FAQs
About the Virtual Volunteering Project
ideas for using the internet for
international volunteer day
International Volunteer Day is sponsored by the United Nations Volunteer programme. This year's international event is Tuesday, December 5. This year's event is particularly noteworthy, as it also serves as the official launch of the International Year of Volunteers.
There are a number of ways volunteers can use the Internet on International Volunteer Day (or ANY one-day event of the year, for that matter):
- Identify causes you could
support on or beyond December 5.
- Evaluate
your
readiness and motivations to volunteer, and connect
with tools that can help you in a variety of volunteer tasks, on
or offline, on International Volunteer Day, or any day!
- Introduce an agency you already support to virtual
volunteering. Visit the Virtual
Volunteering Project Web site, and learn how you can help
an agency in your area involve online volunteers.
- Start Your Own Campaign to Support the International Year
of Volunteers. The campaign officially launches on
December 5. Add a link to your web site or within your e-mail
signature for IYV 2001,
contact your local volunteer center and find out how they will
be supporting or celebrating the International Year of
Volunteers, or write a letter to your local newspaper in support
of volunteerism and IYV.
- Hold your own online Web design contest for a nonprofit
organization that needs a Web site. AIR-Austin
in Texas organizes volunteers on teams and build web sites
for nonprofit organizations in ONE day; part of the
contest is to make sure the sites are accessible for people with
disabilities. The AIR-Austin event takes place in a computer
training facility, but you could organize an online version with
other online volunteers.
- Visit online databases of volunteering opportunities
and sign up to help an organization or cause you believe in. You
can look for face-to-face or online opportunities for December
5, a different day, or ongoing opportunities. Three of the most
popular databases are:
There is also an index of all Web
sites listing volunteer opportunities.
For information related to last year's International Volunteer
Day, visit: