virtual volunteering project FAQs
what about confidentiality, privacy, security, etc. ?
doesn't volunteering virtually compromise these things
for volunteers and/or clients?
In answering this question, let's start with a question: how do you currently protect confidentiality, privacy, security of clients and volunteers among staff? You will use these same methods for volunteers, and you will adapt these methods for online situations.
Your legal obligations will also be a factor. For instance, your agency may be required by law to conduct certain screening procedures and background checks on volunteers, because of the nature of their work (such as working with children or visiting people in their homes). How do you screen these volunteers now? Could you adapt those methods for online application, or will you need to bring potential online volunteers onsite to go through your current screening process? You may be required to bond volunteers who will deal with financial records; in such cases, you must do the same thing with online volunteers as with those whom you see on site.
More than anything else, confidentiality is a training issue. Emphasize the importance of confidentiality at every opportunity. Put a statement about it into every volunteer job description. Add it to orientation materials. Say it in training. Be sure you explain clearly what you mean by "confidentiality." It is more than not revealing a client's name; it's not revealing any information that would allow someone to guess the identity of the individual involved. You can (and, in some cases, should) develop a specific pledge of confidentiality, noting that violation of this key principle is cause for dismissal. Ask every volunteer to sign it, by fax or postal mail (don't hesitate to use real paper and real stamps!)
In some cases, however, "confidentiality" is a smokescreen put up by staff resistant to volunteer involvement, on or offline. It can be paternalistic to feel that clients must be "protected" against volunteers who might gossip or somehow betray confidentiality (as though volunteers are more prone to such activity than staff).
If you really wonder how clients feel about their situation being shared with a volunteer, ask them! If the clients give permission (freely, without any sense that they have to say yes), then it's ok to share their identities with a volunteer.
The Internet provides many ways for clients and volunteers to remain anonymous when interacting with each other, and it may be appropriate for your agency to utilize one of these methods. An agency could (and many do):
- require volunteers and clients to have their own special e-mail address to be used exclusively for their work with each other, one that does not reveal personal information, such as last names. Make sure they have not registered this e-mail address in any way that can be traced to a real world identity, such as the "Member Profile" on AOL or linking it off a personal Web page. However, make sure someone at your agency has a record of what e-mail address goes with what volunteer or client.
- require all volunteer and client interactions to take place via a private online chat room, where participants use screen names or aliases to communicate with each other (these screen names should not be first and last names). Again, make sure someone at your agency has a record of what screen name or alias goes with what volunteer or client.
- set up a list (via e-mail) that allows participants to post under a screen name or alias, and hides actual e-mail addresses. As always, make sure someone at your agency has a record of what screen name or alias goes with what volunteer or client.
- explore programs that will allow users to send and receive e-mail to each other, without being able to see each other's actual e-mail address; this can be done through programs for purchase, and by setting up a script using perl.
To keep volunteers and clients anonymous, participants should not mention any personal information in their online interactions that could allow someone to trace their identity, such as their real names, e-mail addresses, web sites, postal addresses, schools they attend or companies they work for, etc.
For more information, the Virtual Volunteering Project includes tips for Safety in Online Volunteering Programs. This is information and links to resources to help your agency create general safety guidelines for all online volunteering programs, suggestions and examples for those managing programs involving youth as online volunteers, and suggestions for bringing together youth and adult online volunteers.
Having said all of this, there is no reason to believe that online volunteers are any more prone to be predators than any other volunteer--and the number of people who actually pose a risk to clients is quite small. By all means, take reasonable and appropriate precautions, and set and strictly enforce policies about confidentiality and security, but then move on with the work.