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Online, or virtual, volunteerism provides a whole new venue for the giving of one’s time. Whether the volunteer goes the web route because it fits better with their personal/ professional lifestyle, is a natural fit with the task at hand (this is especially true for writing or technology projects), or due to accessibility barriers like physical mobility or lack of transportation, online/virtual volunteerism can be a low-cost method for leveraging community engagement.

Here’s some information on how to set up and manage online/virtual volunteerism opportunities, including working with tech volunteers; note that many of the best sources come from Jayne Cravens and Coyote Communications:

• Looking for Online/Virtual Volunteerism Opportunities? Search here!
• Also see Finding Volunteers; Skilled Volunteers; Communications
• Connect with your peers!

Energize, Inc.: Internet, Online Community, Virtual Volunteering

Also Worth Checking Out:

• About Online Volunteering: Information Non-Profits Can Use – Macdonald Youth Services
• Do You Need a Volunteer? – Anna Mills @ TechSoup (Deciding when you need a tech volunteer)
• Engaging Volunteers Online (PDF) – Ann Yoders, Community IT Innovators (CITI)
• Introduction to Involving and Supporting Online Volunteers – Jayne Cravens, Coyote Communications
• Involving International Online Volunteers: Factors for Success, Organizational Benefits, and New Views of Community (PDF) – Jayne Cravens @ The International Journal of Volunteer Administration
• The Knowledge Base for ICT Volunteers in Development and International Online Volunteers - UNITeS
• Myths about Online Volunteering (Virtual Volunteering) – Jayne Cravens, Coyote Communications
• NetSquared and the New Wave of Online Volunteering – Jayne Cravens, Coyote Communications
• Online Culture & Communities of Volunteers: Realities and Benefits of Connecting Volunteers (and all humans) Online – Jayne Cravens, Coyote Communications
• Online Volunteer Opportunities - Be Part of a Leader – Macdonald Youth Services (Successful models and replicable forms for screening and selecting online volunteers as well as tracking time and expenses)
• Online Volunteering Service – UN Volunteers
• Recognizing Online Volunteers and Using the Internet to Honor ALL Volunteers – Jayne Cravens, Coyote Communications
• Safety in Online Volunteering Programs – The Virtual Volunteering Project
• Screening Online Volunteers – Jayne Cravens, United Nations Volunteers @ Corporation for National and Community Service
• Shared Wisdom: Recruiting and Managing Volunteers – Brian Satterfield @ TechSoup
• Studies and Research Regarding Online Volunteering / Virtual Volunteering – Jayne Cravens, Coyote Communications
• Supervising Off-Site Volunteers – Nan Hawthorne @ Volunteer Management Review, CharityChannel
• Using the Internet to Involve People with Disabilities as Volunteers – Jayne Cravens, Coyote Communications
• Virtual Volunteering: Planning and Benefits – Randy Tyler @ TechSoup
• Virtual Volunteering Resources – ServiceLeader (Great collection of resources, including The Virtual Volunteering Guidebook)
• Volunteering At Your Fingertips! – Merrill Associates
• What Can a Virtual Volunteer Do? – Virtual Volunteering @ TheSite.org

Didn’t find what you were looking for? Let us know and consider checking out the following sites:
Energize, Inc.
The Resource Center (CNCS)
Volunteer Canada
Volunteering Australia
Volunteering England
World Volunteer Web