Get involved! Become a virtual volunteer

The Internet opens up the realm of charitable giving

By Heather Camlot

Sometimes finding the time to volunteer is hard. Perhaps you don’t have one free moment between holding down a 40-hour a week job and caring for the kids. Or maybe there isn’t an organization in your neighbourhood that has much meaning to you. If you want to volunteer, there is a way.

Why volunteer?

Virtual volunteering allows you to donate your time and talent through the convenience of your computer and Internet connection. “I think it’s a great concept,” enthuses Mohrea Halingten, manager of Evergreen Printing Services Inc. in Langley, B.C. “[There are] no geographic limitations, I can do the work at home, and I decide when I can do it.”

The only downside, she says, is the lack of face-to-face contact, but that hasn’t stopped her from volunteering with Macdonald Youth Services, a Winnipeg-based treatment and support agency for children and families. She provides the organization with print-ready graphic files for their brochures or annual reports, which, depending on the project, can consume eight hours a week to two or three eight-hour days.

Who is volunteering?

According to Statistics Canada’s 2004 Canada Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating, Canadians donated a total of 2 billion hours a year (equal to about 1 million full-time jobs) to volunteering.

“Virtual volunteering is only now gaining popularity, so there may not be too many volunteer opportunities that are specifically listed as virtual,” says Justin Ho, volunteer opportunities exchange administrator for Volunteer Canada. “So when you are browsing postings online or at a volunteer centre, read the descriptions carefully, and if an opportunity that interests you sounds like it could be done virtually, then you should approach the organization and suggest it to them.”

While you may have the right technology and software, you also have to have the right attitude. “There’s actual work involved,” stresses Randy Tyler, virtual volunteer program developer for Macdonald Youth Services. “Virtual volunteers have to be able to work alone comfortably, be motivated, be committed and be able to provide continual reports on what they’re doing.” Ho adds that good time-management skills, excellent written communication skills and possibly a workspace with little distraction are also an asset.

Once you have some time to commit and the desire to volunteer, you can check various postings to find the position best suited to your skills.

Volunteer Canada
Volunteer Canada offers information about onsite and online volunteering across the country. You can also browse available opportunities.

The Virtual Volunteering Guidebook
Ho considers this American guide the best resource on virtual volunteering. It has information and tips for organizations and volunteers.

Charity Village
The site has postings for volunteer and paid positions across the country and around the world. There is also a section on how to choose a charity, which is written for financial contributions but can be applied to volunteering.

Macdonald Youth Services
Although the organization’s postings are elsewhere (try Charity Village and Volunteer Canada), the site provides a ton of information about where virtual volunteering is going and how it is bridging the gap between wanting to volunteer and actually doing it.

VolunteerMatch
An American site, VolunteerMatch lists thousands of virtual opportunities divided by interest, such as environment and crisis support.