What is a Virtual Volunteer Opportunity?
Most Volunteer Opportunities take place in a specific location and the volunteer is told to arrive at that location for a designated time period (the duration of the occurrence). "Show up at the Food Bank at 6:00 pm on March 30"
But what about Volunteer Opportunities you can perform remotely and at your own pace. These are ways to give service from home, your office office, or possibly anywhere you have an Internet or phone connection. These are generally called Virtual Volunteer Opportunities.
In March, 2019, during the Coronavirus pandemic - the interest in virtual volunteering rose sharply. The articles in this chapter discuss Virtual Volunteering, and provide ideas on how to use HandsOn Connect to create and manage Virtual Volunteerism.
What are examples of Virtual Volunteer Opportunities?
There are probably no limits to ways that people could volunteer their time from home or online. The only limit is your imagination in finding ways to meet community needs that do not require a person to be physically present at a specific location.
Here's a list of a just a few types of Virtual Volunteer Opportunities your organization could create and manage:
- Knit blankets or create stuffed toys at home. When completed, send them for distribution to children at local shelters.
- Receive online training and then staff a crisis hot line or phone bank from home.
- Using web conferencing, be available online to mentor students or provide homework assistance.
- Build websites for nonprofit organizations
- Write grant proposals for nonprofit organizations
- Participate in virtual group planning sessions for events
- Create marketing materials or logos for nonprofit organizations
- Manage social media campaigns for nonprofit organizations or events
- Create and manage a blog for an organization
- Raise donations for nonprofits.
Some resources for virtual volunteering ideas
Here are some sites that you can visit to get ideas for virtual volunteer opportunities:
You can of course, direct volunteers to other sites that promote virtual volunteerism - or you can create and manage your own Virtual Opportunities.
The articles in this chapter will give you some ideas on how to use HandsOn Connect to promote, create and manage virtual volunteers.
