Electronic Highways
Lend a hand online
Travel constraints often hold a person back from committing to on-site volunteer work. For those who aspire to support a cause but cannot contribute in person, online or virtual volunteering may offer added flexibility. Online volunteers give time and expertise to an organization via the Internet. Organizations seek a variety of online volunteers, including those with and without technology-related skills. The following Web sites offer guidelines and opportunities from local and international organizations:
• VolunteerMatch.org. An advanced search for “virtual opportunities” in Volunteer Match—a recruiting tool for more than 75,000 nonprofit organizations—displays such positions as copy editor, translator and researcher.
• OnlineVolunteering.org. A project of the United Nations, Online Volunteering offers tools to manage opportunities, guidance on online collaboration and best practices. Volunteers can discover assignments based on task, topic, region or hours per week.
• Idealist.org. Available for both volunteers and recruiters, a search for “online volunteer” in Idealist yields thousands of positions—most notably are the many involving social media, marketing and online campaigning.
Besides providing needed skills, online volunteers can collaborate with individuals from all over the world. Although tasks are completed virtually, an online responsibility requires the same level of commitment as an in-person assignment. Those interested in online volunteer positions should examine volunteer expert Jayne Cravens’ resource, “Myths about Online Volunteering (Virtual Volunteering).”
—Ligaya Ganster, Lockwood Library
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