Offering virtual support
To be inspired:
Read about a successful virtual volunteering project where a volunteer in Australia worked with the Theatre Royal Stratford East.
Search for a volunteer opportunity
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 and telephone communication with the volunteers . . . 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.
Gairloch & Loch Ewe Action Forum
Some charities are located in geographically remote areas far away from large centres of population. These organisations often find it difficult to access high quality IT skills locally.
However, by using e-mail and telephone communication, many projects can be carried out virtually - with the charity and volunteer never meeting.
Not all opportunities are suitable for virtual support. But a website can easily be developed without a face-to-face meeting. Or you could give telephone advice on choosing the best software for a CRM system.
If we think an opportunity is suitable for virtual working we will discuss it with the charity. We want to make sure that they feel comfortable working with someone they won't get a chance to meet.
The "virtual" flag
If you are interested in working on a virtual opportunity look out for the "Virtual" flag when searching for an opportunity. You can even search only for virtual opportunities.
There are also opportunities which require only a initial face-to-face meeting. After that you'd be free to work where and when you choose. This is usually made clear in the opportunity description. In some cases the charity contact is happy to travel quite long distances for that initial meeting. We think that shows just how important volunteer help is to them.
If you have enjoyed working on a virtual opportunity, please send us your feedback to share with other potential volunteers.
