Examples of virtual volunteering projects

Below is a list containing some examples of Virtual Volunteering work. 

* Technical assistance provided by online volunteers to staff or other volunteers at an agency. Such assistance usually involves task or objective-based assignments, or the volunteer providing a particular expertise to the agency. This would include volunteers who work off-site, using a computer and the Internet.

* Conducting online research: finding information to use in an agency\'s upcoming grant proposal or newsletter, gathering information on a particular government program or legislation that could affect an agency\'s clients, gathering web site addresses of similarly-focused organisations, using online phone books and web sites to update contact information for a database, etc.

* Providing professional consulting expertise: answering an agency\'s questions regarding human resources, accounting, management or legal issues, writing a speech, developing a strategic plan for a particular department, setting up a video conferencing event, providing industrial designs, etc.

* Helping with advocacy: posting information to appropriate online communities (newsgroups, lists, etc.), preparing legislative alerts to be sent via e-mail, keeping track of legislation that could affect an agency\'s clients, etc.

* Translating a document into another language.

* Providing multimedia expertise, such as preparing a PowerPoint, Hypercard, QuickTime or other computer-based presentation

* Designing an agency\'s newsletter or brochure, or copy editing an agency\'s publication or proposal

* Proofreading drafts of paper and online publications

* Researching and writing articles for brochures, newsletters, web sites, etc.

* Designing a logo for an agency or program, or filling other illustration needs

* Preparing information for an agency\'s World Wide Web site

* Writing a technology plan, designing a marketing strategy, or directing other types of organisational planning and outreach

* Making sure a Web site is accessible for people with disabilities

* Registering an agency\'s World Wide Web home page and other appropriate pages with online search engines, directories and "What\'s New" sites

* Designing a database system using an agency\'s in-house database software (FileMaker Pro, Access, Lotus Approach, etc.)

* Providing advanced Web site programming (creating automated forms, interactive areas, e-commerce functions, etc.)

* Doing regular searches for news articles relating to an organisation or a particular topic

* Volunteer management assistance: managing other volunteers in the aforementioned activities, providing an online orientation to all volunteers with Internet access (whether or not they are onsite or online volunteers), surveying volunteers via e-mail about their experiences with an agency or program, keeping track of volunteer hours, inputting volunteer opportunities into online databanks, etc.