| This table lists more than 60 NGO or charity initiatives in Europe that are known to be involving online volunteers at the time of this paper's writing, or organisations outside of Europe that are known to involve online volunteers from the EU. This table is not, however, a comprehensive list of every charity, NGO or other initiative in Europe involving online volunteers, as that data is not available (see challenges re: this research ). Rather, this table is meant to highlight the prevalence of Internet-mediated volunteering in Europe (also see this list of Online Volunteering-related recruitment or matching web sites with at least some European involvement). |
Esta tabla tiene mas de 60 iniciativas de caridad & ONGs en Europa que involucran voluntarios en línea / voluntarios digitales / voluntarios en red (en el momento de escritura de este artículo), u organizaciones de fuera de Europa que involucran voluntarios digitales de la UE. Esto no es, sin embargo, una lista completa de todos los caridad, ONGs u otra iniciativas en Europa con voluntarios digitales, ya que los datos no están disponibles (ver desafíos re: esta investigación). Más bien, esta lista tiene la intención de demostrar la prevalencia de voluntarios digitales en Europa (véase también la lista de reclutamiento en línea relacionada con el voluntariado o sitios web que coincidan con al menos una participación europea). |
| Initiative name & URL |
Country of base operations |
Notes |
| 2aid.org www.2aid.org |
Germany |
"Das Team über ganz Deutschland verteilt ist, ist der Arbeitsort dort, wo es dir am besten gefällt. Wir erledigen alle organisatorischen Themen über das Internet. Auch Meetings werden in der Regel per Skype oder anderen Kommunikationsmitteln abgehalten. Zweimal im Jahr gibt es ein Team-Meeting, wo wir uns persönlich treffen, Neue kennenlernen und uns austauschen.” (the team is distributed all over Germany, the workplace is where it suits you. We take care of all the organizational issues over the Internet. Also, meetings are held usually via Skype or other means of communication. Twice a year there is a team meeting where we meet in person, get to know new and exchange ideas.) |
| A.S.I.F - Entidad sin ánimo de lucro www.asif-entitatsenseanimdelucre.org/ |
Spain |
Listed at least one online volunteering (voluntariado virtual) opportunity on hacesfalta.org in June 2013 |
| ASMSS, Amigos de Subhadra Mahatab Seva sadan www.amigossmss.org |
Spain |
Listed at least one online volunteering (voluntariado virtual) opportunity on hacesfalta.org in June 2013 |
| Action on Depression http://www.actionondepression.org/ |
U.K. |
Based in Scotland, online lifeskills coaches/mentor volunteers complete an course: http://www.actionondepression.org/news/news/volunteer-opportunities-delivering-our-online-cbt-based-skills-course |
| Amnistia Internacional www.es.amnesty.org |
Spain |
Listed at least one online volunteering (voluntariado virtual) opportunity on hacesfalta.org in June 2013 |
| Anam Cara http://www.anamcara.ie |
Ireland |
Listed at least one volunteering opportunity on the Volunteer Ireland web site in June it categorizes as "homebased/virtual volunteering" |
| Asociación Cultural Skadix skadix.org |
Spain |
Listed at least one online volunteering (voluntariado virtual) opportunity on hacesfalta.org in June 2013 |
| Asociación de Mujeres Eleanor Roosevelt www.eleanorroosevelt.es |
Spain |
Listed at least one online volunteering (voluntariado virtual) opportunity on hacesfalta.org in June 2013 |
| Beat Bullying – Mentors www.beatbullying.org/teachers-and-professionals/training-for-students/ |
U.K. |
Formerly http://cybermentors.org.uk, this initiative recruits volunteer mentors for both onsite and online activities. |
| Betobe http://www.betobe.org |
France |
network of online volunteering in English, French and Spanish. The site implies that online volunteers help with the site itself. |
| BodyWhys www.bodywhys.ie |
Ireland |
Ireland national voluntary organisation supporting people affected by eating disorders. Online volunteers respond from their home to emails sent to the web site. Volunteers commit to 1-2 hours per week on a particular day, attend online group supervision once every three months, and commit to one year after training. |
| Casal dels Infants, acció social als barris www.casaldelraval.org |
Spain |
Listed at least one online volunteering (voluntariado virtual) opportunity on hacesfalta.org in June 2013 |
| Cherie Blair Foundation www.cherieblairfoundation.org |
U.K. |
online mentors are in the U.K., and mentor online women entrepreneurs in developing countries: http://www.cherieblairfoundation.org/mentoring/ |
| cibervoluntarios.org |
Spain |
More than a dozen projects related to computer and digital technologies and volunteering. though there are some aspects of Internet-mediated volunteering, projects are not focused primarily on online volunteering. |
| CrisisMappers http://crisismappers.net |
Not determined |
Crisis Mappers leverage mobile & web-based applications, participatory maps & crowdsourced event data, aerial & satellite imagery, geospatial platforms, advanced visualization, live simulation, and computational & statistical models to power effective early warning for rapid response to complex humanitarian emergencies. Stats: 5,502 = Members of the etwork 3,000+ = Member Organizations/Affiliations including 400+ Universities, 50 UN Agencies/Programs, dozens of tech companies, several Volunteer & Technical Community Networks & Disaster Response NGOs. 162 = Countries where Members are 1,906 = Members of Crisis Mappers Google Group |
| Crowdcrafting.org |
Switzerland |
open source software platform for developing and sharing projects that rely on the help of thousands of online volunteers. The Crowdcrafting platform is hosted by University of Geneva, and is a joint initiative between the Open Knowledge Foundation and the Citizen Cyberscience Centre, a Geneva-based partnership co-founded by University of Geneva. The Sloan Foundation has recently award |
| Doe Network www.doenetwork.org |
U.S.A. |
Devoted to to assisting official law enforcement agencies in solving cold cases concerning unexplained disappearances and unidentified Victims from North America, Australia and Europe. Online volunteers also help translate documents into various languages. The Doe Network has been recognised as part of the Responsible Volunteer Community by the U.S.A. Department Of Justice. |
| e-wolontariat http://e-wolontariat.pl |
Poland |
The name translates to “E-volunteering.” In addition to serving as a matching service for online volunteers and organisations in Poland, e-wolontariat also involves online volunteers in its activities. |
| Edinburgh University Settlement http://www.adults-mentoring.eu/?pid=15 or http://esolscotland.com/documents/mentoring.doc |
U.K. |
Its Welcome Package for Migrant Workers is a free online resource for adults coming to live in Scotland. “Mentors need to be good listeners who are happy to regularly communicate with their mentee via emails, messenger, Skype or a mixture of all three. Experience of having moved to Scotland would be useful, but not essential.” |
| EngineerAid www.engineeraid.com |
U.K. |
an online based charity in the UK working to "provide remote engineering advice on problems experienced in the less economically developed countries and to satisfy the inherent desire of many engineers to collaborate and solve problems." Needs online volunteers who have an engineering or Science degree, or are studying towards such, to contribute time to projects such as housing reconstruction, designing water pumps, improving water sanitation systems, choosing and installing solar powered generators, and so forth. Current projects can be viewed at http://www.engineeraid.com/ask_the_expert/ Potential volunteers fill out this form http://www.engineeraid.com/ask_the_expert/volunteer.php |
| FLOSS Manuals www.flossmanuals.org/ |
Netherlands |
Online and onsite volunteers produce free manuals about Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) in their own language. "Today we have more than 120 books in more than 30 languages and more than 3,000 contributors over 5 independent language communities (French, English, Farsi, Dutch, Finnish)." |
| Forvo http://www.forvo.com |
Spain |
The largest pronunciation guide in the world with audio pronunciations in more than 200 languages, all provided by online volunteers. Volunteers rate and discuss other people's pronunciations. |
| Frankfurt Gestalten http://frankfurt-gestalten.de/ |
Germany |
A mapping project (crowdsourcing) for citizens of Frankfurt am Main. The project is also supported by online volunteers, such as help with programming the web site. |
| FROPIS-u Forum Rabczańskich Organizacji Pozarządowych i Społecznych (Forum of NGOs and Society) http://www.fordza.cba.pl/ |
Poland |
One of the most frequent users of the e-wolontariat platform to recruit online volunteers for various assignments. |
| Fundació Lucía per a la SIDA Pediàtrica http://www.fundacionlucia.org/ |
Spain (Catalunya) |
Lists multiple online volunteering assignments on http://voluntariat.org as of June 2013 |
| Galaxy Zoo www.galaxyzoo.org |
U.S.A. |
image classification |
| Give As You Live/ Ganet's Adventure School www.idealist.org/view/volop/ZfPwGXMXg3cp/ |
U.K. |
Listed at least one volunteering opportunity on the Idealist web site in July it categorizes as "virtual" or "online" |
| GlobalGiving www.globalgiving.co.uk/globalgivingtime/ |
U.K. |
GlobalGivingTIME program allows organisations to recruit online volunteers to help with research, search-engine optimization (SEO), social media (Twitter, Facebook, blogging, etc.), fundraising, data entry, or other expert advice. |
| GreenPeace Germany |
Germany |
|
| HelpFromHome www.helpfromhome.org |
U.K. |
In addition to being an online matching service for online volunteers with organisations that need such, this charity also involves online volunteers itself. |
| Human Grid Athens http://humangrid.gr |
Greece |
a TEDxAthens project that “aims to promote the various groups of volunteers and NGOs in Athens (Greece), as well as connecting them with other volunteers that want to participate in their initiatives.” Online volunteers contribute to the creation of this grid. |
| Human Writes www.humanwrites.org |
U.K. |
encourages UK volunteers to befriend and support those facing execution in the US by writing letters directly to inmates. |
| Humanity Road Digital Disaster Volunteers www.humanityroad.org/Volunteer |
U.K. |
Online volunteers from all over the world, including the EU, research, collect, maintain and tweet information and resources about first aid, hospitals, shelters and other critical needs before, during and after a disaster. |
| Humanium http://www.humanium.org |
Switzerland, with offices in Germany and France |
As of June listed online volunteering opportunities related to translation on the UN's Online Volunteering service. |
| Implicadas/os no desenvolvemento, Asociación www.implicadas.com |
Spain |
Listed at least one online volunteering (voluntariado virtual) opportunity on hacesfalta.org in June 2013 |
| Ireland Reaching Out www.irelandxo.com |
Ireland |
Listed at least one volunteering opportunity on the Volunteer Ireland web site in June it categorizes as "homebased/virtual volunteering" |
| Lasa www.lasa.org.uk and www.ictknowledgebase.org.uk/forums/index.php |
U.K. |
Lasa's “knowledgebase ict café” is an online discussion forum where anyone can ask for and offer "ideas and advice for voluntary and community groups on using technology." |
| LibroVox http://librivox.org |
U.S.A. |
Involves volunteers internationally, including from the EU |
| Mozilla Foundation http://www.mozilla.org/ |
U.S.A. |
Develops free, open source software (FOSS) such as Foxfire and Thunderbird. Involves online volunteers globally, including German speakers: http://www.mozilla.org/de/contribute/ Spanish speakers: http://www.mozilla.org/es-AR/contribute/ French speakers: http://www.mozilla.org/fr/contribute/ |
| Move Your Money UK www.moveyourmoney.org.uk |
U.K. |
Listed at least one volunteering opportunity on the Idealist web site in July it categorizes as "virtual" or "online" |
| Nueva Vida adopciones www.nuevavida-adopciones.org/ |
Spain |
Listed at least one online volunteering (voluntariado virtual) opportunity on hacesfalta.org in June 2013 |
| Old Weather www.oldweather.com Part of the citizensciencealliance.org initiative |
Initiative includes institutions in both the U.K. and U.S.A. |
Online volunteers help scientists recover worldwide weather observations made by various ships in the 19th Century by transcribing these old weather records. These transcriptions will contribute to climate model projections and improve a database of weather extremes. The data will also be used by geographers, historians and the public around the world (anyone will be able to access it and use it). |
| OpenMRS openmrs.org/about/ |
International (unable to determine base of operations) |
a worldwide network of volunteers from many different backgrounds including technology, health care, and international development. Together, they are working to build the world's largest and most flexible technology platform to support delivery of health care in some of the most challenging environments on the planet. "No matter what your background or interest, we'd love to have you help us save lives with Health IT." |
| OpenStreetMap www.openstreetmap.org OpenStreetMap Foundation www.osmfoundation.org/wiki/Main_Page |
UK |
Collaborative online project to create a free editable online map of the world. Created by Steve Coast in the UK in 2004. Supported by the OpenStreetMap Foundation, a non-profit organisation registered in England. |
| Positive Nett-Works e.V. http://www.youth-leader.org/ |
Germany |
As of June listed online volunteering opportunities related to article writing and translation on the UN's Online Volunteering service. |
| Professionals in Humanitarian Assistance and Protection http://phap.org/news/2013/online-volunteers-help-humanitarian-workers-find-resources-they-need |
Belgium-based |
sector-wide professional association of individuals engaged in humanitarian assistance and protection worldwide, PHAP’s mission is to enhance the capacity of the global humanitarian community to respond effectively and professionally to current and future crises.. Online volunteers help humanitarian workers with database, transcription and translation projects. |
| Project Gutenberg / Distributed Proofreaders www.pgdp.net/c |
U.S.A. |
Has involved online volunteers from all over the world since the 1970s. |
| Red Deporte y Cooperación www.redeporte.org |
Spain |
Listed at least one online volunteering (voluntariado virtual) opportunity on hacesfalta.org in June 2013 |
| Save the Children U.K./Spain www.savethechildren.es |
U.K. |
Listed at least one online volunteering (voluntariado virtual) opportunity on hacesfalta.org in June 2013 |
| Selfpedia.de http://selfpedia.de/ Hosted by SOZIALHELDEN e.V. |
Germany |
Online community for people with disabilities, caregivers and anyone interested in issues around disabilities. Members ask questions of each other re: mobility and accessibility issues, insurance issues, social inclusion and other issues. |
| Sosdesaparecidos www.sosdesaparecidos.es |
Spain |
Listed at least one online volunteering (voluntariado virtual) opportunity on hacesfalta.org in June 2013 |
| Standby Task Force (SBTF) http://standbytaskforce.wordpress.com |
U.S.A. |
Recruits and mobilizes “digital volunteers” from anywhere in the world to provide crowdsourcing, mapping, data scrambling and technology testing support to organizations engaged in activities related to humanitarian, human rights, election monitoring and media efforts, particularly local organizations in developing countries. The web site says it comprises more than “1,000 skilled volunteers with dedicated experience in online crisis mapping.” |
| Tag Del tagdel.dk |
Denmark |
Danish site providing opportunities for online volunteers to get involved in NGO and community-based activities. |
| TalkingDrugs http://www.talkingdrugs.org/ |
U.K. |
Involves volunteers “from all over the world”, most working from their own homes, in tasks related to journalism, social media, communications and policy. |
| TechSoup Community Forum http://forums.techsoup.org/cs/community/f/ or http://forums.techsoup.org/cs/community/p/activity.aspx Info on all volunteering opportunities: http://www.techsoup.org/joining-techsoup/become-a-volunteer |
U.S.A. |
Involves online volunteers in the moderation and facilitation of its online community forum, as well as subject matter experts on the forum and in its Second Life community; volunteers from the EU have been involved at various times (including currently). Has a ranking system for its community forum moderators: http://forums.techsoup.org/cs/p/star.aspx |
| Turn2me turn2me.org |
Ireland |
“an interactive support community for people with personal problems to share, discuss and offload those problems. Our aim is to use technology to connect people and promote mental wellbeing.” The charity also listed at least one volunteering opportunity on the Volunteer Ireland web site in June it categorizes as "homebased/virtual volunteering." |
| VoIDIX - Voluntarios Digitales o Voluntario DIXITAL http://voluntariadodixital.xunta.es/es/voluntariosDigitales EU press release in English about the initiative http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?langId=en&catId=89&newsId=1905&furtherNews=yes |
Spain |
"Volunteers can be physically present (i.e. in classrooms of Centres of Technological Modernisation and Inclusion... public libraries, etc.) or provide support online..." |
| Um sem um tam www.umsemumtam.cz/ |
Czech Republic |
An online matching service for NGOs and professionals that want to donate their expertise online. |
| UK Youth Climate Coalition http://ukycc.org |
U.K. |
Listed at least one volunteering opportunity on the Idealist web site in July it categorizes as "virtual" or "online" |
| United Nations Online Volunteering Service www.onlinevolunteering.org |
Germany |
This service is managed by UNV, a division of UNDP. In addition to matching online volunteers with organisations that need such, the initiative also involves online volunteers in its work periodically. |
| Wheelmap http://wheelmap.org/ Hosted by SOZIALHELDEN e.V. |
Germany |
Crowdmapping/crowdsourcing effort to map barrier free locations (accessible sites) in Germany, Europe and globally. |
| Wikipedia sites in European languages http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/List_of_Wikipedias |
Bulgaria / Bulgarian Català (Catalan / Catalunya) Česky (Czech Republic) Dansk (Danish / Denmark) Deutsch (German - Deutschland / Germany and Austria) Eesti (Estonia) Español (España / Spain) Euskara (Basque Country) Français (French / France) Hrvatski (Croatian / Croaia) Italiano (Italian / Italy) Lietuvių (Lithuania) Magyar (Hungary / Hungarian) Nederlands (Dutch, The Netherlands) Norsk (bokmål)(Norway / Norwegian) Polski (Polish/Poland) Português (Portuguese / Portugal) Română (Romania) Russia / Russian Slovenčina (Slovakia) Slovenščina (Slovenia) Srpski (Serbia) Suomi (Finland) Svenska (Sweden) Türkçe (Turkey) Ukraine |
Online volunteers contributing to these free online encyclopedias are rarely called volunteers. For instance, A Czech Republic online volunteer is a Wikipedista or Wikipedistka German language volunteers are called Wikipedianer Spanish language volunteers are called Wikipedistas) French contributors are called Wikipédistes Norsk (bokmål)(Norway. An online volunteer is a Wikipedant) Polski(Polist. An online volunteer is a wikipedysta or wikipedystka) Português(Portuguese. An online volunteer is a Wikipedian, Wikipediano, or Wikipediana) Русский (Russia. An online volunteer is a википедист or википедистка) |
| Xaley www.fundacionxaley.org |
Spain |
Listed at least one online volunteering (voluntariado virtual) opportunity on hacesfalta.org in June 2013 |
| YouthNet http://www.youthnet.org/work-for-youthnet/volunteer/ Do-It bloggers http://www.do-it.org.uk/magazine/features/virtual/youthnetvirtual |
U.K. |
Online volunteers donate their time to write for the Do-It blogs and moderate TheSite.org discussion boards and live chats. There is also volunteer relationship advisors who must take part in an onsite six month coaching programme before beginning their online service. |
| Youvo http://www.youvo.org |
Germany |
In addition to providing an online matching service for online volunteers and nonprofits, this organization also involves online volunteers. It is not clear from the web site if this is an NGO, a private business, or an entirely independent, indiviually-run initiative. |