E-volunteers: we have the technology

 

September 19, 2008

 

CHRISTIE ZIMMER

 

They have the letters N E S T over the couch in their living room, this young couple from Guelph. They're artists with demanding careers, his in advertising and hers at the University of Guelph. And they're virtual volunteers.

 

For the past five years Natalie and Peter Giesbrecht have designed the quarterly newsletter for the Volunteer Centre of Guelph/Wellington. They work under the direction of Cathy Taylor, the centre's executive director, yet they've only met her in person three, maybe four, times. Almost all of their conversations take place via e-mail.

 

As TV's six-million dollar man, Steve Austin, might have said -- before being cancelled in 1978 -- "They have the technology."

 

Virtual volunteerism, the catchy name for volunteering done online, is all about technology. It is not new, but it is evolving, right along with increasingly sophisticated web and teleconferencing tools.

 

Thanks to the Internet, virtual volunteers can design, consult, teach, mentor, keep the books and provide one-on-one support from just about any computer terminal in any location and they can do so at times that accommodate their individual schedules.

 

Volunteering online allows people like the Giesbrechts, who cannot offer their considerable skills during traditional work hours, to give of their time and talents.

 

It also provides large organizations and those in remote locations with access to an extensive pool of volunteers.

 

Volunteer Canada, the national organization devoted to volunteerism in Canada, benefits considerably from the work of virtual volunteers.

 

"It's a pretty big part of what we do at the national level," says Ruth MacKenzie, the executive director of Volunteer Canada. "Our steering committees, for example, connect by teleconference."

 

For MacKenzie, who is witnessing firsthand the increasing utilization of technology by voluntary organizations and their members, virtual volunteerism is a unique way to promote and foster volunteerism as a whole.

 

There is just one thing to keep in mind, if you find yourself swayed by the futuristic allure of virtual volunteerism: the work is real.

 

"It takes commitment and self-discipline," Peter Giesbrecht says. "It's completely independent. You have to want to do it."

 

He and Natalie agree, however, that they enjoy the work immensely.

 

"It's a pleasure to do it," Peter says "We've integrated it into our lives."

 

If you'd like to offer your time and skills on a virtual basis, let your fingers do the walking. Search the Volunteer Centre of Guelph/Wellington's community database at volunteerguelphwellington.on.ca.

 

Christie Zimmer lives and writes in Guelph. She can be reached at christiezimmer@rogers.com