Discover the world of virtual volunteering

In today’s digital age, volunteering isn’t limited to physical locations or face-to-face interactions. Thanks to the power of the internet, virtual or online volunteering has become a popular way to give back to communities and causes from the comfort of your own home. Discover virtual volunteering opportunities and find out if you’d like to get involved.

What is virtual volunteering?

Virtual volunteering involves contributing your time, skills, and efforts to support organisations, projects, or individuals through online platforms, or from home, rather than in-person activities. From tutoring students online and helping the elderly with technology challenges, to designing graphics for non-profits, there are countless ways to make a meaningful impact without ever leaving the house.

The benefits of virtual volunteering

There are lots of positives for virtual volunteering, including:

Flexibility

Whether you have a few hours a week or just a few minutes a day, you can find opportunities that fit into your schedule and lots of ways to contribute.

Accessibility

For those with disabilities or mobility challenges, virtual volunteering provides an accessible way to get involved and make a difference without barriers.

Global reach

Even if you live in a rural or remote area, or you’re passionate about causes happening globally, you can volunteer with organisations and causes around the world.

Skill development

As with any other volunteering you’ll develop valuable skills such as communication, project management, and digital literacy while contributing to meaningful projects and building your community spirit and stewardship.

Community engagement

You’ll connect with like-minded individuals and communities, which brings with it a sense of belonging and purpose. It’s also an amazing opportunity to build networks for future work experience or career pathways.

Uncover virtual volunteering opportunities

A quick internet search will throw up hundreds of results but that’s not the only way to get involved.

Find organisations who specialise in virtual volunteering – like VolunteerMatch – and browse from a wide range of opportunities based on your interests, skills, and availability.
Reach out to local non-profits, schools, and community organisations to enquire about virtual volunteering needs and opportunities.
Join online communities and follow social media pages dedicated to virtual volunteering to stay updated on opportunities and connect with other volunteers.
Let people in your community know that you’re open to volunteering but you’d prefer to help out virtually; you could be amazed at what’s available.

Here are a few organisations to get you started:

UN Volunteers – help with humanitarian projects around the world.
Zooniverse – contribute to professional research projects in fields such as space, physics, nature, medicine, and language.
Librivox – read and record chapters of books in the public domain (books no longer under copyright) and make them available for free on the Internet. No previous experience is required and they’re looking for recordings in all languages.
Kids Circle Foundation – help to create all kinds of resources to enrich the lives of children.
Learn to Be – become a tutor for other kids struggling at school; you can start from 14 years old.
TED Translators – join a global community of volunteers who subtitle TED Talks and enable the inspiring ideas in them to crisscross languages and borders.
Be My Eyes – connect with blind and low-vision users who might benefit from your sighted assistance through live video and artificial intelligence.
Writing Wonders – join a youth organisation and send artworks, messages, and letters to children, the elderly, and healthcare workers.
Emergency Support Volunteering – go to the shops or organise help for people who’ve been impacted by emergencies or unable to get out and about themselves.
Miracle Babies – knit or sew beanies, teddy bears, blankets or other items to support babies in neonatal care and their families.
DigiVol – use your time to transcribe text from images of specimen labels, field notes, and archival materials that have been uploaded to the Australian Museum site.
Trauma Teddies – knit teddies to provide comfort for children in all kinds of scary, sad, or stressful situations.

If none of those appeal to you, keep searching. There are lots of opportunities out there.

Research virtual volunteering options

Be selective about your virtual volunteering choices before committing to them.

Decide how much time you have available (and when) in your schedule.
Investigate the organisation to make sure they’re reputable.
Understand the responsibilities of the role so you don’t over-commit or find you’ve taken on too much.
If you have specific areas of interest where you’d like to help or gain knowledge, include that in your search too.

Some volunteering positions might require you to be over a certain age or obtain permission from your parents.

You might also need access to a computer or phone and the internet. If you don’t have these at home, you could ask at school, local library, or community centre.

You can make a positive difference online

Virtual volunteering offers a world of opportunities to make a difference, no matter where you are or what your circumstances may be. So why not consider joining the world of virtual volunteering and see how you can make a difference today?

If you’d prefer to volunteer in person, we have lots of other ideas here.

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