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As part of the first phase of the Virtual Volunteering Project, December 1996 - December 1998, the Project Team worked formally and directly with 12 selected organizations, to help these agencies develop or expand effective and ongoing programs to involve online volunteers. These collaborations also helped the Project Team detail first hand the realities of setting up and maintaining such a program, such as volunteer screening, monitoring, and recognition, as well as how to look for assignments within an organization that could be handled by a volunteer via the Internet.

The original virtual volunteering affiliate organizations were selected based on their knowledge of basic volunteer issues; their success with volunteers in traditional, face-to-face settings; their vision for virtual volunteering at their own organization, particularly as it involves volunteers working directly with clients; their commitment to the affiliates guidelines listed here; their knowledge of basic Internet navigation and use; and their demonstrated commitment to timely communications via email.

We continue our interest in collaborating formally or informally with other organizations, as our time and resources allow. We are happy to talk with other organizations about co-submitting grant proposals to potential funders to help a group explore, initiate or expand virtual volunteering activities at your organization; or in accepting contracts to help with the initiation, launch, or evaluation of such programs. We are particularly interested in online mentoring and tutoring programs that bring together adult volunteers and students.

If you have questions about how your organization might be able to involve volunteers virtually or how your current involvement of online volunteers could be enhanced or expanded, or you would like to explore the possibility of co-submitting a grant proposal with us around virtual volunteering, please contact us. We are happy to answer questions, and to explore future collaboration ideas you may have.

If your organization already involves volunteers via the Internet, then We Want to Hear From You!. Your feedback will help us further refine and develop the resources on this Web site, and you will be cited as a collaborating organization here on our Web site.