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Tuesday Jul 03, 2007

Virtual volunteering

Embarrassing as it is, I have to admit that I'm lazy when it comes to volunteering. I can see all the reasons to do it: make a difference to someone else's life or cause (and consequently give yourself a big self-satisfied pat on the back); meet new people; do something different to the usual nine-to-five routine. Hell, I might even learn something new to put on my CV. But still I haven't got off my arse and started doing anything.

I can't be the only one who only ever dreams of living an altruistic life - where I happily skip off to volunteer after work, returning home with a warm fuzzy feeling inside – can I?

If the latest volunteering movement is anything to go by, probably not. It's called 'Virtual Volunteering' (and also goes by names like online activism and cyber service), and it's all about volunteering from the comfort of your own computer. Ideal for lazy asses like me.

Here at YouthNet (the charity behind TheSite.org), we've been working with virtual volunteers for the past few years. We have volunteers helping us moderate the discussion boards, write articles, answer askTheSite questions and proofread content. As a charity, there's no way we could pay all these people, so there's no doubt that the contribution they're making to our services is invaluable.

And now lots of other organisations are cottoning on. As the internet becomes a more powerful means of communicating, charities increasingly need people to help them improve their online presence. The good news for the volunteer is that you no longer have to turn up at an agreed time and place and give a certain number of hours. Volunteer virtually and you can fit the work in anytime, any place (providing you can log on).

We're so enthusiastic about this concept that we've joined forces with some other organisations to promote it on TheSite.org. If you reckon you could get into virtual volunteering, check out the kind of opportunities that are available on our search. There are loads of opportunities to choose from - you could be a website assistant, campaigner, an illustrator or a marketing assistant. If you're still worried about making a commitment, why not take a few minutes to put your name to some campaigns you care about? In our Action Centre we've dug out all the latest e-petitions and campaigns so you can make a difference to saving the shark, climate change, water poverty and oil drilling in the Amazon without any commitment.

Looks like my excuses are running out fast...

Posted by Hannah ( 2:04 PM ) Link to this post  |  Comments[0]