Volunteers and Groups

Whether you are student, professional, individual, group or a business, we let you easily browse, search, and register for various events and opportunities to make an impact in the community!

How to be a remote (or virtual) volunteer

Remote volunteering allows you to commit your time and services away from the physical site of an organization, project, or campaign. Remote volunteers can participate virtually using online technology tools; more generally, they engage through projects or activities that can be done away from the organization who recruited them, and who orients, supports and manages them.

What defines a remote volunteer?
Remote volunteering encompasses any instance of you helping an organization from a distance. e.g., You can do Pro bono work or Virtual Volunteering to help an organization. These different types of volunteering represents the many forms remote volunteer work can take.
How can you be a remote volunteer or a virtual volunteer?
This depends on the organization who is sponsoring this remote volunteer opportunity. In many instances, if the goal or task can be done remotely and achieves a positive outcome for the organization, this is a remote volunteer opportunity. e.g., if there is a shortage of N-95 face masks, and you had a sewing machine and additional cloths, you could help an organization remotely by sewing up and making facemasks. If you chose to mentor or tutor a k-12 student through an online conferencing/webinar system, this will be virtual volunteering.
Why would you want to be a remote volunteer?
In the instance of a pandemic like COVID-19, policies encouraging shelter in place can make it difficult to volunteer and do the activities that normally require face to face and hands on activities. In these situations, providing opportunities to complete tasks remotely is of utmost importance to helping continue the critical operations of a nonprofit.

Ideas for being a remote volunteer

There are many projects, activities, and tasks that can be done remotely with or without requiring technology tools. Here are some ideas for remote volunteering.

Comfort of the Home
Many groups and individuals would prefer to complete a project or remote opportunity from the comfort of their home. In these instances, making sure that the project is well-defined and spells out exactly what needs to be done will help ensure a positive outcome for all parties volunteering remotely. For example, clear and explicit directions for sewing a facemask can be provided, making it easy for individuals to help the organization without needing to ask for additional assitance. When the facemasks are done, they can be delivered to the organization from a distance.
Different Sites, Placements or Locations
Many organizations define remote opportunities as those that require volunteers to engage at a location other than the organization's headquarters. In other words, a volunteer will check in at one location and do the actual volunteer work at another location. For example, if you volunteer for a nonprofit working with K-12 schools, the check-in process may be at this nonprofit, or remotely at the school in which the mentoring is completed.
Virtual Volunteering
Virtual Volunteering uses technology (computer, internet, online chat system & webinar) to facilitate the completion of the project or task at hand. Virtual volunteer opportunities are almost always remote

Search for remote, virtual, or pro bono projects and opportunities on GivePulse

We provide a clearinghouse of virtual and remote opportunities for individuals and groups to find project-based opportunities, activities and tasks. Users are able to search, sort and filter through the various opportunities.

Searching
You can navigate to the Get Involved search page, which allows you to input search criteria in order to narrow the opportunities that populate. From the GivePulse search page, you can filter by Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), causes, skills and other criteria to refine the search.
Filtering
On the Get Involved search page, you can filter by emergencies, causes, skills, SDGs, availability, timeframes, and more. Administrators can also add metadata, provide further description and context, and improve search keywords.
Quick Link
For a general search, you can go here. For opportunities related to COVID-19 response you can navigate to COVID-19 Search. For emergencies, you can go to Emergencies. For virtual/remote projects and opportunities you can go to Virtual Search. Be it a virtual opportunity, an emergency related taskforce or an opportunity to apply your skills pro bono, opportunities are available through this search. For opportunities that you can't find, please contact us via our https://support.givepulse.com. For administrators of nonprofits, please list your opportunity here

Searching & Browsing

View events and opportunities via our calendar, list or map view

List, Map, Calendar
Use any of the choices to view, browse and choose an event, opportunity or organization near you to invest your time and skills
Sort & Filter
Sort events and opportunities by date and time, groups by name and size and filter by type, date & time, causes, skills and availability
Text & Keywords
Keywords and tags are tied to the events and groups you search by. If there are specific words that are associated with an event or group, they will most likely apply to the search

Registration

Fill in the required information the administrator or coordinator is requesting of you

Sign Up
On every event page, there is a register button. Depending on how the administrator set it up, it might prompt you to login immediately or simply to register with your first and last name and email. If the admin requires login, the system will prompt you to login or sign-up for an account.
Confirmation
In some instances friends may register you, prompting you to confirm your registration upon receiving an email asking you to verify your name and email address
Custom Fields & Waivers
There are instances where administrators of the event or group will want you to agree to a photo release or liability waiver. When registering to these events, it will prompt you to agree before confirming your registration

Individual Profile

Create an account to streamline registration and allow you to keep track of your impact to the community

Update
When you have an individual profile with a password, you are able to log back into the system and review your event registrations. Giving you the ability to update or cancel your registration if something comes up
Add Interests and Skills
To help us match you to opportunities and for administrators to do their best to find you the best experiences, filling out your profile helps enable the algorithms to locate those experiences that meet your interests and skill set
Joining
By having a profile, you can also join multiple groups and sign up to a variety of experiences throughout the GivePulse network

Group Profile

Create a group account to organize your team or group's registration to an event and opportunity

Bulk Register
If you are representing a team or group, you have the opportunity to bulk register a number of your colleagues and members to an event hosted by you or another group
Manage Registrants
When you have a group profile, you can check up on your members to see if they completed registration, thus keep tabs on who will be attending
Determine Impact
When the event is over, you will have an opportunity to run a report and collectively see what your impact

Be an Administrator

In the case you want to recruit and manage volunteers, or create events to track attendance and outputs like hours, be an administrator!

Create Events
If you happen to be a leader or coordinator, you have the opportunity to use GivePulse as an event management platform to schedule one-time, recurring and ongoing events
Schedule
There are instances where you want to help get people scheduled via a calendar or signup process. GivePulse streamlines all these abilities for you
Report
When it comes to reviewing who signed up, who attended and did work, or maybe even seeing no shows, we have all the reporting for you

Volunteer Preparation

It's imperative that all volunteers, donors and individuals who anticipate interacting with others either physically distance themselves or ensure that they are healthy, capable and willing. Individuals who meet these health requirements can get involved now here.

Wash Hands and Be Clean
The CDC recommends that you wash your hands regularly and thoroughly, particularly after sneezing or coughing, when caring for the sick, before, after, and during food preparation, before eating, after use of toilets, when hands are visibly dirty, and after handling animals. Washing hands often and thoroughly (for at least 20 seconds) will help to prevent the spread of the virus, both to yourself and others. Avoid touching your face. If you cannot wash your hands, frequently use an alcohol-based hand rub/sanitizer.
Cover Coughs and Sneezes
Always cover your coughs and sneezes with your inner elbow or a tissue (if into a tissue, please dispose immediately and wash your hands). Droplets can spread the virus; good respiratory hygiene helps to protect those around you from the potential spread of the virus. This is particularly true given that droplets can remain on surfaces long after you have left, leaving all those who come into contact vulnerable.
Physical (also known as Social) Distancing
Maintaining six feet of physical distance can prevent the spread of virus, as this is how far droplets travel after a cough or a sneeze. Physical distance can protect you and those around you alike. Note: while this has been referred to as social distancing, increasingly the term physical distancing is being preferred, as social connection is of particular importance at this time.

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