Nonprofits: Pay It Forward with Remote Volunteers

A vital part of any nonprofit organization is the workers it employs. But beyond paid employees, volunteers are a strong second in terms of creating a successful organization. While you might think that only traditional brick-and-mortar nonprofits utilize volunteers, the truth is that nonprofits can easily incorporate remote volunteers into their workflow, too.

What Virtual Volunteers Do

Virtual volunteers are not much different than your typical in-house volunteers. Performing many of the same jobs that a regular volunteer would do, these remote workers will complete tasks assigned to them based on the nonprofit’s needs. In fact, many our neighbors down under in Australia (one-third, to be exact) volunteer in one way or another, according to the article “Virtual Volunteering: A Real Possibility.” That’s a good thing, since research from Deloitte discovered that a whopping 81 percent of hiring managers will consider a person’s volunteer work in determining whether to hire them or not.

Motivations of Virtual Volunteers

People volunteer for a variety of reasons, ranging from the altruistic (i.e., wanting to help a cause they believe in), to the more career-oriented. For those who volunteer for professional reasons, they might want to spruce up their skills (or learn new ones), fill in some resume gaps in their work history, try working in a new industry as they consider a career change, or even use their volunteer position as a stepping stone to other work—or simply get hired by the nonprofit they’re currently volunteering for.

Utilizing Virtual Volunteers in Your Organization

Now that you understand why people would want to be remote volunteers, it’s time to take the next step to figure out how to work with them within your organization. These individuals can do fundraising, admin work, research, customer service, event planning, writing, social media, the list goes on and on. Virtually any of the remote jobs within your organization can be a perfect fit for remote volunteers!

Savvy organizations are bringing on virtual volunteers to help them with their day-to-day operations and special events. To get some ideas, check out over 5,000 virtual volunteer listings on Volunteermatch.org. Virtual volunteers can truly be an amazing resource for your organization. This group has an added level of enthusiasm for learning and bring an overall passion to their positions. With so many benefits, what nonprofit wouldn’t want to have remote volunteers?