You have a strong desire to volunteer for a social cause. However, you are juggling studies, extra-curriculars, a social life, and probably even have certain restrictions that prevent you from going on-site as a volunteer. Or, you are trying to balance work and life, making it difficult to take time out to travel to a location.
But then the altruistic side of your personality keeps constantly reminding you to give back to the society. What do you do about it? That’s simple! You can become an online volunteer.
We live in an internet-driven age, connecting people at a global level. People are networking round the clock. NGOs and charities decided to cash in on this and turned to online platforms for volunteers. Thus, we have the option of online volunteering.
Let’s walk down memory lane and see how it all began. Back in 1995, a non-profit called Impact Online had first coined the term “virtual volunteer” (also known as online volunteer) with an aim to make volunteering easier. And thus began a new wave of volunteering.
Traditional volunteering requires physical labour and/or attendance onsite and having to undertake a variety of responsibilities. While this is the foundation for a non-profit, not everyone is cut out for this job. This is where online volunteering comes into play. It just takes a small bit of your time and these tasks mostly fall under your expertise.
The internet has broken boundaries and reduced the time spent on any task. The need for technology related skill sets have increased in social work as well. From websites to social media, NGOs require assistance to get their organizations up and running.
You might be wondering how to go about becoming a volunteer for a social cause online. You can either opt for a volunteering program directly from the NGOs or online volunteering platforms. While a few NGOs have their own online volunteering programs, your options are limited. On the other hand, online volunteering platforms give you a plethora of programs from different NGOs.
So how do you join an online volunteering program? You have websites like Chezuba, where all you got to do is sign up and create your profile. As most of these are skill-based volunteering programs, you can select those skills that apply to you and this will pull up a list of programs. You can browse through these programs and apply for the ones that appeal to you.
These short-term programs require only a couple of hours a day. A phone or computer and an internet connection, and you’re all set to become an online volunteer.
In the general chaos of daily life, it’s difficult to take time to go to a site to volunteer. As an online volunteer, not only does it fit into your busy schedule, but it also fits your skill set. A win-win for both volunteers and NGOs, online volunteering is becoming the new face of social work.
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