5 Virtual Volunteering Ideas That Will Make a Difference
There's only so much you can do when you and the family are trapped indoors together. Once you've worked on your kitchen pantry organization, streamed every funny family movie (twice), and dramatically expanded your meal repertoire with new dinner ideas, hosted virtual happy hour and virtual book club, you may be looking to add a few more meaningful things to your to-do list. Enter: virtual volunteering.
If you have access to a computer or a smartphone, you can lend a helping hand without leaving your home. Whether you're interested in virtual volunteering ideas related to the COVID-19 crisis, want to work with organizations aligned with your interests, or are looking to develop new skills as you help others, there's an opportunity for you. You can start by searching for volunteer positions at Volunteer Match or Points of Light, or take a look through the following list of organizations in need of virtual volunteers.
Crisis Text Line
Become a source of support by answering texts from people experiencing a crisis. The Crisis Text Line is available 24/7, so there are opportunities to help no matter your schedule now—and in the future. After applying as a volunteer, you'll get 30 hours of training in active listening, problem solving, and crisis management. Once trained, you'll have to be able to commit to at least four hours of volunteering a week until you reach 200 hours.
Letters Against Isolation
Sign up to write letters, create cards or send postcards to senior citizens living in elder care facilities who have had to self-isolate during the crisis. You can send as many letters as you'd like, making this an especially great opportunity for families.
MicroMentor
Share your business-related skills by signing up to be a mentor for a small business owner near or far. While you can volunteer at any time, COVID-19 mandatory closures have impacted the many small businesses that make up the economy and created a critical need for volunteers who have skill sets that can help guide owners during this challenging time. If you have a background in finance, insurance, human resources, law, crisis communications, marketing, or other topics that could be useful to business owners right now, your advice could go a very long way.
By The People (Library of Congress)
If you have a passion for history and an eye for detail, you can help The Library of Congress expand and organize its digital archives. Volunteer opportunities are available to transcribe digitized documents, add keyword tags to assist in future searches, and to review transcriptions by other volunteers for accuracy.
The Smithsonian Transcription Center
Like By The People, the Smithsonian has an ongoing project for virtual volunteers interested in transcribing historical documents. Recent transcription opportunities in April have included the Letters from Paris project (letters of American artists living in Paris between 1860-1930), The Freedman Bureau's papers (records relating to formerly enslaved men and women during the Reconstruction Era), audio recordings from 1980 Smithsonian Folk Festival, and the research notebooks of female astronomers from the 19th and 20th century.
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