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As the COVID-19 pandemic persists and many countries either remain or are going back into lockdown, the effects on employment are already being felt. A particularly stressful time for those who have been laid off, have recently graduated or anyone generally looking to enter/re-enter the work force. As a young professional, one is conditioned to keep a seamless resume. The thought of being idle and having a gap on the resume can be daunting and a source of anxiety. What will future employers think? Moreover, in an ever-increasing competitive job market, there will always be someone else with more experience and better qualifications. In the Fall of 2020, I found myself increasingly looking into volunteering opportunities, in order to keep my mind engaged as well as gain meaningful experience. These are my reflections.

In my previous post I broached the topic of virtual volunteering, outlining the possibilities for both volunteers and organisations. This piece picks up on previous thoughts, adding to it my personal experience, as I embarked on the journey of volunteering online. It concludes with key thoughts and takeaways for prospective virtual volunteers, based on my experience of the recruiting and onboarding process.

What do virtual volunteers do?

The key and most obvious difference between virtual and onsite volunteers, is that the former carry out their tasks remotely, through online platforms and tools. In doing so they are often geographically removed from the organisations for which they volunteer. However, this is not to say that a strict dichotomy exists, as onsite volunteers’ tasks may include virtual elements, as well [1].

Overall, the ubiquitous nature of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) has allowed for volunteer work to be carried out online, across geographically dispersed locations. Virtual volunteers carry out a wide array of tasks. Some are rather specific and focus on service delivery, by facilitating the operations of non-profit organisations. This may entail as translating documents, transcribing audio/video files, building websites or managing an organisation’s social media presence.

Others may be broader, aimed at general brainstorming about societal issues and coming up with a range of ideas on how to solve these. Such brainstorming sessions may take the form of virtual hackathons; organised by non-profit organisations specifically to tinker with technology and prototype solutions that may lead to problem-solving ventures [2]. Other times, volunteers may mobilise in masses, in response to humanitarian disasters. Particularly citizen-led open-data projects rely on volunteer labour to create and maintain software [3]. Such communities of virtual volunteers allow for the “peer production and maintenance of open source data [4]. The humanitarian response to the 2010 earthquake in Haiti saw a mass mobilisation of online volunteers, mapping the damaged areas using Ushahidi.com – a digital crisis mapping platform developed in Kenya.

Also referred to as digital humanitarianism, the promise of virtual volunteering is that all that is needed to make a difference is the willingness to do so, and an internet connection [5]. Virtual volunteers may also become involved in citizen journalism, gathering and reporting on news outside of established media structures. Furthermore, virtual volunteering may also take the form of online advocacy, whereby volunteers organise and campaign for social justice and political change [6].

Why is virtual volunteering worthwhile?

For organisations, it is believed that the use of ICTs will render volunteer tasks more efficient – particularly in contexts of resource scarcity and increasing competition. The competition for media coverage and funding, makes it crucial for non-profits to continuously innovate work processes and structures [1].  Furthermore, organisations that offer virtual positions prove that they are keeping up with the 21^st century workspace, thus heeding to calls for digital transformation. Moreover, with reference to my previous post on Knowledge Management – managing volunteers online can simultaneously create records of volunteer activities. If managed systematically, this may contribute to an organisation’s institutional knowledge.

Ideally, virtual volunteering can also be more inclusive, as it allows for those with limited mobility – financially, physically or otherwise – to participate in volunteer activities. Increased access, in turn provides organisation with a wider pool of talent. However, barriers to still exists – lack of tech literacy being one. Ackermann (2018) finds dual forces at play, whereby virtual volunteering can both reinforce existing inequalities, as well as counteract patterns of inequality by mobilising diverse volunteers online than onsite [7].

Despite barriers to access, the internet does make it more likely for organisations to attract volunteers with specific contextual knowledge and experience. If done purposefully, organisations should prioritise attracting volunteers with lived experience in the respective field of work. Needless to say that the events of 2020 have triggered a seismic shift in the way work is carried out. Being able to seamlessly transition to remote work – paid and non-paid – has proven imperative to ensure that organisations are able to proceed with their operations. 

What I learnt as a prospective virtual volunteer

In this new world of virtual volunteering, lending a skill takes the place of lending a set of hands –  Laura Shear

 A commonly stated problem – particularly with voluntourism – is the lack of qualification and experience of many young volunteers. They often have little experience in the fields they render their services in. A paying volunteer is often welcomed due to their financial contribution, yet little care is taken to ensure that volunteer duties match their skillset. With virtual volunteering, the financial contribution does not apply, and all a volunteer has to offer is their time and skill. One may assume then, that greater attention will thus be paid to how virtual volunteers can contribute in a more valuable manner.  This calls for a closer match between the skills of the volunteer on the one hand, and organisational needs on the other.  I was wrong in my assumption that I was less likely to be rejected from a volunteer position. Turns out I was not a fit for several of the volunteer roles I applied to. This indicates that organisations – at least the ones I applied to – will not merely take anyone offering free labour but have put more careful thought into the talent they would like to attract for non-paid positions.

Online volunteering offers a higher degree of flexibility as one is free to work from the comfort of ones own home. On the other hand, virtual volunteering implies a higher degree of anonymity [7]. While this can certainly be alleviated with weekly video conferences, one remains limited in the degree to which one can really get to know one’s colleague and teammates. The nature of intangible interactions makes it difficult to build a shared sense on organisational belonging. For organisations, it is easy to lose sight of virtual volunteers, besides the weekly meetings, there is otherwise little “face to face” interaction, and one tends to feel isolated from the buzz of the daily ongoings. Organisations therefore need to reconsider existing communication channels and practices, and find ways to keep in continuous dialogue. Lack of connection may lead to a loss in motivation of the part of the volunteers as well as a reduced sense of responsibility for assigned tasks.

My four key takeaways on the volunteer recruitment and onboarding process

1. Be clear about your ambitions: You might be presented with various projects within an organisation and asked to pick your preference. In this case consider the following: Are you volunteering to deepen your existing experience, or to gain initial experience in a domain relatively new to you? You might see volunteering as instrumental to building your resume and increase your prospects of paid employment. Stating your preferences therefore requires careful consideration. If you’re looking to purposefully curate your career prospects you might want to consider projects that build upon your current expertise. If you’re looking to shift careers, then taking a more experimental approach might help you gain first experience in a relatively new field. Having said this – from a more critical perspective – it should be pointed out that these considerations go beyond the altruistic motivation of lending a helping hand, merely for the sake of doing good and giving back. Rather they are more inward focused, looking at what serves the individual virtual volunteer best. Indeed, concerns can be raised about the moral implications and real-life consequences of virtual volunteering driven by self-interest and the pursuit of career building. What then were to happen if a paid position were to be offered? The risk of abandoning one’s tasks as a volunteer is high. This might be made even more convenient due to the more arm’s length nature of the virtual sphere, as opposed to onsite volunteering [1].
   
   
2. Expect extensive screening: Many – myself included – may mistakenly assume that organisations are desperately in need of helping hands, so much so that they may not subject volunteers to an extensive application process. In reality however, quite the contrary is the case, I found that  especially those looking for volunteers with particular digital skills, overwhelmingly require applicants to complete a variety of case studies and pass through several application rounds. Good volunteer management dictates that organisations be purposeful of the talent that is recruited and take an intentional approach when creating virtual volunteer roles [1]. While I did expect to be screened and matched based on my previous experience, I was surprised by the rigorousness, similar to the processes of a paid position.
   
   
   
3. Be realistic with your work hours. I cannot stress this enough – Do not overcommit. The flexibility of virtual volunteering certainly allows you to create your own schedule, within reason. You might therefore be tempted to overestimate the hours you can dedicate to volunteer tasks. During the application rounds, organisations will often require you to estimate the number of weekly hours you will be able to dedicate. Aim lower rather than too high, as your workload will likely increase with time, and a 15-hour work week will quickly start looking like 20-25 hours.
   
   
   
4. Ask a lot of questions – (Cravens & Ellis 2014) points out that the near to instant nature of the virtual space creates a sense of immediacy [1]. Once recruitment has been finalised – the task assignment process is often a speedy one. In practice I indeed found that more time was spent on the various application rounds, than on the actual onboarding. Once hired, I was given a range of tasks and left to my own devices. Therefore, I recommend volunteers to insist on frequent communication, ask as many questions as possible as you may have to drive your own onboarding process.  It therefore happened, that I signed up to be a volunteer, without being made aware of what I would be working on and how. Adding to that was the fact the HR recruitment officer – a volunteer as well – had just joined a few days ago and was thus unable to provide detailed information.

These are trying times, for individuals and institutions alike. As the economic impact of the current pandemic takes its toll, organisational resources risk becoming scare. Throughout my application process of lending a virtual hand, I couldn’t help but feeling that many online volunteering positions were repackaged and trimmed down paid positions.

Nevertheless, the virtual volunteer experience can be a fulfilling one if carried out purposefully and within an organisation committed to fostering a digital workspace. 

 

References

[1] Cravens, J., & Ellis , S. J. (2014). The Last Virtual Volunteering Guidebook Cravens, Jayne; Ellis, Susan. The Last Virtual Volunteering Guidebook: Fully Integrating Online Service into Volunteer Involvement. Philadelphia: Energize.

[2] Irani, L. (2019). Hackathons and the Cultivation of Platform Dependence. In M. Graham, Digital Economies at Global Margins The MIT Press Cambridge, Massachusetts London, England International Development (pp. 223-248). Cambridge and London: The MIT Press.

[3] Kitchin, R. (2014). Open and Linked Data. In R. Kitchin, The Data Revolution: Big Data, Open Data, Data Infrastructures & Their Consequences (pp. 48-66). London: SAGE Publications Ltd.

[4] Carr, N. G. (2007). The Ignorance of Crowds. Strategy + Business Magazine, pp. 1-5.

[5] Meier, P. (2015). Digital Humanitarians- How big data is changing the face of humanitarian response. Boca Raton: Taylor & Francis Group.

[6] Liu, H. K., Harrison, Y. D., Lai, J. J., Chikoto, G. L., & Jones-Lungo, K. (2016). Online and Virtual Volunteering. In D. Horton Smith, R. A. Stebbins, & J. Grotz, The Palgrave Handbook of Volunteering, Civic Participation, and Nonprofit Associations (pp. 290-310). London: Palgrave Macmillan

[7] Ackermann, K. (2018). Online volunteering as a means to overcome unequal participation? The profiles of online and offline volunteers compared. new media & society, 1-20.