Even when they can’t be physically present, there are people who would love to lend a hand in cyber service. Make a plan and start recruiting virtual volunteers today.

TRICIA BROWN
United Methodist Communications

Recruiting volunteers is hard. Keeping them is even harder. There always seems to be a shortage of people who want to help out. However, that’s changing with the rise in popularity of virtual volunteerism, also known as online volunteering or cyber service.

Virtual volunteerism allows people to complete volunteer tasks at home using their own computer. It provides even more people with an avenue to use their talents and abilities to help out, and that’s a great reason for your church to work toward making these kinds of opportunities available.

Why virtual volunteerism?
Let’s face it. Not everyone can or will volunteer on-site. Some people aren’t comfortable in large groups and may find face-to-face volunteering outside of their comfort zone. Due to job restraints, some may struggle to find time within a traditional volunteer schedule, and others may have family responsibilities (such as the care of small children or elderly parents) that prevent them from leaving home to volunteer.

Virtual volunteerism also is a great option for people who are homebound due to medical or age-related issues, and, of course, for those who simply enjoy or are more adept at computer-related work.

What tasks can be completed from home?
The first step in recruiting virtual volunteers is to determine what types of volunteer positions your church has that can be filled by people working from their own home or computer.

READ IDEAS to get you started …

Last Updated on October 31, 2023