by Jayne Cravens from the Virtual Volunteering Project

No matter where volunteers perform online service for your organization onsite at your facility, in another facility offsite, or via the Internet from a home or work computer the Internet can play an important role in communicating with your volunteers regularly and helping you manage volunteers effectively.

In addition to increased efficiency, using the Internet to manage volunteers affords managers several benefits, such as having an automatic, extensive written record of volunteer activities through email and chat archives.

Volunteer managers, meaning anyone who works with volunteers, regardless of his or her job title, can use the Internet to handle the following tasks:

• Regularly sending emails to current, past and potential volunteers, covering

  • new volunteer opportunities,
  • recent volunteer accomplishments,
  • event announcements,
  • organization and program updates,
  • reminders about policies and procedures, and
  • resources that can help volunteers perform service more effectively.

• Soliciting feedback from volunteers, who may be more likely to fill out a brief email survey than to complete something sent through postal mail. Also, volunteers will often share information through email more freely than they would face-to-face.

• Setting up a private online discussion group for volunteers. In this way, volunteers can share success stories, explore ways to overcome problems, and develop a sense of community. Here's more information on how to set up an electronic mailing list.

• Allowing volunteers to report their hours and progress, either through email or through a special Web page to record this information. Many online systems can be configured to input the information into the database system you already use to track this information.

• Creating a Web page specifically for current, past and potential volunteers, which can include

  • notices of volunteer opportunities,
  • recent volunteer accomplishments and events (include pictures, if possible),
  • essays by volunteers or by those whom your agency's volunteers have served,
  • volunteer policies and procedures, resource handbooks, and other materials outlining your volunteer program
  • an online application for potential volunteers, which could be filled out prior to the volunteers' first onsite orientation and training sessions.

• Involving online volunteers who perform services for your organization using their home or work computer. Volunteers can perform many activities for your organization over the Internet, from helping with your organization's Web site to mentoring a young person in one of your programs. Such volunteers could be someone across the country you never see in person or someone down the street who also performs onsite service. The Virtual Volunteering Project offers many more ideas as well as ways to develop such a program at your organization.

• Connecting with volunteer management resources. You can find online information about and examples of volunteer applications, handbooks, policies, surveys, reporting systems and forms, volunteer task descriptions, delegation suggestions, recruitment and retention tools and tips, management resources, record keeping for volunteer programs, systems for screening and evaluating volunteers, volunteer recognition, risk management and legislative issues—and much more! ServiceLeader.org offers an index of volunteer management resources.

• Discussing issues with other volunteer managers. You can find a list of Internet discussion groups for volunteer managers at the Virtual Volunteering Project.

Don't look to the Internet to replace your traditional methods for staying in touch with volunteers or for involving volunteers in your organization; instead, the Internet should enhance your organization's offline, face-to-face efforts. The Internet may also shine a light on your organization's shortcomings—for instance, if your agency already has a hard time providing up-to-date information, having a Web site is going to highlight that shortcoming. Use it with caution!