FAQs
About the Virtual Volunteering Project
http://bcn.boulder.co.us/volunteer/
The mission of Boulder Community Network is to facilitate the broad use of information technology to benefit the community. With an emphasis on Internet technologies, BCN also is concerned with innovation for public sector applications. BCN prides itself in bringing the "people" into information technology and the Internet.
Brenda Ruth, the Volunteer Coordinator at the time, said, "BCN would not exist without volunteers. They are involved in day-to-day maintenance of the BCN site, working with non-profits, overseeing public access sites, teaching classes and innovating new services for BCN." Volunteers at BCN are involved both on and offline and represent a variety of demographics. "BCN's more than 75 volunteers include three high school students and about 12 seniors and lots in between. Most are well-educated and many work for themselves or work for a 'hi tech' company. However, there are quite a few designers who have learned Internet skills in community college and just want to do projects for the joy of it. We also have volunteers who are limited in activities by their health and find working from home gives them a sense of being needed and belonging. We also get unemployed techies wanting to improve skills or learn more and make connections."
Recruitment varies from word-of-mouth to people finding BCN on the Internet while searching for opportunities. If BCN cannot find skills within the pool to meet a current volunteer assignment, the volunteer coordinator sends out a request to the Internet and PC user groups for a "one-time" service, and "many volunteers get hooked from there."
The BCN volunteer process starts with every potential volunteer filling out an application (the Virtual Volunteering Project has links to many different organizations' volunteer applications). "Even if people call in, we ask them to fill out the (online) form." The information is then transferred onto a database. With each new form, the volunteer coordinator makes personal contact by phone or e-mail. "It is basically a review of the questions, but key for me to assess the level of 'people' skills. Since some of the volunteering requires face-to-face training, I target volunteers who seem most comfortable with that. I want to reserve virtual projects for many 'techies' who prefer independent projects innovating or creating and don't want to work with the non-profits directly. Personal contact ensures BCN finding places for both types of volunteers and best serving clients' needs. Once I assess the volunteer, we match them to a project that fits based on 1. skill 2. interest 3. 'people' involvement vs. virtual work."
Most BCN volunteer opportunities center around web design. The BCN volunteer coordinator sends announcements about current opportunities for various organizations to a special e-mail list for online volunteers (the Virtual Volunteering Project uses a similar communications system with its volunteers, based on the success of BCN's practice). The coordinator then matches interested volunteers who respond to appropriate opportunities based on the aforementioned criteria. The volunteer and organization work together directly by e-mail, fax, or in person. The volunteer works with the page on the BCN server so the organization can participate in the page development.
BCN also relies upon volunteers to maintain the BCN website. "The basis of our homepage is to bring information to the community. Volunteers check the links and seek out new information. "
Other volunteers choose onsite projects such as teaching or assisting in classes to introduce people to the Web and HTML. They also do basic tech support for nonprofits, such as fixing e-mail or training staff on software applications. Volunteers also oversee public access sites in the library, senior centers, and municipal buildings.
BCN volunteers also come up with ideas of how technology can be used by nonprofit organizations to function more effectively, and often discover a need in the community that BCN can meet. One example of this is LINC, a listing of all the human services in the county and who they target.
Whether service is performed virtually or onsite, volunteers and staff communicate primarily by e-mail.
Brenda's personal experience volunteering offline has been a big asset to her management of online volunteers. "I have volunteered since I was 10 for various organizations in capacities as coordinator to clean up crew. I am experienced and confident in the face-face world of volunteering. After volunteering in Africa for 2 years, I returned to discover an amazing world of communication and opportunity on the Internet. There are challenges online volunteers face that traditional 'touching' volunteers don't. I could talk for hours about the ramifications of an international division based on technology, a very negative side. But, what I experienced in my first week at BCN was very positive and not about organizations and people being left behind, but about using a tool to integrate people and technology. We constantly seek new opportunities to bring people together to serve their communities in a way that has expanded and enhanced what I had known as 'real' volunteering."
BCN chose to become a part of the affiliates program so they could be exposed to other opportunities and an open discussion about what works and doesn't work, and to offer its own expertise in the area of online volunteering. "BCN wanted to be a part of the affiliate program because it represents a future that we can barely imagine. BCN wants to build in numbers of volunteers and non-profits served, but also in increase the community beyond physical county borders.
"(The Virtual Volunteering Project) is a means for people making a difference to connect and share ideas and have easy access to information. Each of the affiliates has a specific role and services they give. Each is unique, but part of a whole movement in bringing people together and making a difference in their communities, BCN's participation is truly in pursuit of a network. The present affiliates (and the Virtual Volunteering Project) are bringing people together with shared interests and the social outcomes that are yet unseen, and that is exhilarating. Any type of volunteering impacts people's lives and virtual volunteering opens avenues for people who are shy to do 'soup kitchen lines' or have some disability that prevents them. Virtual volunteering is a way to get these people involved in the greater community and BCN want to be a part of that."
A section of BCN's Web site is devoted entirely to potential and current volunteers. It's a model for other organizations who want to communicate with all volunteers (the VV Project used it as a guide for its own handbook for online volunteers. This section includes:
- Volunteer Registration/Questionnaire Form (good example on how to get details about a potential volunteer's technical expertise)
- A list of types of volunteer opportunities at BCN
- A list of online and offline volunteers, with details how each person's contributions have helped the organization
- A project update form for volunteers to use to report progress
- BCN Volunteer Guide, that includes:
- What is BCN?/What Does BCN Do?/How is BCN Funded?
- Steps for Volunteers
- Developing an action plan
- Tips for Successful Technical Assistance
- Steps for Teachers & Assistants
- What is BCN?/What Does BCN Do?/How is BCN Funded?
- Volunteer Schedules and Resources, that includes
- public orientation registration information, schedules
- Training Materials for Public Orientation Instructors
- Steps for Page Development Volunteer Activity
- Page and Center Developer Resources
- Web FTP and Fetch Instructions
- Orientation Evaluation Form
- Volunteer Spotlight
Brenda is quoted directly on several VV Project pages, including:
