Online Volunteering Research Articles

The Role of Volunteer Experience on Performance on Online Volunteering Platforms

Online volunteering platforms allow humanitarian organizations (HOs) to recruit volunteers to work remotely on projects. While the removal of time and space constraints enables HOs to scale up their volunteer force, HOs must manage greater variation in volunteers’ experience. In this study, we investigate the relationship between volunteers’ experience levels and two performance metrics on these platforms: project completion and volunteer retention. Moreover, we study when experience becomes more relevant to project completion depending on a project’s urgency (i.e., disaster response vs. development). To test these relationships, we collected a novel panel dataset from the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team Tasking Manager, on which volunteers contribute to mapping projects. Our dataset includes 5,162 online volunteering projects with 2,169,683 contributions by 96,450 volunteers. Using panel regression models, we show that a project’s completion rate significantly depends on the number of volunteers at each experience level (i.e., beginner, intermediate, advanced). Interestingly, we find that the counts of intermediate and advanced volunteers are equally valuable to project completion. Our analysis further indicates that beginner volunteers should be channeled to development projects and intermediate volunteers to disaster response projects to enhance project completion. For volunteer retention, we use parametric hazard models and find that volunteers are incentivized to return to online volunteering platforms more quickly when they are closer to attaining the next experience-based status. However, this effect weakens as volunteers reach higher statuses. Overall, our study sheds light on online volunteer management and offers operational insights for HOs as well as for online volunteering platforms.

Organization of work of education volunteers online

This article explorers the concept of online volunteering, the historical background of its emergence and distribution, the current state of this phenomenon. The essence of the project “Online Education Volunteers”, which is being implemented on the basis of the IKBFU (Kaliningrad, Russia), is revealed. The project is based on the ideas of the cluster approach in education. The stages of project organization are described in detail. The results of a survey of volunteers regarding their attitude to online education are presented. As a result, risks were foreseen that hinder the introduction of online volunteering. The features of testing the program and the organization of reflexive practices based on the results of the project are revealed. As a result, the general goals of online education were identified, contributing to productive interaction and the main areas of training online volunteers. It is concluded that the implementation of the project makes it possible to create an information-rich educational online environment based on the principles of network interaction and social partnership, to implement a cluster approach to build a new educational space, including further joint development of developmental programs, practices and educational relationships with an emphasis on personal development and self-realization of both schoolchildren and students. The tools proposed in the article stimulated the emergence of some pedagogical precedents, which can become the basis for further research and methodological development.

التدخل المهنی لطریقة تنظیم المجتمع لتنمیة إتجاهات مستخدمی شبکات التواصل الاجتماعی نحو التطوع الإلکترونی Professional intervention for community organization to develop the atitudes of social media users towards online volunteering

الملخص: إستهدفت الدراسة قياس عائد برنامج التدخل المهنى لطريقة تنظيم المجتمع لتنمية إتجاهات مستخدمي شبکات التواصل الاجتماعي نحو التطوع الإلکتروني، وتعد من الدراسات شبه التجريبية التى إعتمدت على منهج المسح الاجتماعى بالعينة لإجراء دراسة إستطلاعية لعينة بلغ حجمها 10 أعضاء، والمنهج شبه التجريبى لعينة الدراسة التي بلغ عددها 35 من مستخدمي شبکات التواصل الاجتماعي الذين يمارسوا العمل التطوعي التقليدي لدى جمعية عطاء بلا حدود بمدينة أسيوط، وإستخدمت الدراسة أداتين هما (إستمارة إستبيان للدراسة الإستطلاعية، ومقياس إتجاه مستخدمي شبکات التواصل الاجتماعي وقد إشتمل على ثلاثة أبعاد رئيسية)، ومن أهم نتائج الدراسة ثبوت صحة الفرض الرئيسى للدراسة وهو توجد علاقة إحصائية ذات دلالة معنوية بين التدخل المهني لطريقة تنظيم المجتمع وتنمية إتجاهات مستخدمي شبکات التواصل الاجتماعي نحو التطوع الإلکتروني، وکذلک ثبوت صحة الفروض الفرعية للدراسة، وتوصي الدراسة بضرورة نشر ثقافة التطوع الإلکتروني بإعتباره وسيلة تطوع سريعة وسهلة، وذلک من خلال إعداد وتأسيس مواقع إلکترونية تختص بالعمل التطوعي الإلکتروني في المجالات الحياتية المختلفة للمجتمع المصري، وأن يکون ذلک منوطا بالمؤسسات التکنولوجية المصرية وکافة المؤسسات العاملة في المجتمع المدني، وتوصي أيضا بضرورة الإستفادة من التجارب والمشاريع الرائدة في مجال التطوع الإلکتروني في الدول الغربية وأيضا الدول العربية التي نجحت فيها تلک التجارب. Abstract This study aimed to measure the return of professional intervention program by community organization method to develop the attitudes of social media networks users towards electronic volunteering, it is considered one of the semi-experimental studies that relied on method of social sample survey to conduct an exploratory study for a sample of 10 members, and semi-experimental methodology for study sample, that includes 35 users of social media networks who practice traditional volunteer work in Giving Without Limited Association in Assiut (GWLA), study used two tools, (a questionnaire for the exploratory study, and a measure of the attitudes of social media networks users, which included three main dimensions). Among the most important results of the study is validation of the main hypothesis of the study, which is “There is a statistically significant relationship between the professional intervention of community organization method and the development of attitudes of social media networks users towards electronic volunteering, also of validity of the study's sub-hypotheses of the study.

Time, love and tenderness: Doctors’ online volunteering in Health Virtual Community searching for work-family balance

BackgroundThis study will explore and understand the experience of doctors volunteering online in managing the boundaries between work and family in health virtual communities (HVC). MethodologyA qualitative case study approach was used to explore and understand how doctors volunteering online balances between work and family in a Health Virtual Community called DoktorBudak.com (DB). A total of seventeen (17) doctors were interviewed using either face-to-face, Skype, phone interview or through email. ResultsThe results of this study suggested that doctors perceived the physical border at their workplace as less permeable though the ICT has freed them from the restriction to perform other non-related work (such as online volunteering (OV) works) during working hours. In addition, doctors OV use ICTs to perform work at home or during working hours, they perceive their work and family borders as flexible. Furthermore, the doctors used different strategies when it came to blending, whether to segment or integrate their work and family domains. ConclusionThis study has defined issues on work-family balance and OV. Most importantly this study had discussed the conceptual framework of work-family balance focusing on doctors volunteering online and how they have incorporated ICTs such as Internet technology to negotiate the work-family boundaries, which are permeable, flexible and blending.

From women for women: The role of social media in online nonprofit activities during Wuhan lockdown

AbstractThe article examines the role of social media in mitigating information asymmetry and coordination problems during COVID‐19 epidemic crisis. We use “Sisters‐Fight‐Epidemic” online volunteering project during the outbreak of COVID‐19 in Wuhan, China, as a case to demonstrate how social media plays a role as a mechanism in linking multiple stakeholders and shaping their actions during the epidemic response. We show that social media facilitates the self‐organizing processes of volunteers and develops the emergency information networks, therefore enabling a relatively efficient relief responses to the needs of epidemic victims particularly female medical workers. This article also identifies spontaneous online volunteering project as a new form of nonprofit organization and as a new emergent response group that can leverage the strengths of social media in disaster responses to enable effective coordination, initiate advocacy, and improve transparency of relief efforts.

Satisfaction With Informal Volunteering During the COVID-19 Crisis: An Empirical Study Considering a Swiss Online Volunteering Platform

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a huge wave of compassion. In particular, online volunteering platforms established channeling help for high-risk groups. It is unclear under which conditions volunteers were satisfied with their COVID-19 volunteering mediated by these platforms and whether they will continue their engagement after the crisis. Therefore, and considering personal susceptibility to COVID-19 infection, this study analyzes the effects of different platform support for volunteers and the fulfillment of volunteers’ motives. The study is based on an online survey of a sample of 565 volunteers who registered at and were placed by a Swiss online platform. Fulfillment of distinct volunteer motives and platform support drive COVID-19 volunteering satisfaction. Moreover, motive fulfillment and platform-related support indirectly impact willingness to volunteer long-term via volunteering satisfaction. Finally, the empirical results show that motive fulfillment and the effect of platform support are contingent on perceived susceptibility to infection.

Unemployment and Digital Public Goods Contribution

Economic crises have a harmful effect on employment. However, whereas the resulting loss of jobs has been shown to have many negative consequences for the affected individuals, it may also push them into new activities, such as provision of service to their communities. In this paper, we show how individuals engage in socially useful activities after an increase in unemployment. Specifically, we document increased online content generation at Wikipedia, the world’s largest user-generated knowledge repository. Leveraging German district-level and European country-level unemployment data, we analyze the relationship between the economic crisis in 2008–2010 and contributions to Wikipedia. We find increased socially valuable activity in the form of knowledge acquisition and contributions to Wikipedia. For German districts, we observe an increase in the rate of content generation on Wikipedia in more severely affected districts. These effects are even stronger at the European country level. Our findings suggest that public goods provision increases as a positive side effect of economic crises. We stress that similar patterns could apply to other digital content platforms. Under the backdrop that the potential value of the outcome of online volunteering and its societal impact is expected to grow drastically in the next years, we show that platforms could benefit from negative economic conditions in attracting volunteers. Moreover, in the coming years, the rapid development of artificial intelligence will call for a rise of online volunteering platforms. Therefore, the potential value of the outcome of online volunteering and its societal impact is expected to grow drastically in the next years.

“I Am Most Grateful.” Using Gratitude to Improve the Sense of Relatedness and Motivation for Online Volunteerism

ABSTRACT Volunteering benefits those who receive and those who provide help. Yet barriers can inhibit engagement with and motivation for volunteering activities. Online environments on one hand help to lower some of these barriers, but on the other hand they can introduce new obstacles specially when the medium transforms the social interactions important to volunteers. We study the motivational drivers of online volunteering, and how those are affected by design. Specifically, we focus on relatedness as a source of motivation. We describe two studies with volunteers that help medical students to learn and improve their communication skills through mock interviews in an educational program. The volunteers can participate in the program face-to-face or through an online platform. The first study consisted of a survey (n = 66 volunteers), two workshops and one interview (n = 12 volunteers) in which we explored volunteer demographics, motivations, psychological needs, and experiences. Findings suggested relatedness can be an important indicator of volunteer motivations. In the second study, we added a feature to the online platform to display personal gratitude messages from student beneficiaries to the volunteers in order to improve the experience of relatedness between them. In total, n = 30 volunteers completed 196 sessions. We used survey and system data to assess the impact of gratitude on perceived relatedness, motivation, and behavior (immediate, booked, and completed appointments). Results showed that the expression of gratitude by the beneficiary significantly affected the volunteer’s experience of relatedness which then correlated with immediate appointments booking behavior by each volunteer. The implications for design of online volunteering systems are discussed.

Predisposed to Volunteer? Personality Traits and Different Forms of Volunteering

In this article, we evaluate the psychological basis of different forms of volunteering. To date, our knowledge about the relationship between personality and volunteering as an important facet of the social fabric is limited. Applying the Five-Factor Model of Personality (Big Five), we scrutinize this relationship in a comprehensive manner. We consider formal and informal volunteering as well as online volunteering as a new form of social participation. Empirically, we analyze a representative population sample of Switzerland using logistic regression models. We find that extraversion is the most consistent driver of volunteering. The effects of the remaining traits differ across the forms of volunteering. Additional analyses indicate that situational factors may moderate these relationships.

Online volunteering at DigiVol: an innovative crowd-sourcing approach for heritage tourism artefacts preservation

ABSTRACTMost museums find that the resources required to transform from curators into providers of heritage and cultural tourism exceed those available to them. One way of addressing this challenge is through volunteer programs to assist in heritage tourism artefacts preservation. This article is based on a case study of an innovative crowd-sourcing initiative of integrating on-site and online volunteers for the preservation and documentation of heritage artefacts: the DigiVol program at the Australian Museum, Sydney. This large citizen science volunteer program has digitised an unprecedented portion of the museum’s collections and has been recognised in Australia and internationally as a best practice ‘volunteer digitisation service’ model. Seeking further empirical support for the emerging concept of ‘recruitability’ from the volunteering literature (i.e. the ability of volunteer organisations to recruit and retain volunteers), this research used case study methodology. Based on interviews, focus groups, and document analyses, the article identifies key elements of innovation and effectiveness in DigiVol practices. The article concludes with recommendations for programs wishing to follow best practice and expand their recruitability, to digitise and preserve artefacts, and therefore support science, tourism and education.

Online Volunteering, A Way to Reduce Health Inequalities: A review study

Introduction: Volunteering is a way for community participation and involving local social capital. Volunteering has potential to enhance wellbeing and reducing health inequalities. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of online volunteering on people well-being and reducing inequalities. Methods: In this narrative review, using related keywords 326 studies found in the initial search in PubMed, Sage, Springer, Google Scholar, Elsevier, PsycINFO and finally 57 studies selected for review. Results: The study found that virtual volunteering in organizations is a combination of offline and online volunteering, and fewer volunteers are online volunteering. One of the main features of online volunteering is the maximum use of time, and reduces travel time; this type of volunteering can be done 24 hours a day and seven days a week. Online volunteering can involve all people, including young people, the elderly, people with disabilities and disadvantaged groups and minorities, and one of the main benefits of this type of volunteering is that many people who cannot attend the organization can participate this way, volunteer services will be provided, as well as racial and ethnic discrimination in this type of volunteering can be reduced. Conclusion: Although online volunteering is developing globally, volunteer-based organizations have not yet adopted their strategies, rules and procedures for new volunteers. It seems online volunteering will also enable different groups to participate in activities and promote the health of different groups. Keywords: Online Volunteering, Volunteer Organizations, Online advocacy, Health Inequality

Інтернет як платформа для прояву соціальної активності молоді

The publication presents theoretical analysis of the Internet as a platform for the manifestation of social activity of youth. It has been outlined that the formation of the culture of Information civilization has given the Internet an important role in the life of humanity, since cyberspace is now the most accessible means of adding to the information - the values of postindustrial society. In the context of the ever-increasing role of virtual space, the main areas of social life (education, leisure, communication, etc.) are reflected in it. In this regard, the problem of excessive immersion in virtuality and the leveling of social reality among the most active Internet users, that is, young people, is being actualized. It is noted that representatives of the younger generation can bring their own country to the avant-garde, but provided they have a high level of development of their social activity, which is a systemic social quality, in which the level of its sociality is expressed and realized, that is, the depth and completeness of the connections of the individual with the society, level of transformation of personality into the subject of social relations. One of the manifestations of social activity is volunteer activity. The publication presents the essence of the phenomenon of volunteering, the peculiarities of its development in independent Ukraine and the motives for the implementation of volunteering activities. The essence of the phenomenon of online volunteering is presented. Positive aspects of volunteering through the Internet are presented, which are of special importance for people with special needs.

Local Newspapers, Facebook and Local Civic Engagement: A Study of Media Use in Two Norwegian Communities

Abstract The European decline in newspaper circulation has fuelled debates on the consequences for civic engagement and democratic participation. Based on a qualitative interview study with 29 inhabitants of two Norwegian communities, this article examines the importance of the local press and of Facebook in the civic actions of ordinary citizens. Overall, the study suggests that both media are important and enable citizens’ involvement in collective problem-solving. However, their importance lies on different levels, as the two media play complementary roles: Whilst Facebook’s networking possibilities enable new forms of online volunteering and mobilisation, the local press constitutes a shared public sphere in which interviewees can gather information and create awareness of local happenings, politics and volunteering.

Volunteers’ perspective on online volunteering - a qualitative approach

Since the creation of the Internet as an information technology, it has become a tool which exerts its influence on virtually all aspects of human life, including pro-social behavior (Amichai-Hamburger, 2008). An online context is a place of pro-social promise (Wright and Li 2012), and as Non-Profit Organizations (NPOs) face increasing challenges (such as resource scarcity) the Internet has become an important resource for involving and recruiting volunteers and creating opportunities for participation through online volunteering (Pinho and Macedo, 2006). Online volunteering is understood as a particular form of volunteering whose main distinction lies in procedure, since it occurs partially or totally on the Internet. This study seeks to understand the factors that cause and sustain online volunteerism from the volunteer’s perspective, namely the motivations that lead the individual to volunteer online, as well as the resulting experiences and consequences/benefits. We did twenty-four interviews with volunteers of several nationalities. The results contribute to the understanding and development of new knowledge about the online volunteering process, more precisely for a better understanding of how NPOs can best use this resource, namely in the management, recruiting and retaining of volunteers. The main conclusions show that altruistic motivations and learning/career rewards are the most common motivations. Regarding the intention for permanence, the satisfaction associated with the experience and the initial motivations are shown to be decisive. The consequences/benefits are essentially associated with the acquired learning which volunteers consider to be a valuable future asset, and the intrinsic reward of self-actualization and e-empowerment.

Doing Good Online: The Changing Relationships Between Motivations, Activity, and Retention Among Online Volunteers

Advances in Internet technology are making it possible for individuals to volunteer online and participate in research-based activities of nonprofit organizations. Using survey data from a representative sample of such contributors, this study investigates their motivations to volunteer for five online volunteering projects using the Volunteer Functions Inventory. We explore relationships between these six categories of motivation and actual recorded measures of both volunteer activity and retention. We also use quantile regression analysis to investigate the extent to which these motivations change at different stages in the volunteer process. Our results show that volunteers’ activity and retention tend to associate significantly and positively with the motivations of understanding and values, as well as significantly and negatively with the social and career motivations. We also find the importance of motivations changes significantly across the stages of volunteer engagement. In some cases, especially the understanding motivation, the changes observed for activity and retention are markedly different.

Online volunteering as a means to overcome unequal participation? The profiles of online and offline volunteers compared

A key question regarding the ongoing process of digitalization is whether it enables societies to overcome patterns of inequality or whether these patterns are fostered in the digital sphere. The article addresses this question for the case of online volunteering by examining the profiles of online and offline volunteers in terms of sociodemographics, resources, networks, and psychological engagement. We apply quantitative methods using a unique data set that provides comprehensive information on online volunteering. Our results suggest that two mechanisms are at work simultaneously: mobilization and reinforcement. The profile of “pure” online volunteers differs from the profile of “pure” offline volunteers (mobilization). Meanwhile, the hybrid type combining online and offline volunteering attracts individuals resembling offline (reinforcement) and online volunteers (mobilization). Thus, online volunteering seems to be both: a remedy for existing inequalities in volunteering and a way to reinforce existing patterns of social participation in increasingly digitized societies.

New forms of citizen participation using SNS: an empirical approach

This study empirically examined whether the use of social networking sites (SNSs) for political purposes would encourage personalized and informal modes of participation more strongly than traditional and institutional modes of participation. Multiple regression analysis was applied to data collected from a nationwide online survey conducted among Nielson Korean Click panel members in September 2015. The study found that SNS use for political purposes strengthened individualized and informal forms of citizen participation—such as online volunteering, offline political participation, involvement in informal civic organizations, and participation in conventional political organizations—rather than traditional and formal forms, including voting. This finding suggests that the development of information and communication technology has helped citizens, especially those who feel alienated in a representative democracy, to participate in a more direct and interactive manner through informal and everyday communication channels, such as SNS, as opposed to participating in a formal and sporadic manner through conventional communication channels.

Classifying and Relating Different Types of Online and Offline Volunteering

The contemporary media environment allows for online volunteering where volunteers can participate without being physically present or being affiliated with a traditional organization. Challenging the traditional types of volunteering and accounting for the new trends, this study identifies different types of online and offline volunteering and examines the relationship between them. Drawing on online survey data from 816 U.S.-based volunteers, this study finds that active online volunteers are also active offline volunteers, suggesting that volunteering in one sphere can complement volunteering in the other sphere. This study discusses implications for understanding volunteering as a complex activity where individuals engage in varied organizational contexts to different degrees and extend their participation to both online and offline spheres.

Doing Good Online: An Investigation into the Characteristics and Motivations of Digital Volunteers

The rapid growth in Internet technology is making it possible to volunteer in online settings, with participants able to contribute directly to research-based activities supporting non-profit groups and charitable organisations. This study undertakes an investigation into the profile and motivations of contributors to these online volunteering projects. We specifically investigate volunteer activity and retention for the online crowdsourcing platform known as the Zooniverse, which is home to around thirty online volunteering projects. Through a survey undertaken with a representative sample of contributors and reconciling against records of actual voluntary activity, we are able to measure motivations against the Volunteer Functions Inventory (VFI) and explore relationships with observed levels of activity and retention. Our results show that a unique combination of ‘other’ and ‘self’ oriented motivation, specifically Protective & Enhancement, Values and particularly Understanding, associate significantly and positively with observed variations in volunteering activity and retention in an online setting.

Participation of Older Adults in Virtual Volunteering: A Qualitative Analysis

Virtual volunteering can be defined as a type of civic engagement where the volunteers perform their tasks using the Internet either from their home or other offsite locations. Although a comprehensive body of literature can be found concerning older adults’ involvement in traditional face-to-face volunteering, few studies exist on Internet-based volunteering. This study takes the initiative to generate new knowledge on how the Internet can play an active role in facilitating volunteerism among older people. It explores the demographic characteristics, motivation, and types of tasks performed by older adults while volunteering in a virtual environment. Given the emerging support infrastructure to facilitate virtual volunteering among older adults, this study sought to better comprehend the profiles and motivations of older virtual volunteers. In particular, the study wishes to understand if parallels could be drawn between on-site volunteering and online volunteering among older adults. Correspondingly, the study also explores whether participation in virtual volunteering by older adults increased their sense of belonging. A qualitative inquiry is performed to address these issues. This study is an attempt to gather baseline empirical descriptions of these phenomena so that future research has the scope to refine the relevant theories in this field.