from another language.
- Preparing information for a web site or designing and maintaining that web site.
2. Direct contact between a volunteer and an organization via e-mail or a chat room. For example, the volunteer could:
- Electronically visit with someone who is home-bound, in a hospital, or in a rest home.
- Provide on-line mentoring and instruction to clients, such as helping students with homework questions, or helping prison inmates with their studies.
- Provide support to an organization's clients by offering advice to support group members through an e-mail hot-line.
Many non-profits are beginning to realize the potential of computer networks and on-line technology to boost volunteer recruitment. Some of the benefits of pooling and involving volunteers through the Internet include:
- Organizations using electronic sign-up sheets can broaden their reach to attract new types of volunteers.
- People who can't volunteer on-site may be willing to do so via their home or work computers.
- Volunteering off-site can be accommodating to everyone's schedules.
Impact Online conducted an on-line survey of over 1000 people on the use of the Internet for enabling greater community and public service. Some of its key findings are:
- Over 75 per cent of those surveyed said they would increase their level of community involvement through on-line programs.
- Over half of the respondents said they would donate to an organization that offered information on-line.
- Half of the respondents said they would buy a product from a non-profit organization on-line.
To learn how to create new opportunities and offer a more convenient way of performing community service to current and would-be volunteers, check out Impact Online's web site at www.impactonline.org
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