Advice for researchers re: volunteers & the Internet
10:17, 6 January 2010
.. Posted in Volunteerism and Volunteer Management.. Link
There are lots of studies regarding volunteerism, but rarely within these studies are any questions asked about the Internet, to determine how volunteers are using the Internet to provide some or all of their service, or how organizations are using the Internet to support and train volunteers.
You would think that with a practice as old as online volunteering (virtual volunteering) -- a practice that's more than 30 years old and has been a topic at volunteer-related conferences and in volunteerism-related publications since at least 1995 -- would have much more research behind it.
This is a list of all of the research relating to volunteers and the Internet that I know about. As you can see, so much more research is needed! What's not needed or things like "Why do people volunteer online" -- studying that answer isn't going to change anythingfor organizations expected or wanting to use the Internet to support and involve volunteers, IMO. What's needed, at least among organizations expected to involve online volunteers, is academic research exploring:
- if there are differences in motivation to engage as a volunteer online among people of different ages, ethnicities, education levels, regions or genders
- how to recruit online volunteers successfully from specific demographics that may be under-represented at an organization among its current volunteers and paid staff
- what makes an online volunteering experience successful for both the organization and the volunteer
- how an organization's cultural or administrative practices may or may not change when it involves, trains and/or supports volunteers via the Internet
- what has to happen to change an organization's staff mindset regarding involving, training and/or supporting volunteers via the Internet from a negative ("We are not going to do this") to a positive ("We are totally going to do this!")?
- successes by NGOs and other organizations in developing countries in involving online volunteers
- successes by NGOs in one particular country, other than the USA, in using the Internet to support and interact with volunteers
- online volunteering and female empowerment in Africa/ Asia/Arab states/CIS states/Latin America
- online volunteering and youth involvement in Africa/ Asia/Arab states/CIS states/Latin America
- long-term online mentoring relationships, and how the qualities of organizations managing such differ from those organizations unable to cultivate long-term online mentoring relationships
If you are a university-based researcher and are in need of information regarding online volunteering, online activists, online civic engagement or online mentoring, please contact me, and I will do all that I can to help you, free of charge. Please include complete details about your research project, and be prepared to provide confirmation from the university of your studies.
