Online Culture & Communities of Volunteers
Realities and Benefits of Connecting Volunteers (and all humans) Online

 
What is it like to work with people -- volunteers, donors, remote staff -- you seldom or never see onsite, face-to-face?

Can you build trust among a remote group online?

Can a person learn to work online successfully, or does one have to have an instinct for it?

Does the Internet take the human element out of volunteering and community?

Does online civil society exist?

Mission-based organizations (not-for-profit organizations/NPOs, non-governmental organizations/NGOs, civil society and public sector agencies -- government departments and initiatives) are using the Internet more and more to work with volunteers (including board members), staff, donors, the media and others. In fact, it's becoming expected of these organizations to engage in such online activities -- many consider it the norm. The vast majority of this work is still done via the written word (email, instant messaging, an online bulletin board/online forum, etc.), although teleconferencing and video conferencing, in conjunction with written means, is growing in practice.

Working with people remotely, and primarily via text only, presents many challenges. But while there are volumes on how to use online networking tools from a technology point-of-view, there's not an equal amount on using them from the human point of view.

Some people are instinctively terrific at working online with others via only the written word, or even via live video or audio conferencing tools; some people struggle not with the technology but with the whole concept of managing, or, simply talking to others regularly, online. Why do some people flourish while others flounder?

This section of the Coyote Communications site is focused primarily on small nonprofit organizations/NGOs and are meant to promote ideas and resources on how to work together online, mostly via the written word (since that's still how the vast majority of nonprofits communicate online), and how to look at an email or IM address as a person, not a line of characters and numbers. Being able to work online is becoming an essential and much-sought-after skill in the work place, including at mission-based organizations, and these pages are meant to help those who want to enhance their online skills.

• The dynamics of online culture & community
  Learning to communicate primarily via written text can be a challenge. This page is about how volunteer managers can work with online volunteers, incorporating suggested human practices by various experienced volunteer managers. These practices can be applied to a variety of settings, not just volunteer management.

• Internet discussion groups for volunteers
  Many agencies use e-mail-based or web-based discussion groups, bulletin boards, or even "old-fashioned" newsgroups (USENET) to communicate regularly with their volunteers. This resource chronicles the benefits of such groups, and offers tips for set up, management and growth.

• Using Real-Time Communications With Volunteers
  A growing number of organizations are using real-time communications -- including video conferencing, online phone calls, chats and instant messaging -- to hold online meetings with volunteers, to allow volunteers to interact with staff, clients, or each other, or to involve volunteers in a live, online, real-time event. This resource provides more information on real-time communications with volunteers -- what the various tools are, how agencies are using them to interact with volunteers, and tips to encourage and maintain participation in synchronous communications.

• Sharing Your Work With Volunteers (and Others) Online
  This resource reviews how (and why) to share your work -- your calendar, files, databases, online polls, and more, with volunteers, remote staff and other groups -- as part of your work for a nonprofit/NGOs/civil society organization. It's easier than you think! And with free tools, you can get started right away.

• Using Video to Support Online Volunteers/Remote Volunteers
  Video is a great way to further support volunteers, and your computer probably already has all of the tools you need to make a video, or to engage in a live video conversation with others. Video isn't something to use only with online volunteers or remote volunteers (those providing onsite service at a different location than yours). It's also a tool you can use with new and current volunteers. In addition to an organization producing videos for volunteers, it can also work the other way around: volunteers can produce videos for organizations. This resource provides information on your options, and links to my own short video on the subject.

• Evaluating Online Activities: Online Action Should Create & Support Offline Action
  Hundreds of "friends" on an online social networking site. Thousands of subscribers to an email newsletter. Dozens of attendees to a virtual event. Those are impressive numbers on the surface, but if they don't translate into more volunteers, repeat volunteers, new donors, repeat donors, more clients, repeat clients, legislation, or public pressure, they are just that: numbers. For online activities to translate into something tangible, online action must create and support offline action. What could this look like? This resource can help organizations plan strategically about online activities so that they lead to something tangible - not just numbers.

• Being an Online Mentor: A Real Relationship, A Real Commitment
  (What I've Learned as an Online Mentor)
  In addition to researching and compiling information online mentoring for many years, and helping to create online mentor programs, I have also had the pleasure of serving as an online volunteer mentor on several occasions. Mentoring someone online takes real time and commitment. The work required for online mentoring doesn't happen only at the most convenient time for the volunteer. I have learned a lot by being a part of these online mentoring programs and share my experiences and advice for online mentoring here.

• Outreach Via the Internet for
  Mission-Based Organizations
  It's more than just putting up a Web site; it involves finding and posting to appropriate Internet discussion groups, sending e-mails to current and potential customers, perhaps even starting your own online community.... it's proactive, interactive and ongoing. It needs to be nurtured and fully supported, just as with all your public interactions. Online outreach and online service delivery should accurately reflect your agency's mission and culture.

• NetSquared and the New Wave of Online Volunteering
  Tiny nonprofit organizations with very little staff are doing extraordinary things with volunteers, and making their volunteers feel included and energized, not with pins and t-shirts but through greater and more-meaningful involvement. This conference provided endless examples of such, and I summarize them here.

• What are good blog topics for mission-based organizations?
  The word "blog" is short for "web log", and means keeping a journal or diary online. Blogging is NOT a new concept -- people have been doing it long before it had a snazzy media label. The appeal of blogging for an online audience is that it's more personal and less formal than other information on a web site. Readers who want to connect with an organization on a more personal level, or who are more intensely interested in an organization than the perhaps general public as a whole, love blogs. Blogs can come from your Executive Director, other staff members, volunteers, and even those you serve. Content options are many, and this list reviews some of your options.

• For Nonprofits Considering Their Own Podcasts:
  Why It's Worth Exploring, and Content Considerations
  I present my first podcast about... podcasts (transcript included). Specifically, I talk about how podcasts can be used by nonprofits, and just how easy it is to do.

• Nonprofit Organizations and Online Social Networking (OSN): Advice and Commentary
  OSN is buzz phrase used to describe special web-based online platforms that are accessible only for members, like LinkedIn, Friendster, FaceBook, MySpace and Change.org. Is there a value for nonprofit organizations to engage in OSN platforms? This resource offers a realistic set of possibilities and considerations.

• Research and other articles
  A compilation of publicly-available research and evaluation reports regarding online volunteering, online activists, online civic engagement, online civil society, and online mentoring (not PR pieces but, rather, reviews and research that more than mention these subjects); AND a list of various research documents and articles relating to telecommuting, virtual teams and Internet culture.

• Connecting Humans: Real-life Examples of Online Communities in Support of Nonprofits/NGOs/Civil Society
  Four case studies of volunteer-based online community efforts -- examples of how online civil society can be mobilized in support of a variety of organizations and causes:
  • Twang in Cyberspace:
    How one music-related online community
    blurs the line between "real" and "virtual"
    When does an online community become just "a community"? This profile of an online group called Postcard 2 (P2) shows how hard it can be to fit a group into one category or another. Also offers good tips for anyone looking to establish or maintain an online community, or to use the Internet to organize a face-to-face event with volunteers scattered geographically. originally published May 2000

  • Safeplace in Cyberspace: How Austin, Texas netizens and
    a nonprofit make a difference using the Internet
    An essay by a communications professional who volunteers her time for a domestic violence and sexual assault prevention center. This is more than a story of how the Internet helps people make a difference; it also is a powerful testimonial to how to effectively donate professional services, and how well a balance of face-to-face and online volunteering can work. originally published April 2000

  • Supporting Expectant Mothers Anywhere Via E-mail
    A nonprofit organization matches online volunteers with pregnant women coping with long term hospitalization or home bedrest, pregnancy complications, leaving a job or "normal" life due to pregnancy complications, etc. Testimonials from those served by this organization illustrate to the power and importance of e-mail support. originally published November 1999

  • Fan-Based Online Groups Use the Internet to Make a Difference
    Many of these online groups aren't directed by any formal organization to engage in philanthropy; the fans decided to engage in these activities on their own. Includes examples of such groups, with comments from members regarding their online philanthropic activities and what makes them successful. originally published July 1999

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