How to Volunteer without Leaving Home (+8 Cool Examples)

The current pandemic has seen a spike in virtual volunteering around the world, for obvious reasons. However, volunteering virtually is by no means a new concept; rather, it is a practice that dates back to a 1970's Project Gutenberg which saw the first use of online volunteers, working to digitize and archive many cultural works (subsequently creating the eBook!). 

We’ll have altruism with a side of coffee, please.

Online volunteering opportunities have increased exponentially since 1970, with many nonprofits and NGOs adopting the practice. Volunteering from home is now a well-established means of gaining experience in a chosen field, benefitting both the organization you are working for and your vocational aspirations. 

Since COVID-19 struck, remote internships and volunteering opportunities have seen an increase in both interest and convenience. Students and professionals alike, formerly bustling about in the workplace and across the world, are now facing a new challenge: reformatting both their aptitudes and efficacy to be delivered entirely online.

But are you wondering how to volunteer online? How that even works? Don’t worry—we’ll explain.

KEEP READING: Why You Should Consider Volunteering Online

Is volunteering from home possible?

Simply put, yes. Volunteering remotely is entirely achievable if you have an internet connection and a healthy amount of discipline. Alongside building your network and establishing career confidence, volunteering and interning online is an experience that demonstrates adaptability while simultaneously honing in time-management—a powerful addition to your resumé. 

Moreover, virtual volunteering and interning can especially benefit those with restricted mobility or special needs (who may not otherwise be able to participate in more traditional forms of volunteering) particularly if they would experience disability-related stereotyping.

Volunteering for an international organization is an experience that many often dream of doing, but are inhibited largely by cost. An added benefit of remote volunteer opportunities is that they are highly discounted—an incentive to those who aim to gain specialized, global experience without breaking the bank. 

Another advantage of volunteering and interning remotely is the autonomy and flexibility that it inherently offers; by allowing participants to attune their work strategies to their unique skills and interests, and given the additional flexibility of work time and location, both students and professionals can operate at their highest efficiency.

8 virtual volunteering examples 

Want to know more about how to volunteer without leaving home? One way of volunteering online is pursuing a virtual internship with a nonprofit organization abroad, most of which are small, grassroots initiatives that seek to create real, on the ground social impact.

As an intern for one of these organizations, your input truly matters. It’s a vastly different situation from the standard corporate internship, where you are likely to be a small part of a large team. When you intern for a nonprofit, you can expect to have challenging tasks and as much responsibility as you feel comfortable with, working to grow both their mission as well as yours.

Several noteworthy remote internships with charities abroad are highlighted below:

• Online Programs with Oyster Worldwide, helping to protect elephants or marine environments, and support local communities, all from the comfort of your own home.
• Permaculture Internship with a nonprofit in rural Malawi, helping to develop learning materials and lesson plans for both children and teachers. You’ll also help improve and design ways of collecting data on the results of these workshops so that the long-term impact can be approved.
• Online Course in Developing Global Health Expertise that builds participants’ skills in effectively working across cultures, building awareness of culturally-based approaches, and adaptability to multicultural settings. This training is offered in partnership with Aperian Global, a leader in workforce development for Fortune 500 companies and the business sector.
• Grant Writing Internship for a consultancy agency offering strategic fundraising advice and services to nonprofit organizations. You'll research funding opportunities and write grant proposals to trusts, foundations, and other grant-making organizations. 
• Volunteer Program in Buenos Aires, participating in a virtual internship in an area of your choosing, working with around 60 companies that provide meaningful tasks. The companies recognize the importance of digital skills in the modern workplace, and seek to make volunteer programs more accessible.
• Nonprofit Management Internship for a filmmaking charity in South Africa, using your communications, marketing, and fundraising skills to help a solar-power mobile cinema to spread awareness of important issues.  
• Foundations in Sustainable Development, helping to gain a preliminary insight into a specific field. These courses lay the groundwork for study or a career in an array of fields, from climate change and wildlife conservation, to global public health and human rights. 
• Communications Internship for a South African based nonprofit that provides horticulture training to prisoners in Johannesburg. You'll assist with the development and implementation of their online awareness campaigns, and help manage social media channels, write newsletters and reports, roll out digital campaigns, and help write funding proposals.

Sign up for a MyGoAbroad account (it’s free!) and compare programs side-by-side

Moreover, doing your internship remotely might actually have some benefits over traditional, on-site internships. Distributed work is a growing phenomenon in many sectors; a trend that is now further amplified by COVID-19.

This means that having experience in remote work can be seen as a benefit by some future employers, as organizations across the world are beginning to see the substantial advantages in enlisting those who can deliver impactful work, virtually.

Researching, interviewing, and ultimately selecting an internship by oneself can be an overwhelming task; one must consider every factor, like location, time period, cost, internship specialization, housing, dining, and the overall matchability between intern and organization. 

Fortunately, there are organizations that provide a "matchmaking" service to those who wish to volunteer or intern abroad, ensuring a proper fit and an understanding of the organization's expectations and goals.

Stay altruistic with online volunteering opportunities! 

Remote volunteer opportunities won’t limit you—in fact, they’ll help you grow personally and professionally!

It is fanciful to imagine one setting forth in the world entirely charitably, but it is hardly pragmatic. Not unlike the drive home from a day at the office when one arrives in the garage, only to fail to recall how the traffic lights turned for them, moving through such an automatic life is surely disappointing—if not distressing altogether.

Even if you must work a side job alongside volunteering or interning it is an action you must take, for the sake of your life's own satisfaction. Online volunteering opportunities afford you the ability to embark upon a busy but transforming journey, one characterized by both personal and professional growth.

As an online intern or volunteer, you can make a tangible impact. Whether you’re part of a social impact initiative, an environmental organization, or a wildlife conservation program, you’re contributing to an important cause. Moreover, since you’re working on a grassroots level, you’re likely to witness the impact in the field during your internship.

Virtual volunteering provides a great solution for many students who remain in lockdown, and don't want to get behind schedule in their university studies. With a plethora of specialized internships and programs that can connect directly to your major or minor, you'll find that remote volunteering is incredibly complimentary to your classwork.

Ideal for those who aim to gain international and specialized experience within the comfort of working remotely, volunteering and interning remotely extends your network, offers flexibility, and encourages frugality.

Browse ALL Remote Volunteer Opportunities on GoAbroad.com

This article was written with help from Roots Interns. Roots Interns offers academic and practical internships at African non-profit organizations. The mission is to create the perfect balance between meaningful work and valuable learning. Roots Interns offers opportunities in several focus areas such as marketing, communications, fundraising, environmental innovation and management, international development, photography, videography, and more in eight different African countries.