4 ways to become a Virtual Volunteer

Our lives have become digitized, and the current COVID-19 pandemic has brought forth even more ways everyday tasks can be digitized.

One such activity is volunteering.

Virtual volunteering is an amazing way to not only give back to your community, but also strengthen your resume and build your skills.

As a digital volunteer, you can lend your talent and time from the comfort of your house and at your own schedule.

This is particularly important now when people are being encouraged to stay indoors but, at the same time, also help where they can.

You do not have to commit several hours a day to make an impact. All you require is a computer with an internet connection.

Some of the ways to volunteer may require some training, while some can leverage the skills you already possess.

Below are a few ways to get started:

1. Trusted volunteer programs

Many established organizations now offer formal online volunteer opportunities and programs. They include:

• United Nations

UN operates a virtual volunteer program that links virtual volunteers to different organizations globally. More than 10,000 volunteers are linked to public-impact causes in over 180 countries. Volunteers help with translation, research, advocacy, writing, and editing, just to name a few in both long term and short-term opportunities.

• Red Cross

During a crisis, particularly like the one we are experiencing now, Red Cross uses virtual volunteers to track and analyze online discussions to locate people who are in dire need of help. Volunteers are also leveraged to share essential updates on social media.

So if you are an influencer on Twitter or you are active on Facebook or any other social media platform, this can be an opportunity for you to help.

• Smithsonian Institute

Are you passionate about history, anthropology, or education in general? If yes, The Smithsonian institute has amazing opportunities for you. Virtual volunteers usually help with two main areas; updating useful Wikipedia pages and transcribing historical documents.

2. Map a disaster zone

Many of the places where disasters occur tend to be literally “missing” from maps. Missing Maps tries to rectify this.

As a virtual volunteer, you utilize satellite photos and drawing tools to mark-up unmapped roads, rivers, and buildings in very remote areas. This helps organizations make better decisions when responding to disasters.

3. Share your story

Sharing your stories with advocacy campaigns or non-profits is another excellent way to volunteer online. Think about what you have overcome or what you love. Your personal story can help someone to counter similar struggles or convince somebody to donate.

Also, according to psychologists, sharing your own story can help you too.

Are you a COVID-19 survivor? Are you a medic helping COVID-19 patients? If you are passionate about something, odds are you have something to share about how that ‘something’ has affected your life. So reach out to non-profits and other related organizations and ask them if sharing your story can help their campaign.

4. Expose human right violations

Amnesty International and other similar organizations around the world utilize volunteers to look through documents and images to help expose illegal activities and human rights violations.

Some projects that virtual volunteers have helped decode include making oil companies in Nigeria accountable for oil pollution, exposing abuses, as well as identifying Darfur’s remote villages.

Getting Started

If you’re a business trying to encourage your employees and/or customers to participate, consider displaying these opportunities on your digital signage screens.

This will improve morale and help to soothe fears at a time filled with uncertainties. Something we all need :)