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Beyond 2010
Canadians have a rich history of volunteering and community involvement. But today's volunteers have come a long way from hosting bazaars, bake sales and soup kitchens.
The Changing Face of Volunteerism
Donna Wilson, executive vice president, workforce and sustainability, explores the legacy of volunteering for the 2010 Winter Games.
Volunteerism and Your Career
Lots of us have used volunteer opportunities to fill out the resume. Often we have gotten out of it far more than we expected.
How to Volunteer
Volunteering can bring a great sense of balance and well-being to life. The first step is: look inward.
Readiness Quiz
Our quick quiz will help you figure out what opportunities best suit you.
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Canadians have a rich history of volunteering and community involvement. But today's volunteers have come a long way from hosting bazaars, bake sales and soup kitchens.
As people search for ways to enrich their lives, many donate their unpaid personal time and skills to organisations and communities, while others explore new avenues to personal and professional development. They are inspired to form new connections and expand their volunteering horizons.
Read about how individuals and companies are shaping the face of volunteerism in Canada.
If you think volunteering means just writing a cheque or making a weekly visit to a local organization, it's time to change the way you think. Virtual volunteering is not a new concept, but it is becoming easier to engage in with the improvements of technology and internet use.
Virtual volunteering is volunteering "at a distance." As a result, busy people with unpredictable schedules can finally volunteer for their favorite cause, including: animal welfare, children's issues, community development, or even healthcare.
A virtual volunteer carries out his or her duties in whole or in part via the Internet. Volunteer projects can be successfully completed on the volunteer's schedule, in a few hours, on weekends or during a volunteer vacation.
For this reason, virtual volunteering has the potential to involve new groups of people who might not be able to get to the locations where voluntary organizations do their work or who are unable to assist during designated office hours.
"I like the virtual volunteer concept," says Michelle, a volunteer writer for a Canadian music website. "I can help out without having to move from the comfort of the office. There's also the time factor: work can be done when it's convenient, as long as it gets done in a timely manner."
With today's busy lifestyles and time constraints, personal preference or home-based obligations, many people looking to volunteer actively search for work they can complete using home or work computers rather than volunteering on-site. Virtual volunteering allows anyone to contribute time and expertise to not-for-profit organizations, schools, government offices and other agencies that use volunteer services, from his or her home or office.
Virtual volunteering does not mean that volunteers work ONLY by Internet. Many organizations find a combination of onsite and online volunteer tasks which work best for everyone involved (volunteers, staff or clients). Assignments can have different levels of virtuality. For example, one volunteer may interact with clients online but meet onsite with a staff member regularly; another may talk with a client via email in addition to their regular face-to-face visits.
Virtual volunteering can also be influential in the ways volunteer managers use the Internet to interact with all volunteers, regardless of where service is performed. For instance, some organizations allow volunteers to use e-mail to submit time sheets and progress reports, and other organizations use e-mail to communicate with all volunteers, rather than sending them materials via postal mail.
Organizations like Macdonald Youth Services in Winnipeg, Manitoba, have put this concept to work and are taking advantage of virtual volunteers. The non-profit agency that has offered treatment and support services to children and families since 1929 has materials related to online volunteering and a password-protected area for volunteer management, all found on their web site, www.mys.ca,
Volunteer program coordinator, Randy Tyler uses voice and videoconferencing over the Internet to communicate with 50 far-flung volunteers. He has also bolstered online recruiting efforts, accepting applications and references from potential volunteers through the website, while also posting the organization's video on MySpace and YouTube to attract the generation that's growing up with the Internet.
Although most not-for-profit organizations still rely (some exclusively) on face-to-face volunteers, MYS is helping them tap into the virtual volunteer market. In November 2007 MYS launched The Global Directory of Web Sites, a unique global directory organized by country which allows any non-profit organization to easily find web sites on which to list their Internet-based volunteer opportunities. All web sites listed in the directory provide the name of the Web site, the site's URL, who is eligible to list online volunteers, the geographic area the web site serves and if any costs are involved to list.
Answer the questions in our checklist to find out if virtual volunteering is for you?
Do you have Internet access?
Do you answer your e-mail messages promptly?
Do you possess good writing skills?
Can you set aside regular time slots during the week when you can work on virtual assignments?
Are you interested in working with or helping people living in other communities or on other continents?
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