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Knowbility, Inc.
http://www.knowbility.org
A national nonprofit organization based in Texas and born out of the collaborative effort that was AIR-Austin, a web design contest that helps educate the high-tech community about making Web sites and other online technologies fully accessible to people with disabilities. The onsite volunteer efforts for AIR-Austin were coordinated primarily via the Internet, and the nonprofit promotes virtual volunteering as a way to help youth with disabilities learn high-tech skills and other skills for the work place.

 
Lewis-Clark State College
http://mira.lcsc.edu/
Located in Lewiston, Idaho, their program, "Managing Information with Rural America," includes an online volunteering component, with information adapted from the Virtual Volunteering Project Web site in support of both volunteers and the people who manage them.

 
LibertyNet
http://www.hevanet.com/literacy
This organization serving Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was one of the VV Projects Affiliates, and our web site features a very detailed profile of this organization and how it has involved online volunteers.

 
Macdonald Youth Services (MYS)
http://www.mys.mb.ca/volunter/howcont.html
This organization in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada has provided children and their families with a range of treatment and support services since 1929. MYS uses the Internet to recruit onsite volunteers, involves online volunteers (including some from the United States) in assignments that assist staff (web site building, database creation, online research, desktop publishing, etc.), and is expanding its own virtual tutoring program. An outline of MYS's screening process and online application and other forms are available on its web site.

 
McGraw-Hill Signature Program with NCEE
http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/philanthropy/index.html
In November 1997, the McGraw-Hill Companies, based in New York City, launched the Signature Program with the National Council on Economic Education, an organization addressing economic literacy, as one fulfillment of the McGraw-Hill commitment to America's Promise. The partnership focused on young people to strengthen their levels of economic literacy, and involved a virtual componant to match teachers and classrooms with online volunteers from McGraw-Hill Companies.

 
Math Forum's Ask Dr. Math
http://forum.swarthmore.edu/dr.math
A question and answer service for K-12 math students and their teachers. Students submit questions to Dr. Math by filling out the Web form or by sending in e-mail. Answers (by Swarthmore College math students acting as "Dr. Math") are sent back by e-mail, and these questions and answers are gathered into an online searchable archive organized by grade level (elementary, middle school, high school) and topic (exponents, infinity, polynomials, etc.). There are also materials for math teachers to use.

 
MentorNet
http://www.mentornet.net
MentorNet is a nonprofit organization, the National Electronic Industrial Mentoring Network for Women in Engineering and Science. It is based out of the College of Engineering at San José State University in California. MentorNet pairs women who are studying engineering or science at participating colleges or universities with professional scientists and engineers working in industry, and helps them form e-mail based mentoring relationships. The program runs for one academic year. Mentors and protegés are matched beginning in mid-September, and the program ends in May. MentorNet is a structured e-mentoring program, providing multiple supports to help mentors and protegés develop and sustain an e-mentoring relationship. "First, we carefully match mentors with protegés, based on their academic and professional interests, along with preferences for being matched with an e-mentoring partner. We provide training for the participants, along with ongoing coaching in the form of regular discussion suggestions. Through the delivery of the discussion suggestions, we keep the lines of communication open between the MentorNet participants and the MentorNet staff, so we can provide consulting, troubleshooting, and rematching, when necessary." The MentorNet web site provides an excellent model for other programs interesting in using the Internet for preparing mentors and protegés for participation.

 
Mentor Program and PEPHE-Talk by the
University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA)
Health Education Training Centers Alliance of Texas (HETCAT)
http://hetcat.uthscsa.edu/Tele000.html
A pilot project that worked to improve health career awareness among ninth grade students, through telementoring. Goals with mentees: to improve students' English, math and science proficiency, and to ensure that students have sufficient information to consider careers in health. Mentors were students from UTHSCSA, who submitted an online mentor application to program staff and went through an interview and training session. Mentors were responsible for communicating with the student at least 2-3 times per week throughout the spring 1999 academic period. Mentors agreed to be a positive role model; encourage their students to excel in math and science; use appropriate grammar and effective communication skills; encourage their students to use the Internet as a resource; and correspond with the student's teacher and program staff. The HETCAT Mentor Program staff matched students and mentors based on a set of specific needs, common career interests, academic studies, and hobbies. Students and mentors worked on projects that were integrated into the classroom curriculum. The web site includes information on this program, guidelines used for teachers, mentors and mentees, as well as background information on the importance and roles of mentors.

 
Micron Technology's E-Mail Mentoring Program
http://www.micron.com/education/mentoring/mentoring.html
Women in technical careers at Micron Technology, Inc. in Boise, Idaho organized this program with junior high school science and math teachers to connect with female students and encourage them to consider technical careers (girls in the 6th grade and even into the 7th grade often have strong skills and high interest in math and science, but that interest begins to dwindle in 8th grade, and by high school young women often switched to non-science courses and non-technical career interests). This web site documents their efforts, from conception to the completion of the pilot program. The site includes the program's mentor application packet, the approval process, sample teacher, student and parent surveys and evaluations, mentor guidelines, and a summary of the program to date.

 
Microsoft Site Builder Network - VolunteerKiosk
http://nonprofit.guidestar.org/classifieds/ms_sbn.cfm
This is a joint project with GuideStar to connect nonprofit organizations with Web developer and designer volunteers. The Microsoft Site Builder Network is a membership program and online resource that supports Web designers and developers with tools, information, and support.

 
Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation
http://www.meaf.org
In addition to funding the Virtual Volunteering Project, MEAF has provided suggestions and feedback on the Project's activities and materials, promoted virtual volunteering to its own employees, and promoted the Project to other MEAF grantees. MEAF is based in Washington, D.C.

 
Multnomah County Library
http://www.multnomah.lib.or.us/lib/vol/index.html
A library in Portland, Oregon that has long used the Internet (relatively speaking) in recruiting and involving volunteers. Multnomah County Library as one of the first organizations to contact the Virtual Volunteering Project about its activities when we launched in December 1996.

 
National Association of Purchasing Management
http://www.napm.org/Education/legacy/1998conf/gary/tsld009.htm
This association based in Tempe, Arizona presented information about on recruiting, retaining, and recognizing volunteers, and an overview of how online volunteers can help, at their 1999 Annual International Purchasing Conference. The presentation advocated that members involve online volunteers to: conduct online research, gathering information on upcoming legislation affecting purchasing, prepare information for chapter Web sites, provide online mentoring to new members via e-mail, and participate in committee sessions online.

 
National Lekotek Center
http://www.lekotek.org
and http://www.meaf.org/lekotek.html
The Center sponsors Compuplay Summer Camp and CompuClub in Illinois each year, providing computer instruction to children with and without disabilities in a recreational setting. The camp included a "virtual volunteers" program, where volunteers served as online "wizards", answering children's messages about computers and technology.

 
Native Academy
Middle and high school Native American students are receiving help in math and science from online mentors, according to the article "Web-based volunteering new way to help out" by the Philanthropy Journal. In this article, school director Graham Hartley said most of their online volunteers have been solicited by word of mouth through the local community. The academy is part of Migizi Communications of Minnesota, a nonprofit providing services to the American Indian community.

 
NetAction
http://www.netaction.org
Based in San Francisco, Calfornia, NetAction promotes effective grassroots citizen action campaigns, provides training and resources to online activists in effective organizing strategies, and educates the public, policymakers and the media about technology-based social and political issues. The Virtual Volunteering Project links to many of NetAction's resources to help agencies mobilize online volunteer advocacy efforts effectively.

 
NetNoir, Inc.
http://www.netnoir.com
'Net' is short for Network and 'Noir' (pronounced know-are) is French for Black. This is an African American online community service begun by America Online. In its initial startup phase, it relied heavily on online volunteers, and shared experiences with the Project via our online survey.

 
Netscape Open Directory Project
http://directory.netscape.com/
Relies on a "vast army" of online volunteer editors (more than 6,000) to create its "open directory" to index the World Wide Web. It claims to be the third-largest and fastest-growing Internet directory in the world.

 
No Wonder
http://www.nowonder.com/
Online volunteers help answer computer and software questions via email from users all over the world. "We have volunteers who have been with us for almost our 2 year existence," says founder Scott William. "Include volunteers, make them a part of the decision making process. Let them know they are valued and that their ideas and suggestions are taken seriously."

 
OASIS Institute
http://www.oasisnet.org
Based in St. Louis, Missouri, this national nonprofit organization works to enrich the lives of mature adults. Its Internet Mentoring Program matches older adult volunteers with middle school students. Mentors and students exchange weekly e-mail messages on topics pre-determined by OASIS and the school. The project provides reading and writing opportunities for the students, and a chance to sharpen technology skills and gain support from a caring adult role model. Another benefit is that the program reaches schools where OASIS volunteers cannot travel each week. Individual schools screen the online volunteers according to their district policies (many of the volunteers already volunteer onsite at the schools and have been previously screened). OASIS also provides an online message board to foster communication among online volunteers and staff. The key to their online mentoring program success: "We've always believed in training -- or at least clear guidelines for each volunteer role -- and this is also important for the online volunteers. Also, clearly define the volunteer role and time commitment. They need to understand how much the organization is counting on them. Have written guidelines for staff who will be involved so they understand the goals of the project and how it will benefit the organization. And be patient. Technology has its pitfalls and glitches that need to be worked out."

 
Online Compendium of Federal and State Regulations for U.S. Nonprofit Organizations
http://www.muridae.com/nporegulation/
A central resource for nonprofit organization (NPO) administrators, regulators and the interested public to find information about the laws and regulations controlling NPOs in the U.S. It is compiled and maintained by online volunteers made up of professional nonprofit managers and legal representatives, who submit articles, write pages and maintain sections.

 
Oregon Literacy, Inc. (OLI)
http://www.hevanet.com/literacy
This nonprofit organization serving Oregon and Southwest Washington state was one of the VV Projects Affiliates, and our web site features a very detailed profile of this organization and how it has involved online volunteers.

 
Peace Corps CyberVolunteers
http://www.peacecorps.gov/wws/cybervol/
In the 2000-2001 school year, the Peace Corps World Wise Schools program offered U.S. teachers and their students the opportunity to receive e-mail once a month from a CyberVolunteer, which is a currently serving Peace Corps Volunteer. The e-mails from the PeaceCorps members talk about their experiences on their assignments, detailing the work that they do, and the people, communities, cultures and environments they experience as part of their service. Teachers can use these e-mails to teach about particular regions, cultures and ecosystems; and about how community service can enhance career development and apply learnings from the classroom (biology, for instance). Teachers can also compile questions from their students for the CyberVolunteer, and submit them to the PeaceCorps for forwarding to the volunteer. It's not a "direct" virtual volunteering experience (students and teachers can't e-mail the volunteer directly), but it is a great example of an organization that has created a way for their volunteers to easily serve another audience -- teachers and students in U.S. classrooms.

 
Peace and Environment Resource Centre
http://www.perc.flora.org
Canadian nonprofit organizations that uses a number of internal communication mechanisms, including a list, to keep volunteers up-to-date. The organization provided information for the Virtual Volunteering Project's suggestions for Internet discussion groups for volunteers.

 
The Planetary Society
http://www.planetary.org/society/Volunteers/volunteers.html
This international nonprofit organization based in Pasadena, California was founded in 1980 by Carl Sagan, Bruce Murray, and Louis Friedman to encourage the exploration of our solar system and the search for extraterrestrial life. Volunteers all over the world are assisting the society by using their own computers to analyse batches of radio telescope data for signs of extraterrestrial intelligence, as part of the Search for Extraterrestrial Life and Intelligence (SETI) project.

 
Prison Fellowship Ministries
http://www.pfm.org/
A national not-for-profit, volunteer-based Christian organization in Reston, Virginia assisting churches in ministry to prisoners, ex-prisoners, victims, and their families, and promoting biblical standards of justice in the criminal justice system. Its websites are maintained by online volunteers, who have produced hundreds of transcripts, enhanced the organizatin's Internet exposure through site registrations, and kept the site updated with position listings, prayer requests and other publications.

 
Probono.net
http://www.Probono.net
This nonprofit organization in New York City is a virtual community of public interest lawyers. It includes an index of links to online resources for volunteer lawyers who are seeking pro bono opportunities, and contains online support and resources for lawyers working on probono cases, including news, a calendar of trainings and events, online listings of new cases for volunteers, a message board that allows participating lawyers to communicate with other members of the practice area and an online library of training manuals, briefs and practice materials. Most of this material is password-protected.

 
Project Gutenberg
http://www.gutenberg.net/volunteer.html
The first mobilization of online volunteers? Maybe! Begun in 1971 with the uploading of the Declaration of Independance to the pre-cursor to the Internet, the Project converts a variety of Public Domain texts to electronic versions. Its mission is to make information, books and other materials available to the general public in forms a vast majority of the computers, programs and people can easily read, use, quote, and search. This Web site serves as an orientation and guidebook for volunteers who want to help make texts available via Project Gutenberg.

 
Progressive Learning
http://www.progressivelearning.com
An online program in California assisting students who require help and attention beyond the resources of their schools and families. In addition to receiving intensive one-on-one face-to-face instruction, students also engage in ongoing mentoring from a personal Academic Coach and Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) via the Internet. Coaches and SMEs work with individual classroom teachers to meet specific goals and objectives. SMEs, working as online mentors, describe to students the typical working conditions advantages, drawbacks, academic prerequisites, etc., associated with their work. The mentors also make recommendations to help students pursue career goals. A once weekly exchange of eemail is the typical scenario.