We are piloting this project in the Canterbury district as this district has a mix of both urban and rural areas.
- We aim to work with a number of organisations to explore and co-produce resources to support and increase the development of virtual volunteering opportunities across the District.
- In terms of volunteers, we will be supporting volunteers (of all ages and backgrounds) to enable them to inform and be actively engaged (both online and face to face) with volunteer-involving organisations regarding the development of suitable and pertinent virtual opportunities.
This will enable us to both to match up the volunteer expectations with organisational expectations to enable the co-design of virtual volunteering opportunities and resources, to meet all needs.
Benefits for Organisations:
Increase knowledge of how virtual volunteering can benefit organisations:
- Increase diversity of volunteers: this can include younger people who are well versed in internet use; people who are housebound or have some other disability; people living in rural or remote locations; people on a low income.
- Increase ability to cater for beneficiaries in different ways
- Increase ability to fund raise or promote service provision as a result of adopting virtual volunteering opportunities (social media in particular)
- Increase skills of organisation/employees/volunteers/beneficiaries
- Expand their volunteering offer
- Increase diversity
- Better respond creatively to volunteers’ abilities and desires in terms of how they volunteer
- Increase volunteers’ positive engagement with organisations
- Increase their ability to cater for their beneficiaries
- Attracting pro-bono volunteers
Benefits for Volunteers:
Increase knowledge of how virtual volunteering can benefit volunteers:
- Increase potential access to a wider and more diverse range of volunteering opportunities.
- Enabling people with disabilities, in remote/rural areas or on a low income to volunteer
- Increase engagement with the community and community organisations
- Encouraging employees to volunteer and share skills due to accessibility of time limited or micro volunteering
- Increase social engagement of volunteers via virtual networks.
- Decrease social isolation and loneliness
- Increase volunteers’ positive engagement in the community
- Actively contribute to their community
- Increase their social networks
- Learn new skills and increase their self-esteem and confidence
- Increase choice in volunteering roles
- Increase volunteers’ positive engagement with organisations
