Photo by Nicole Wolf
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Web Exclusive…
Virtual Volunteering Resource Guide
By Jennifer Uscher, January 2006
Our article profiling virtual volunteers highlights several diverse ways to get involved and make a difference—on your own schedule. Those and many more opportunities are just a mouse click away
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According to Jason Willett of VolunteerMatch, people
new to volunteer work tend to think only of such tasks as helping out at a
hospice or homeless shelter. "But as soon as you scratch the
surface," he says, "there are thousands of ways to get
involved—for any schedule and interest. And they're not emotionally
draining, but incredibly rewarding and fun—such as giving TLC to an
animal before it's put up for adoption or designing costumes for a
nonprofit theater group."
The following organizations seek virtual volunteers in any location who are
interested in international issues, health, mentoring and advice, helping
seniors, knitting and crocheting, animals and wildlife, or who can offer
specific professional services. Note that these are just a sampling of
opportunities; you can find thousands more by searching the databases we've
also included here. Another option is to research issues and causes that
interest you in your own town or around the world and then contact
organizations to offer your services as a virtual volunteer.
International Issues
Nabuur.com: The Global
Neighbour Network
Volunteer "neighbours" join in online discussions with
representatives from communities in developing countries. They help solve the
problems of the local communities by doing research, serving as mentors,
contacting organizations and experts, writing plans and proposals, and
searching for donations of supplies or equipment. For example, neighbours did
research to help residents of Zapotillo, Ecuador, who wanted to set up an
information technology center in their town to provide education and employment
opportunities. They found Internet providers in Ecuador, arranged a donation of
used computers from Australia, found a company to donate free shipping, and
worked on getting the computers through customs. Other volunteers are helping
villagers in Cochiraya, Peru, to find retailers and distributors to sell their
alpaca textiles. To participate, register online. You can join
discussions with communities (called "villages") in Africa, the
Americas, Asia, Europe, or Oceania, and you can also search villages by the
issues they are discussing, such as community development or education.
Benefits for People 50 and Over
Join AARP to receive exclusive benefits such as expert advice on healthy living, consumer protection, community services, travel savings and more. Membership is only $12.50/year. Join or renew online today!
Ashoka
This organization supports the work of social entrepreneurs—practical
visionaries who possess qualities traditionally associated with leading
business entrepreneurs, but who are committed to systemic social change in
their field—worldwide. Volunteers are needed to translate documents and
assist with fundraising, marketing, website design, research, writing, graphic
design, and technical support. Apply online.
See also United Nations Online Volunteering Service,
listed below under "Databases."
Health
Ann Foundation
This nonprofit's mission is to improve the quality of life for children
with visual and hearing impairments. They currently have projects in India,
Uganda, and Rochester, New York, and they seek virtual volunteers to help with
writing grant proposals and finding companies that can donate medical equipment
and software for the blind and hearing aids for the hearing-impaired. To
volunteer, email founder Ann
Moideen.
Mentoring and Advice
icouldbe.org
Volunteers mentor underprivileged teens online and help them with educational
and career planning. The goal is to steer mentees toward careers they never
imagined by linking them with mentors in a wide range of fields. Teens
participate through their schools or after-school programs and select mentors
that match their interests. Mentors and mentees communicate throughout the
academic year via online discussions and activities on the icouldbe.org
website. Mentors work with mentees on activities that help them define their
goals—for example, writing a mission statement and autobiography,
defining their top three priorities in life, etc. Volunteer mentors commit to
participating for at least one hour a week. Apply
online.
Elder Wisdom
Circle
People age 60 and over share their wisdom and know-how with advice seekers who
come to the organization's website. About 200 volunteers known as
"elders" currently participate from their home computers or in groups
at assisted living communities, answering questions on topics ranging from
careers to relationships. Anyone can post a question on the site; advice
seekers have included a student wondering how to contest a failing grade, a
young girl trying to cope with the death of a grandparent, and an interracial
couple dealing with family members that object to their relationship.
Doug Meckelson, who founded Elder Wisdom Circle, says that some of the
volunteers are homebound or disabled, including one who uses oxygen 24 hours a
day. "I started the site because I realized that there weren't a lot
of opportunities for folks who can't get around as well to stay engaged and
share their knowledge with other people," he says. Volunteer
"elders" must commit a minimum of three hours a week to answering
questions. To volunteer, request an application on the site by clicking on the
Join the Circle tab and following the instructions.
Helping Seniors
AARP Volunteers
The state offices of AARP seek volunteers to work on many key issues, such as
opposing cuts to Medicaid and Medicare, promoting drug affordability
legislation, utility and tax reform, the quality of long-term care facilities,
and consumer protection. Volunteers call and write to elected officials,
recruit and coordinate other volunteers, and track legislation. Some of the
work can also be done on-site if the volunteer is interested; for example,
attending hearings and speaking with public officials in person. A good first
step in familiarizing yourself with AARP's issues is to register to be an ARRP Citizen Advocate.
You'll soon receive email updates and action alerts; if you read about a
specific topic that interests you, look up
your state's AARP office, and contact the volunteer coordinator for
opportunities.
Telephone Reassurance Programs
Volunteers make a regularly scheduled, often daily, call to people in their
community who are elderly and/or disabled and homebound to check on their
well-being and offer companionship. If the person does not respond, the
volunteer calls friends and relatives (then police, if necessary) to make sure
they are okay. These programs are often run through local Area Agencies on
Aging. Find your local agency at www.eldercare.gov.
Knitting and Crocheting
Warm Up America!
Knit or crochet an afghan (or part of an afghan) that will be donated to
battered women's shelters, hospitals, or victims of natural disasters. You
can make a blanket on your own or organize a group to work on one together.
Information and basic knitting instructions are provided on the website.
Project Linus
Create a handmade blanket or quilt that will be donated to children who are
seriously ill or who have experienced trauma. Project Linus recently sent over
24,000 blankets to victims of Hurricane Katrina. Details are available
online.
Binky Patrol
Donate your handmade blankets—sewn, knitted, crocheted, or
quilted—to children and teens in need across the United States. Go online
for more information and to find a chapter in your area.
Afghans For
Afghans
You can donate knitted or crocheted wool hats, mittens, socks, sweaters, vests,
and blankets to the needy in Afghanistan. The organization's website
provides more details as well as inspirational photos of volunteers and their
creations, and the people who are receiving them.
Animals and Wildlife
Project
FeederWatch
Volunteer to count birds at your backyard feeder during the winter for a
scientific census coordinated by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. You don't
need to be an expert birder—people of all skill levels are encouraged to
participate and volunteers receive a bird identification poster. You send in
your data via an online form, and if you'd like, you can participate in
email discussions with other FeederWatch volunteers. Results are published in
scientific journals and shared with ornithologists nationwide.
Pet Fostering
Animal rescue organizations nationwide need people to provide care and a
temporary home for kittens, puppies, and other pets that are ill, pregnant, or
have behavioral problems. Fostering can last a few days or several months and
it better prepares animals for adoption into permanent homes. In some cases,
fostering prevents animals from being euthanized because of the extra time and
care they require. Most fostering programs offer training and supplies to
volunteers. Go to Pets 911 to find a local
shelter or rescue organization in need of fostering volunteers.
Raising Puppies
Organizations such as Guide Dogs of America, Guiding Eyes for the Blind,
and The Seeing Eye need people to act as
foster parents for puppies that later will be formally trained as guide dogs
for the blind and visually impaired. Program requirements and locations vary;
see each of the above websites for detailed information. Puppies are usually
with volunteers for up to 18 months.
Professional Services
These organizations are looking for professionals in specific industries to
lend their skills.
Operation Hope
Volunteers with a background in the financial industry (mortgage brokers,
bankers, tax consultants, etc.) work as virtual volunteers, providing ongoing
case management from any location with Internet access to victims of the 2005
hurricanes and other disasters, offering financial and budget counseling over
the phone. Volunteers receive training and software and can work from their
home or office. Download the Hope Corps
Volunteer Form online and fax it in. Be sure to specify that you are
interested in the virtual case manager program.
Lawyers Without
Borders
This organization channels legal pro bono services and resources into human
rights initiatives, legal capacity-building projects, and rule-of-law projects
around the world. It seeks volunteers with a legal background—practicing
or retired lawyers, law students, and others who have worked as legal support
staff—to manage projects and sustain home and branch office operations.
Volunteer tasks can include newsletter editing and layout, grant writing,
graphic design, program development, and management. LWOB also is looking for online
researchers to find rule-of-law-sector jobs, internships, and fellowships
(which are available online to dues-paying members). To volunteer, contact info@lwob.org.
Red Cross Virtual Journalists Program
Volunteers with a background in journalism or communications write articles for
the VolunteerNews section of the RedCross.org website. To apply, email Mary
Etta Boesl at BoeslM@usa.redcross.org.
Databases
All of the following websites give you the option to tailor your search
results by various criteria, including area of interest.
VolunteerMatch
Go to the website and select Virtual from the Distance drop-down menu on the
left side of the home page.
Idealist
Go to the website, click on Volunteer Opportunities on the right side of the
home page, and then put "virtual" in the City/town or Description
fields.
United Nations
Online Volunteering Service
Use this database to find online volunteering opportunities with organizations
that serve communities in developing countries.
Network for Good
On the website's home page, click on the Volunteer tab and choose Search
for an Opportunity to get to the Volunteer page. Here, on the left-hand side,
under Select a Distance, choose Virtual from the drop-down menu.
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