Questions from Volunteers
- I want to volunteer virtually - where do I begin?
- How do I find virtual volunteering opportunities?
- How can I be an online mentor or tutor?
- How old do I have to be to volunteer virtually?
- What qualities make for a good online volunteer?
Questions from Volunteers
I want to volunteer virtually - where do I begin?
First, you need to make sure you are ready to volunteer virtually. Our online self-assessment may help you determine this. The number one mistake people make when trying to volunteer online is committing to an assignment before they've evaluated their own resources, intent and availability. This leads to incomplete or never-started assignments, which in turn leads to frustration on the parts of both the volunteer and the agency.
How do I find virtual volunteering opportunities?
For many organizations, the idea of working with unseen volunteers can be an unsettling or even disturbing thought. Virtual volunteering, online mentoring, teletutoring, and other forms of cyber service are uncharted and unexplored arenas for the vast majority of agencies, even those who use the Internet frequently.
The focus of the Virtual Volunteering Project is on helping agencies create online opportunities and manage volunteers using the Internet, but we also offer resources for volunteers interested in or already engaged in virtual volunteering.
Here are ways to find or create a volunteer opportunity that you can complete via your home or work computer, and, at the same time, introduce the idea of virtual volunteering to other organizations:
- It's so easy to say yes to volunteering via the Internet that many people sign up to do so before really considering their expectations and schedule for an assignment. There's nothing virtual about the commitment you are making. The organization is counting on you to finish completely any projects you volunteer for, and to meet all pre-agreed obligations as a volunteer. Before you start looking for virtual volunteering opportunities of any kind, take this self evaluation to determine if you are ready.
- Remember - most of the organizations you contact have never heard of virtual volunteering, so you've got to sell them on the concept as well as promoting yourself as a volunteer. A good way to do that is to ask and answer these questions of yourself, and be prepared to communicate the answers to an organization you want to help:
- Why do you want to volunteer, in general?
- What do you hope to gain and give by volunteering?
- What kind of organization(s) or programs do you want to help?
- What sort of services and assistance would you like to provide -- building a web site for an organization, doing online research, mentoring a young person via the Internet, visiting virtually with someone who is home bound? (Check out our examples of ways an organization can involve volunteers via the Internet for ideas)
- What organizations have you volunteered with before, on or offline?
- What skills and experience would you like to bring to a volunteer assignment?
- What is your availability for the assignment (do you want to work during a set time of day? for a certain amount of days, weeks, or months?)
- Look for organizations that already do something offline that interests you. For instance, if you want to tutor a young person online or visit someone virtually who is home bound, look for an agency in your area that already does this in traditional, face-to-face, offline settings. Become a part of this offline program first, and then ask if online tutoring or visiting could be introduced.
- Many organizations require potential volunteers to come onsite for a face-to-face volunteer orientation, even those who want offsite volunteer assignments. That's why it's usually best to look for virtual opportunities with organizations that are geographically near you. If transportation or a physical disability prevents you from coming onsite, be clear about this in your communications with the organization, so that alternatives may be sought.
- Contact your nearest volunteer center by phone or e-mail (where available) and ask for a list of volunteer opportunities. A searchable, nationwide index of volunteer centers is available at http://www.pointsoflight.org/centers/find_center.cfm. When you get a list of opportunities, review them and note which ones might be something you could do via a home or work computer. Then contact those organizations.
- Contact organizations in your area that you personally believe in; an environmental agency, a child-services agency, a tutoring program, etc. Your local United Way could provide you with leads. Impact Online's database of organizations is another good place to look for agencies working in areas that interest you. Approach these agencies, per the above guidelines, about volunteering virtually for them.
- Interested specifically in online mentoring? Click here for the answer to the question, "How can I become an online mentor or tutor?"
- VolunteerMatch maintains a database of volunteering opportunities, some of which are virtual. ServiceLeader.org maintains a listing of organizations offering overseas opportunities. Most of these online volunteering opportunities on these databases are for people with marketing, fund raising, software or web design expertise. Note also that you may have to e-mail several organizations before you actually end up in an online volunteering assignment (many organizations post their opportunities before putting in the systems to respond to and orient online volunteers).
- If you work at a large corporation that has a human resources department, contact a representative and ask if your company has an employee volunteer program, and if your company is a partner with a particular school or nonprofit organization. If so, both the HR representatives and the partners will have additional resources to help you find a volunteer opportunity. You may want to help start a new program for volunteers at your company, or expand an existing program, building on the goals of the company's school or nonprofit partners! The Virtual Volunteering Project has resources that can help you explore how to start an online mentoring or online tutoring program. But remember to get written permission from the HR department and your supervisor before trying to launch such a program!
- Review these additional tips for volunteers to help you find the right volunteer opportunity. These resources include information on family volunteering, group volunteering, youth volunteering, and career exploration and development through volunteering.
How can I become an online mentor or tutor?
There are currently very few programs available for individuals who want to provide mentoring or tutoring completely via home or work computers.
Most of the online mentoring or tutoring programs in the U.S. require mentors and tutors either to come onsite for some face-to-face meetings, or require that mentors and tutors be an employee at a certain company to participate.
Another approach to connecting with online mentoring or tutoring opportunities is to help an agency in your area launch such a program program, based on the agency's existing face-to-face mentoring or tutoring activities. For instance, if you want to tutor a young person online, look for an agency or school in your area that already does this in traditional, face-to-face, offline settings. Become a part of this offline program first, as an onsite mentor or tutor, and then ask if online tutoring or visiting could be introduced.
If you work at a large corporation that has a human resources department, contact a representative and ask if your company has an employee volunteer program, and if your company is a partner with a particular school or nonprofit organization. If so, you could explore starting a new program for online volunteers at your company, or expand an existing program, building on the goals of the company's school or nonprofit partners.
How old do I have to be to volunteer virtually?
Many online volunteering programs have no age limits for online volunteers. The youngest volunteer that the Virtual Volunteering Project has involved was 14 years old. We assume that if a volunteer can navigate our site, and find and complete our online application, they are old enough to volunteer with us.
However, if you are under 18, we strongly suggest that you let your parents know that you are looking for an online volunteering opportunity, and copy them on key e-mail exhanges with agencies you are assisting (for instance, when you turn in an assignment, e-mail or print out a copy for your parents). Also, there are guidelines for Safety in Online Volunteering Programs that you should adhere to.
For those of you under 13, please note that, as a result of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPA), passed by Congress in 1998, the Federal Trade Commission adopted new rules on how privacy policies should be posted and what companies need to do to comply with prohibition from collecting personal information from young people without a parent's permission. The rules took effect in April 2000, and require that all Web sites that gather information from children under 13 first gain "verifiable parental consent." Talk with your parents and the agency you want to assist if this applies to you.
For more information about the FTC's rules, visit the FTC website.
What's qualities make for a good online volunteer?
In brief:
- Excellent written communication skills
- Excellent attention to detail, particularly when following written directions
- Commitment to answer e-mails quickly
- Commitment to stay with a project through to its completion, and to set a schedule for doing so
- Enjoyment of working on independently, with just occassional supervision
- Self-motivation
- Good at self-pacing; gives self plenty of time to work on an assignment
- Clear definition of what he or she wants out of online volunteering
- Establishing trust from the agency quickly, by finishing assignments on time and reporting in regularly
- Desire to learn and willingness to be flexible about ideas and methods
- Puts desired goals of the agency or volunteer manager at the forefront when undertaking and completing projects
