In a recent newsletter Volunteering England discussed virtual volunteering - the latest buzz word.

Virtual volunteering encompasses any volunteering tasks which are carried out not at the organisation's premises, but is often used specifically to mean volunteering carried out via the internet. For example, online campaigning or providing support through online forums.

Volunteering England are working with a number of partners - Changemakers, Youth Action Network, and YouthNet - to develop resources for organisations and volunteers wanting to get together "virtually".

But, despite the buzz words, there's nothing new about virtual volunteering. Here at iT4C we've seen volunteers working remotely with charities on a number of projects.

For example, the Gairloch and Loch Ewe Action Forum are based on the west coast of Scotland, about 75 miles from Inverness. Finding a local volunteer with the skills they needed was always going to be a tall order. Through iT4Communities they were put in touch with a volunteer based in Thurso on the northern tip of mainland Scotland. If the volunteer had chosen to visit the charity the journey would have involved a round-trip of over 300 miles!

The volunteer was able to help with two projects and after completion a charity contact said "We have been delighted with iT4C. We live in a very remote area, hundreds of miles from any of the volunteers, yet have managed to benefit from the project via e-mail/telephone communication with the volunteer. We were pleased to be able to carry out the projects at our own pace doing as much of them ourselves as we could and having continuous support from the volunteer. Both projects will in due course help our organisation to become more efficient, saving valuable resources and enabling us to spend more time on practical work within our community."

We have a special option to allow us to identify volunteer opportunities as suitable for virtual volunteering. This lets volunteers know that the charity is willing to work via e-mail, internet and telephone with little or no face-to-face contact.

Certain IT tasks are more suitable for virtual volunteering than others. For example, if you'd like to talk through the options for signing a deal for IT support you probably don't need to meet the volunteer. A website project is often ideal for a virtual volunteer - ideas can be tried out online and discussed via e-mail or phone conversations.

However, if you've a problem installing a new cartridge in your printer or you can't get your wireless network working you'll probably need a volunteer who can come along and physically take a look.

If you think you can work with a virtual volunteer please let us know and we'll set that special option on your volunteering opportunity to let potential volunteers know.

Anne Donnelly, Project Definer