Online volunteering, virtual volunteering, cyber service — it’s known by many names, but the practice is the same: volunteer activities that can be completed, in whole or in part, via the Internet and a home, work, or public access computer. Examples of activities include translation, research, web design, data analyses, database construction,proposal writing, writing articles, online mentoring/tutoring, offering professional advice, curriculum development, publication design, and online discussion facilitation.

Thousands of organizations are involving volunteers via the Internet. Most of these volunteers are in the same city as the organization they are helping,and many also volunteer on-site at the organization. Others may be across town,or around the world, and may never set foot on-site at the organization.

For many organizations, online volunteers present much-needed resources — just as on-site volunteers do:

• Online volunteers have skills and expertise that an organization may not have or that the organization needs to supplement the work of on-site volunteers and staff.
• These volunteers help organizations stretch on-site resources even further to serve more clients.
• They may have sophisticated hardware or software an organization lacks but needs.
• They don’t require physical accommodations (a desk, a parking place, etc.) and don't generate car exhaust as a result of their service!

Another advantage is that online volunteering allows for the participation of people who find on-site service difficult or impossible because of a disability, home obligation, transportation difficulties, or work schedule; this in turn allows agencies to benefit from additional talent and resources.

There are lots of myths about online volunteering, such as:

• It's great for people who don't have time to volunteer otherwise. (Actually, it still requires real time and commitment!)
• It's impersonal. (Most volunteer managers will tell you they have relationships as personal, and as special,with online volunteers as with on-site volunteers.)
• People who volunteer online are mostly young, male, affluent, and living in the USA. (Actually, data shows there is an equal number of women and men; from all-age teen and adult-age groups, they are from various educational and work backgrounds and from various geographies and ethnicities. The breakdown of online volunteers from the UN's Online Volunteering service is telling: more than 40% are from developing countries.)
• Online volunteers engage primarily in technology-related tasks. (In fact, they engage in a variety of non-tech-related tasks, such as advising on business plans, human resources development, researching topics, and moderating online discussions.)

There are many places to find out more information about online volunteering. The best starting point is the Virtual Volunteering Project, which hosts the most comprehensive resources available about online volunteering for both organizations and individuals alike. There's basic information on how to get started and more advanced information, such as suggested practices for online mentoring programs.

The biggest success factor in an organization involving online volunteers? The staff's experience with basic volunteer management—if the agency is experienced in involving on-site volunteers, it will probably do very well with online volunteers.

ASK THE EXPERT

Q: Doesn't online volunteering displace on-site volunteering?

A: Online volunteering is not meant as a replacement for on-site volunteering, and most individuals and organizations don't choose it over face-to-face service. Online volunteering also isn't meant to take away paid positions at an organization. Rather, like traditional service, online volunteering is meant to help enhance, and even build, the capacity of staff at an organization, as well as to support those the organization serves.

Q: Isn't the internet a dangerous place? Doesn't involving online volunteers open my organization up to many risks?

A: Any volunteer involvement introduces risk to an organization, including on-site, face-to-face scenarios. The internet is no more, nor less, dangerous than the off-line world. There is extensive information available about online safety, with practices similar to those that are implemented on-site.

Effective Practices

• Managing online volunteers: six tips
• Screening online volunteers
• Using tag lines to attract online volunteers
• Creating a successful online mentoring program
• Using Instant Messaging to promote communication with volunteers
• Supporting volunteers with mental illness
• Reaching a consensus among online volunteers

Library Resources

• Best Practices for Volunteer Programs
• Best Practices in Cyber-Serve: Integrating Technology with Service-Learning Instruction
• Snapshot of Internet Innovation: Using e-Philanthropy to Expand Volunteering, Giving and Community Building

Online Resources

• Using Instant Messaging
• Online Volunteering Resources from Volunteering in America: Resources for Retention

Links to Other Useful Websites

• NetAid
• ServiceLeader.org
• VolunteerMatch
• AmeriCorps Volunteer Opportunities