Additional Tips to Ensure Success of Virtual Volunteering
From Managing Offsite Volunteers via the Internet
by Jayne Cravens, Project Manager
Briefly, here are some key points to help make your virtual volunteering program successful for everyone involved:
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Honesty is the best policy:
be open with volunteers about problems and challenges
If something isn't working out during an assignment, for whatever reason, talk to the volunteer about it, either via phone or via e-mail. Even via the Internet, people can get a sense of something amiss with someone else. Treat the volunteer with the honesty you would want as a volunteer yourself.
Be patient, be supportive, and remember that not every volunteer job is right for every volunteer
The better your screening, orientation and supervising process, the less chance there is for misunderstandings or incomplete assignments. Remember that it is easier to start small and increase assignments than to start big and risk overwhelming your volunteer.
Require volunteer participation in surveys and evaluation
The success of a program cannot be determined without evaluation. Take the pulse of volunteers on a regular basis to trouble shoot. In addition to your regular interaction with volunteers via e-mail, work with the volunteer manager to prepare an online survey to e-mail to your volunteers. We have a volunteer survey sample and a staff survey sample here on our Web site to help you.
Fine-tune your style and technique as necessary
Slight adjustments in styles and approaches to virtual volunteer management may need to be made to improve success. Commit to being responsive to feedback from both volunteers and your volunteer manager, and be flexible enough to make changes when and where necessary.
Allow volunteers to withdraw from the program
Just as you need to be prepared to expand the virtual volunteering program, you also need to be aware that volunteers will withdraw from the program, either to move on to other volunteer opportunities within or outside of your organization, or to take a break from volunteering altogether. It's imperative that you get feedback from volunteers to be clear on their reasons for withdrawing; if it's because of problems with your virtual volunteering program, you will need to know so you can make necessary adjustments in the program.
Celebrate the successes
How will you honor your online volunteers? Both offline AND online! Again, online volunteers should receive the same invitations, information and "thank yous" sent to onsite volunteers, either via email or postal mail. Develop a Web page that honors volunteers. If there is a way for volunteers who are geographically too remote to attend onsite celebrations, try to come up with a way for such volunteers to participate via technology such as phone or a live chat. For more information, see Recognizing Online Volunteers and
Using the Internet to Honor ALL Volunteers.
Other parts of this essay:
- Management by objectives
- Regular Online Reporting by Volunteers
- Staying In Touch and In Tune With Online Volunteers
- Building a sense of team / Ensuring inclusion of online volunteers
- Additional Tips to Ensure Success of Virtual Volunteering
- Links to Related Resources