This is an archived version of the Virtual Volunteering Project web site from January 2001. The materials on the web site were written or compiled by Jayne Cravens. The Virtual Volunteering Project has been discontinued. The Virtual Volunteering Project web site IS NO LONGER UPDATED. Email addresses associated with the Virtual Volunteering Project are no longer valid. For any URL that no longer works, type the URL into archive.org. For new materials regarding online volunteering, see Jayne Cravens' web site (the section on volunteerism-related resources). |
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FAQs About the Virtual Volunteering Project
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working with web volunteers (this page is a companion to Managing Technical Assistance Volunteers) Many organizations want to use an online volunteer to initially build or maintain the agency's web site. This is an excellent way to involve an online volunteer; however, before you involve such a person, there are several factors to consider to ensure that the person in this volunteer role will meet your expectations:
Your organization needs to have a policy regarding its web site, and should communicate this policy to whomever helps you with your web site:
It's fine to ask web volunteers for a sample of their work during your application process. Even a volunteer's personnel web site offers insight into their design capabilities. Many people who volunteer to help with your web site won't be professional designers; they will have a learning curve that's more significant than a pro. However, that shouldn't keep you from involving them. Start a web volunteer with just a one-page assignment, and see how he or she does. From there, you can decide if this volunteer is ready for something more advanced. More information on screening and orienting online volunteers is available on our web site. See these resources for information on recruiting online volunteers: AVOIDING OVER-RELIANCE A web site volunteer will not be around forever. No matter how dedicated a person may be to a cause or organization, eventually, that person will need to move on, or won't be able to provide the level of service needed by an organization. It's important, therefore, for an organization to make sure that it hasn't built an over-reliance on a web site volunteer, in case that volunteer needs to quit or postpone his or her service for a while. A web site volunteer should build web pages that are easy for anyone on staff to modify, as needed. That means that:
Create a place on your web site just for viewing new and in-progress pages (a "beta" area). Volunteers should upload any new pages to this area first, and this material should be reviewed and approved by the appropriate staff person BEFORE they are uploaded onto the public portion of a web site. If multiple volunteers are working on a site, they can either upload their work to the beta area, or send pages to a primary volunteer or staff person, who then reviews pages and uploads them to the public area of the web site. Should your volunteer have the power to upload pages to the public portion of your web site? It depends on many factors. The VV Project suggests that this responsibility be given only to one person. The more people who are changing pages on a web site, the more likely it is that someone will accidentally delete someone else's work. You can further share responsibility by giving each volunteer a specific directory on your Web site to supervise and contribute to. For instance, one volunteer could be in charge of the section dealing with online versions of your print publications (newsletters, annual reports, etc.), while another is in charge of the pages focused specifically on fund raising and donor relations, and still another is in charge of all of your interactive forms. Be sure that there is one person who is keeping a record of volunteers and their web assignments. It's a good idea for volunteers to check in weekly with that person and submit the names of the web files they are working on, and the target dates for those files to be finished (to make sure that more than one person isn't working on the same file). Also, encourage volunteers to view web files they are working on through their own web browser first before uploading them for your review. This allows volunteers a chance to catch and revise their own mistakes.
A staff or volunteer should archive the web site at least once a year, particularly if significant changes are made to the site (like a complete redesign, or a complete overhall of information from season to season). Offline, a copy of this archive needs to rest with the organization. If the organization has room on its Web server, consider also archiving the site there, for future reference by other volunteers. Create an "admistration" directory (password protected, if possible) where volunteers can upload files that will be helpful to everyone, now and in the future, such as:
Volunteers need to report in regularly about their progress on an assignment, obstacles they face, tools they are finding valuable, etc. Consider requiring volunteers to check in once a week during the assignment to update you on their progress (even if they haven't accomplished anything that week). Requiring this regular communication lets you see potential difficulties well-before they become major problems, and reiterates the seriousness of the assignment to the volunteer. Also, regularly encourage volunteers to provide feedback about the assignments you are giving them as well as suggestions for your web site. If a volunteer suggests a feature for your web site that you don't understand, ask the volunteer for an example of this feature on another web site, so you can see how it works. For more detailed information about managing web volunteers, see our resource Managing Technical Assistance Volunteers.
At the VV Project, online volunteers build many of our pages. These volunteers can use whatever web-authoring software they wish so long as VV Project staff can open these documents with something simple, like Notepad on an IBM/Clone or simpletext on a Mac. They also have to adhere to our design standards (like complete accessibility for people using assistive technologies). These volunteers with assignments must check in every week, either Monday or Friday, and tell me:
For more detailed information about managing web volunteers, see our resource Managing Technical Assistance Volunteers. We have more information on how to delegate responsibilities here on our web site.
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If you find this or any other Virtual Volunteering Project information helpful, or would like to add information based on your own experience, please contact us.
If you do use Virtual Volunteering Project materials in your own workshop or trainings, or republish materials in your own publications, please let us know, so that we can track how this information is disseminated.
This is an archived version of the Virtual Volunteering Project web site from January 2001. The materials on the web site were written or compiled by Jayne Cravens. The Virtual Volunteering Project has been discontinued. The Virtual Volunteering Project web site IS NO LONGER UPDATED. Email addresses associated with the Virtual Volunteering Project are no longer valid. For any URL that no longer works, type the URL into archive.org. |
If you are interested in more up-to-date information about virtual volunteering, view the Virtual Volunteering Wiki.
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