Civil Society 2.0 is a US State Department initiative to assist non-governmental (NGOs) and civil society organizations (CSOs) in other countries in using Internet and networking tools to increase the reach and impact of their work. “Through specific regional events, we gather an understanding of the challenges CSOs face and engage the technology community to help solve them appropriately.” In November 2010, a Tech@State: Civil Society event introduced this idea, and its first application, TechCamp, took place in Santiago, Chile.

This initiative is engaged with many other initiatives, including government 2.0 Netzwerk Deutschland, Digitales Chile, Random Hacks of Kindness (RHoK) and Geeks Without Bounds.

To stay up-to-date on this initiative, join the Tech@State LinkedIn Group as well as the Civil Society 2.0 subgroup. You can also follow this initiative via Twitter, @TechAtState.

Let’s hope someone from the Civil Society 2.0 initiative realizes they are engaged in virtual volunteering and can join all of the many conversations about such, online and onsite! Would love if they contacted me for more information.

Update: this program has been eliminated by the Trump administration