Since 2007 the District Volunteer Centre has been supporting, promoting and developing volunteering opportunities within the Canterbury District. As technology continues to evolve, and, as a result of the pandemic, more and more people are looking for new ways to volunteer in a non-traditional way keeping up with the new technologies and trying to better time-manage their lives in this busy world. This is why we feel that virtual and micro volunteering is an increasingly important aspect of volunteering.

Over the last few years, we have worked with a number of organizations to explore and co-produce resources to support and increase the development of virtual volunteering opportunities.

In terms of volunteers, we have supported volunteers (of all ages and backgrounds) to enable them to inform and be actively engaged (both online and face to face) with volunteer-involving organizations regarding the development of suitable and pertinent virtual opportunities.

This has enabled us to both to match up the volunteer expectations with organizational expectations to enable the co-design of virtual volunteering opportunities and resources, to meet all needs.

Inspiration for Organizations

Ideas for Volunteers

Skill based volunteering

Micro-volunteering

Volunteering

Giving Back for Busy People

Benefits for Organizations:

Increase knowledge of how virtual volunteering can benefit organizations:

• 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 organization/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 organizations
• 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 organizations
• 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 organizations