4 Things I Learned from Being an Online Volunteer

Virtual Volunteering is a tool that helps the hand you extend to reach further into some of the most challenged areas of the world.

When that sudden, intense urge to be productive hits after a day at the office, there is only so much you can do with the time and energy you have left. In efforts to gain a closer insight into what is going on in the world while ensuring a contribution of my own, I sought online volunteering opportunities.

Online volunteering is exactly what it sounds like: committing your time, skills, and efforts to carry out a project virtually. While you probably will not be cleaning beaches (not practically, anyway,) you could get a chance to write up proposals and reports, design infographics, translate documents, and even conduct online classes for children in developing countries.

There are many benefits to this form of volunteering. The flexible schedules, the diverse opportunities that could accommodate the skills of people with determination, and the experience gained through professional communication and outreach are a few notable examples. And while volunteering has always been a rewarding, fulfilling experience, adjusting to its responsibility by beginning online may ease the process for those who have difficulties working in larger groups, or those who struggle with adapting to the often busy and quick-paced ambiance of volunteering events.

While my experience in the field is limited, I still found myself learning from and contributing to a greater good. Following are a few key things I’ve learned so far:

1. There is more time in a day than you might think

Many volunteering opportunities provide the availability requirements in, for example, hours per week to help you decide whether you can be devoted to this particular project. The durations, ranging from an average of less than one hour a day to over 20 hours a week, can easily accommodate tighter schedules. Once your tasks begin, you will notice how much time is saved by not having to commute, and how productive you can be during it. The gradual achievement of small objectives in coordination with teams will also emphasize the amount of work you’ll be contributing throughout the project period.

2. Your skills are needed, but you might consider developing some more

Online volunteering is an opportunity that would help you develop and put to use numerous skills. While the requirements could be intimidating at times, when some require extensive experience or even a postgrad degree in a particular field, there will always be something to offer. Whether it is bilingualism or a background in graphic design, a bachelor’s degree in management or experience in strategy and administration, or even the passion for writing stories, you will find an outlet for your skills and creativity. That being said, the intimidating requirements can easily serve as motivation to pick up another language, take that management course you’ve been meaning to, or try to learn programming.

3. Even when you can’t see them, working with people who are driven to achieve is great

When it comes to it, you may play a role in the project and never even “see” your team. Videoconferences and Skype calls are common, but some projects can be conducted exclusively via emails (you can facilitate the process using text messages). Whether or not you get to meet the people you’re working with, it is important to keep in mind that these people have chosen to undertake this, and their drive to achieve could inspire you, like yours could do theirs. There’s a benefit that lies in being almost completely unrestricted by geographic location, wherein you find yourself conversing with people from all of the world’s corners to achieve one specific goal. It may be the difference of setting, but as exposed as we are to the world through internet and social media, the first-hand contact with people that you form a friendship or a professional bond will open your eyes to resources and knowledge that you otherwise might not have been aware of.

(Just take a moment to consider the variety of names that sign the work correspondence.)

4. There is so much room to help

We have grown accustomed to blessings that we need to be reminded to be grateful for. Safety, resources, and education are only a few, but extending a hand, especially when you’re not sure how far you’d reach, is a truly humbling thing. It’s easy to get discouraged trying to gauge the significance of your contributions when you consider how troubled some areas in the world could be, but diligence and efficiency are essential regardless, and so is the constant belief that volunteering is a team effort.

Online volunteering opportunities are only a Google search away. Prominent organizations such as the United Nations offer numerous chances of different natures. TED, on the other hand, focuses on spreading its content to a wider audience through enabling users to translate talks and transcripts. Other non-profit organizations offer temporary programs or different projects. The volunteering process may differ across platforms, but it follows the same outline: registration, tasks and correspondence, feedback, then granting a certificate of appreciation to the volunteers.

Whether it’s a proposal to dig a water well in a remote area of a developing country, or the development and execution of a strategy to employ people with determination, or managing a funding campaign for the ill in another corner of the world, a helping hand will always be appreciated and empowering.