As the nonprofit and corporate world have had to change and adapt to the global pandemic, volunteering and employee engagement have not gone unscathed. Many traditional opportunities to take part in group and individual volunteer events have had to either cancel, reschedule, or move to a virtual platform. While this initially may not seem ideal, there is opportunity to engage more often and have just as big of an impact while participating in virtual volunteer opportunities as one would have being in person. Seeking a connection and wanting to feel that the work one does is a critical part of satisfaction and engagement. Providing virtual volunteer opportunities could be a solution to maintain morale during an uncertain time. Another benefit is that there is a need for volunteers with expertise and a specific skill set, the virtual volunteer platform provides the flexibility for those to provide services to many nonprofit organizations that may not otherwise be possible. Both the organization and individual can feel the benefits of volunteers, making an exceptional case to encourage everyone to consider virtual volunteering. There are resources available to search virtual opportunities below.
https://www.volunteermatch.org/
https://americorps.gov/join/find-volunteer-opportunity#/
For some more specification organizations that have virtual volunteer options available try the Smithsonian Museum: Become a Smithsonian Digital Volunteer and help them make historical documents and biodiversity data more accessible.
https://transcription.si.edu/
or
St. Jude: Send free cards to patients of St. Jude's through
https://www.stjude.org/get-involved/other-ways/online-card-message-patients.html?sc_icid=impactgiving-sendcard-bttn