Giving back through online volunteering

Volunteering has long been regarded as a valuable means of making a difference in one’s community.

It is a way to extend support to individuals and organisations while also benefiting the health, social lives, skills and careers of the volunteers themselves.

While traditional volunteering typically sees support offered in a physical form, the increase in internet engagement has established online volunteering as an alternative method of giving back.

It has expanded on the prominence of physical volunteering, adding a new dimension to creating a social impact.

Implanting traditional volunteering values into a technological time

The Smith Family National Manager for Volunteering Lauren Stocker said the fundamental driver for online volunteering was similar to its face-to-face counterpart – it was how the desire to give was carried out which varied.

“The same core motivation applies to those people wanting to donate time online as it does to those volunteering in person – a universal desire to give back to make a difference in the world and to one’s community,” she said.

“Often, people wanting to volunteer online are looking for convenience – a way to connect or to contribute, which fits in with the other commitments and demands in their lives.

“But they still want to feel their donation of time is having an impact.”

Fostering online spaces to create real-world positives

Operating in the digital arena can be a more comfortable way for volunteers and the people they help to create a beneficial social connection, especially those for whom the internet is familiar territory.

“Young people who are already living a lot of their lives and connections through such means potentially feel more comfortable engaging with a mentor online,” Ms Stocker said.

“They open up, perhaps, more than they might in person, purely because it’s what they are already used to.”

Ms Stocker said it resulted in real-world value, teaching online collaboration and communication via video conferencing and other skills, which were now part and parcel of a post-COVID-19 working life.

“There are practical benefits to volunteering online, as individuals can be immersed in ways of working they may not otherwise have been exposed to.” 

“For instance, jobseekers who are volunteering as a gateway to paid work are likely to gain some great real-life work skills simply through how they are required to engage and carry out tasks online before they even make the jump to paid employment,” she said.

The prospect of growing one’s abilities and career has increased the popularity of volunteering online, with The Smith Family working to expand avenues for both volunteers and the people seeking assistance.

“The Smith Family has been offering online volunteering as an option for about 20 years, primarily through the opportunity we have for corporate and community Australia to join our online mentoring program iTrack,” Ms Stocker said.

“This program pairs secondary school students with volunteer mentors in a secure monitored chatroom to explore career options beyond high school.

“It has allowed those volunteers to make a tangible, practical difference in the lives of the young people The Smith Family supports without having to leave the office and at a time suiting their business hours.

“This has been one of our most popular volunteer prospects over many years.”

COVID-19 transforming online volunteering spaces

Ms Stocker said while the appeal of virtual volunteering had been rising over the years, it was the COVID-19 pandemic that triggered the need and demand for more opportunities.

Dedicated methods to transfer traditional volunteering practices to an online format were implemented, allowing the necessary level of assistance to those in need to be maintained.

“In exactly the same way we sent our team members home to work, we recognised some tasks normally undertaken by volunteers in our offices wouldn’t get completed if we didn’t pivot significantly and find a way for those people to engage with us remotely,” Ms Stocker said.

“We worked hard to enable some of our volunteer-based administration teams to move tasks online while still providing high-level support to ensure those volunteers’ experience through change was managed and they felt supported through those turbulent times.

“The safety of our paid and volunteer team members was obviously a critical priority, but so was their continued sense of support and contribution to a community of time-givers, albeit in a different way.”

Challenges surrounding community support

As internet-based volunteering spreads further, fostering connectivity with volunteers remains a hurdle on an online platform.

“One of the issues faced is ensuring volunteers still feel fully supported and equipped for the tasks we ask them to undertake, regardless of whether they have someone in the same room as them to seek support from,” Ms Stocker said.

“Ensuring we are utilising the right online collaboration tools and systems, as well as making sure they can access support or someone to answer questions, remains critical to a mutually beneficial experience.”

Ms Stocker said it was also important for volunteers to feel like they were part of a community.

“Many volunteers enjoy not only the sense of giving back but also the feelings of camaraderie, friendship and fun in being part of a team,” she said.

“It’s important for volunteer hosts and managers to have an intentional approach to that engagement.

“This might mean having regular online informal activities, chances to catch up for an unstructured chat or organising the occasional in-person gathering to bring people together, so they can connect in between their online task-related work.”

Flexibility underpins future virtual volunteering growth

Ms Stocker said online volunteering would keep developing into the future as people continued to seek convenience and flexibility in the way they donated their time.

“Volunteers are going to be looking for short, sharp, accessible opportunities which fit in with their already-busy lives,” she said.

“Not-for-profit organisations, or those relying on volunteer effort to sustain or extend their work, need to be savvy in how they adapt and evolve their offerings accordingly.

“We have to adapt to a changing world and to what volunteers now expect from volunteer-involving organisations.”

Ms Stocker said there was a place for both traditional and online volunteering in the modern and evolving volunteering landscape.

“Giving one’s time and skill doesn’t need to be a one-size-fits-all approach,” she said.

“Time can be donated as meaningfully online as it can face to face.

“It’s important we remain flexible to the ways different people want to give philanthropically and to create options offering various modes of engagement.”