There are plenty of micro volunteer opportunities for people who are always on the go
(Image: www.trendhunter.com)
The nature of volunteering is changing with the times. To volunteer means having to go through piles of paperwork, screenings, and interviews in order to work with a charity. Many volunteer positions often require able-bodied people to travel all over the city, paying for transportation out of their own wallets. Those who are unable to participate in these volunteer roles (i.e. physically disabled or housebound) are left with very little options in giving back to the world. In the digital age, the idea of doing volunteer work online is now an option for anyone looking to volunteer from their computer and smartphone. Volunteering is becoming more accessible and inclusive, and all the participants need is a communication device and a strong Wi-Fi signal.
What is micro volunteering and how does it work?
In its simplest terms, micro volunteering is a convenient, bite-sized task done by a volunteer or a team of volunteers either online or via a smartphone in small increments of time. Because these tasks are found and completed online, volunteers don’t need to go through interviews or background checks in order to sign up for these tasks. All of these tasks can be completed in thirty minutes or less and doesn’t require long-term commitment from the participant. The volunteer can start when and wherever they want, devote as much time as they see fit, and leave whenever they choose.
The origins of micro volunteering can be traced to a San Francisco-based social enterprise called, The Extraordinaires. In 2008, The Extraordinaires developed a micro volunteering product called Sparked.com, where the purpose of the website is to connect busy professionals with volunteer opportunities that would fit in their schedules. The development of this website launched more platforms for people to devote quiet moments of their lives to doing good deeds from their computers and smartphones.
These online good deeds are as vast and diverse as the people in this world. Users can find volunteer opportunities that match their own skills, abilities, and commitment levels from different nonprofit organizations all over the world. For example, a user can translate foreign-language documents, add tags to videos and pictures for a museum, use free software to reduce power consumption and ultimately save the world’s resources, or write an uplifting letter to a cancer patient in another country. Micro volunteering virtually allows these small actions to contribute to the larger goal, which is making the world a better and more accessible place.
How do I become a Micro Volunteer?
A smartphone user can make a huge difference (Image: www.csmonitor.com)
Crowdsourcing sites, such as Kiva.org, Kickstarter, and Indiegogo.com, allows users to donate as much money as they want to different causes, initiatives, and projects. Help from Home is a micro volunteering portal that provides over eight hundred actions that can be performed under thirty minutes. Koodonation is a Canadian micro volunteer portal that is gaining a lot of positive attention in many newspapers for its plentiful opportunities from over four hundred nonprofit organizations looking for online volunteers. Since micro volunteering is still relatively new and experimental, very few websites offer such online volunteering opportunities.
What are the pitfalls of micro volunteering?
As previously stated, micro volunteering is still in its experimental phase so there’s room for improvement. Many naysayers have expressed skepticism at this concept because they feel as though these small actions can’t make a huge impact. Some even compare it to Slacktivism; passing off passive and superficial efforts in the name of social activism. One of the biggest pitfalls is some organizations aren’t ready to crowdsource their tasks to the online world. Also, there are some volunteer opportunities that just can’t be done online (e.g., making lunches for the homeless and donating blood). While these concerns are understandable, what most people need to realize is that micro volunteering is simply another way of doing volunteer work. It’s not suppose to replace traditional volunteering. Being active in the community is still great but micro volunteering opens the door to people who couldn’t otherwise volunteer due to their circumstances. It will take time for the world to jump on the micro volunteering bandwagon.
Every Action Counts
Small actions done in the name of charity are great actions (Image: www.volunteerweekly.org)
Micro volunteering is easy to participate in, requires little commitment, and every action contributes to helping a worthy cause. There are hundreds of opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to give back in a way that is still effective but does it on their own terms. In the age of technological advancement, this type of volunteering will only continue to attract more people who want to explore new ways to make a difference in the world. No action is too small and every person can make a difference. With the inaugural Micro Volunteer Day quickly approaching, the world can use this time to observe their surroundings and look for the many opportunities, big or small, that can bring out the collective goodness in humanity. Many people spend most of their time in front of their computer screen or smartphone, anyways. Why not use the time between checking emails to write tweets for charity!
