To volunteer online with the VV Project, you must have regular access to:

• a computer
  
• your own email account
  
• the Internet, both via email and the Web

If you will not have access to these resources during the next two months, please let the Virtual Volunteering Project manager know ASAP.

 
While volunteering with the VV Project:

• You are responsible for your own equipment and maintenance.

• Equipment to be used by you during this assignment should be fully operational.

• The Project cannot reimburse you for any expenses associated with this assignment without prior written approval from us (we don't anticipate any costs being associated with assignments, but if you come across such a possible cost, please let us know and wait for approval before you make ANY purchase).

• You are expected to complete any assignments you volunteer for by the deadline date. If you cannot complete the assignment, you are expected to notify the Project Manager at your earliest possible convenience.

• You are expected to answer all e-mails from the VV Project within 48 hours (two business days) of receipt (weekends and holidays excluded, ofcourse). The Project Manager is committed to answering e-mails from you within 48 hours as well.

• Please correspond with the Project at all times via only the e-mail address you used to apply to volunteer originally. If you need change this address, please let us know.

• Material produced by volunteers for the Virtual Volunteering Project, including graphics materials, web page designs, narratives, research, compilations, instructional texts, etc., becomes the property of the Virtual Volunteering Project upon submission. Volunteers will receive credit on the VV Project Web site for these and other contributions.

• You should back up the files of your computer AT LEAST once a month. For added safety, when you are working on a Project assignment, copy your work to a floppy at the end of each work session, and store this floppy in a safe place.

• You are expected to have anti-virus software on your computer, and understand how this software operates. The VV Project makes every effort to ensure its files are virus-free, but please be aware that many organizations do not; computer virus protection for your own computer is YOUR responsibility (there are tips on how to protect yourself in the Handbook for Online Volunteers).

• You MUST subscribe to our special e-mail list for volunteers. It will keep you informed of the latest online opportunities and information about volunteering with us. You will receive approximately one e-mail a week as a result of being on this list.

  Your name will NOT be sold, traded or given to any other organization because of your subcription to this list. Unsubscribe information is included with every update (by unsubscribing, you would be withdrawing as an online volunteer).

  To subscribe to the list for volunteers with the VV Project, send an e-mail to:
  listproc@lists.cc.utexas.edu
  with ONLY this in the body of your message:
  subscribe vvprojectvols FIRSTNAME LASTNAME
  (example: subscribe vvprojectvols Jane Doe)
  The list processor (which is a computer, not a person) will reject requests that do not contain a first and last name, or requests with anything else in the body of the message, including a signature. Also, be sure to send this command from the e-mail address to which you want the newsletter sent.

   
  

• You should ALSO subscribe to the VV Project monthly e-mail newsletter, VIRTUAL VERVE. This generates only one e-mail a month.

  To subscribe, send an e-mail to:
  listproc@lists.cc.utexas.edu
  with ONLY this in the body of your message:
  subscribe vverve FIRSTNAME LASTNAME
  (example: subscribe vverve Jane Doe)
  The list processor (which is a computer, not a person) will reject requests that do not contain a first and last name, or requests with anything else in the body of the message, including a signature. Also, be sure to send this command from the e-mail address to which you want the newsletter sent.

   
  

• See the Handbook for Online Volunteers for information on how you will be recognized for your contributions to this Project.

   
  

• You will be asked to complete an online survey about your virtual volunteering experience. This will be submitted to you via e-mail sometime after your volunteer experience with us, or after you have volunteered with us for several months. We can't improve our support of volunteers without your feedback!

   
  

• IF YOU ARE PART OF A MANDATORY COMMUNITY SERVICE PROGRAM (as part of a court order, probation or part of a school requirement), please get permission from the organization that is requiring you to do community service BEFORE volunteering with the VV Project (or any virtual project). Not every program recognizes virtual volunteering as meeting mandatory community service obligations. If you need to have paperwork or timesheets signed, please let me know. I am also happy to speak with your supervisor by phone to explain our program and answer any questions.

   
  

• IF YOU ARE UNDER 18 -- please let at least one of your parents know you are going to volunteer with this Project. We strongly suggest that you give your parents the URL of the Virtual Volunteering Project so they can read through the materials themselves, and invite them to subscribe to our lists as well (see above). We also suggest you copy one or both of your parents on your weekly reports to the Project when engaged in an assignment for us, and we will be happy to do the same.

• Volunteer Agreements/Code of Conduct
  BY REPLYING TO THE ORIENTATION, you agreed to the policies outlined in this chapter! These are our detailed policies regarding volunteers at our agency; MOST of these are NOT included in your online orientation. These policies cover the definition of a volunteer, confidentiality, copyright issues, when additional screening is necessary, inappropriate communications, when volunteers can represent the VV Project, online safety, ending your role as a volunteer with the Project and dismissal of a volunteer.

• Assignments
  How you get assignments, and what it's like to work with us. Again, you received this earlier as part of our e-mail orientation.

• Reporting
  Providing a weekly update on what you are doing with regard to your online volunteering assignment is critical to the VV Project. This material is also part of the e-mail orientation you have received.

• General tips for volunteers working on virtual assignments
  A must read whether you volunteer with us or another organization via the Internet.

• Dos and don'ts for technical assistance volunteers
  If you are advising staff or other volunteers with a particular expertise as part of your volunteer experience, this is a must read.

• Recognition of your efforts
  There are various ways we say thanks and keep you up-to-date on our efforts.

• Resources and Tools for Online Volunteers
  Suggestions for using web search engines, shareware, freeware, learning .html, finding news articles on a particular subject, creating databases, and other resources and tools to help you undertake an online assignment successfully. Most of these materials were authored or suggested by online volunteers themselves, based on their own experiences.

The Virtual Volunteering Project http://www.serviceleader.org/vv/