Managing Other Online Volunteers

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Online Volunteers are often asked to manage other online volunteers. A management volunteer can:Resources for Moderators and Facilitators of Online Discussion

• Answer all emails and applications sent to an agency through NetAid regarding signing up for an assignment
• Reviewing applications and choosing the best two or three for the agency to review
• Reviewing all progress reports from Online Volunteers currently working on assignments with an agency, to look for problems or progress that the agency should take particular notice of
• Answering questions from Online Volunteers currently engaged in assignments
• Developing new assignments for Online Volunteers
• Posting assignments for an organization to NetAid.
• Keeping a record of all current Online Volunteers, their contact information, and their accomplishments to date

Not only is Online Volunteering relatively new -- managing people online, in any situation, is very new to most people. Most volunteers will be completely new to the activity, and need assistance in managing volunteers effectively online.

Here are resources on other web sites that can help you in your management of Online Volunteers:

The Virtual Volunteering Project provides comprehensive, detailed information to encourage and assist in the development and success of volunteer activities that can be completed, in whole or in part, via the Internet. The Project is not a matching service; instead, it provides the critical information and background to help both organizations and volunteers engage in effective, meaningful, mission-based online service.

ServiceLeader.Org provides information and links to resources on volunteer screening, matching, record-keeping and evaluation, legal issues/risk management, volunteer/staff relations, policy development, online activism by volunteers, volunteer management software, using the Internet to recruit volunteers, university and college level courses in volunteer management (including distance

Energize, Inc. includes numerous excerpts from books and articles by Susan J. Ellis, an internationally-recognized expert in volunteerism. Topics include employee/volunteer relations, all-volunteer group leadership, policy development, program assessment, record-keeping, recruitment, risk and liability, service learning, training tools, trends, volunteer centers and international policy development, and much more!

Merrill Associates features a "Topic of the Month" focusing on a helpful tip relating to volunteer management, strategic planning, board development, leadership/change management, communication, collaborations or corporate volunteerism. Mary Merrill also now features information on her site about her work with volunteer managers in Eastern European countries.

National Service Resource Center is part of a network of over 20 organizations providing training and technical assistance to AmeriCorps, a "domestic Peace Corps" in the U.S.A. It provides a vast number of resources that can be helpful to volunteer managers working with developing communities.

NetAction, a project of The Tides Center, has information on a variety of resources for "Virtual Activists," and organizations who want to use such activists-via-the-Internet in grassroots campaigns.

ServiceLeader.Org offers a comprehensive index of online volunteer management resources, such as information on volunteer screening, matching, record-keeping and evaluation, legal issues/risk management, volunteer/staff relations, policy development online activism by volunteers, and volunteer management software.

Have more advice? Let us know!

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