Virtual volunteering

As the internet grows, a new way to volunteer has developed called "virtual volunteering." It's another interpretation of the phrase "Think globally, act locally." With a computer on your kitchen table and the commitment to make a difference, you can help an NGO on the other side of the world, all without even adding to your carbon footprint!

Not everyone has the free time or available funds to travel, especially during these tougher economic conditions. Many have inflexible schedules, disabilities, or home-based obligations that may prevent international travel. Virtual volunteering allows anyone with access to a computer the ability to assist organizations to save money, to get new expertise advice, and to expand programs or services.
You don't need to be a techie. Not all tasks are technical and not all volunteers are young, affluent Americans. In fact, according to the UN's Online Volunteer Service, over 40% of their volunteers were from developing countries!

Using your computer, you can provide a wide range of services, including research, grant writing, Web site or graphic design, fundraising, database development or management, reviewing engineer studies or advising on business plans or legal advocacy initiatives, copy editing, or translation/transcription. Organizations are just beginning to tap this wealth of support.

Below are several sites that can be your portals to this exciting way to contribute your skills.

UN Volunteers www.onlinevolunteering.org [1]. This free service is sponsored by the UN. Type "virtual" into the key words search function and find projects such as an NGO in Cameroon that needs engineers for a 3-month assignment to help research and develop a Remote Sensing Technology project in a geological hazard zone.

Volunteer Match www.volunteermatch.org [2]. While this site posts mostly projects of US nonprofits, it occasionally has international projects like the one needing video mentors for South African children affected by HIV/AIDS and poverty.

Idealist: Action Without Borders www.idealist.org [3]. One of my favorite sites. It takes some sorting through to find opportunities best suited for boomers, but this is the deepest volunteer database on the Web. Use "virtual" as the search location. Two recent postings were looking for someone to write a proposal for empowering women in Sierra Leone and someone to write a university level course in business management and accounting for refugees in Guinea through a free online university. (www.university.respectrefugees.org [4])

Ashoka www.ashoka.org [5]. A unique organization that supports social entrepreneurs worldwide to succeed, with a focus on several broad areas--civic engagement, economic development, the environment, health, human rights, and learning/education. The Virtual Translation Project uses business and public relations skills to build market capacity for rural women in India. Help end human trafficking in India by researching Web site content or preparing public relations materials.

Human Rights Watch www.hrw.org [6]. An international watchdog, this organization has a constant need for translators, currently for Arabic, French, German, and Portuguese.

Nabuur: The Global Neighbour network www.nabuur.com [7] links online volunteers ("neighbours") with local communities ("villages") in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. These online connections help communities share ideas and find solutions to local issues.

Witness Organization www.witness.org [8] provides support to local international human rights organizations to use video in their advocacy campaigns. They need translators, copy editors, and filmmakers on a regular basis.