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This information was last updated on April 2, 2001

There is extensive information online about companies who have instituted successful telecommuting programs, allowing employees to work from home via the Internet, as well as guides on how to start a program at other organizations. The Virtual Volunteering Project team has found this information of great help both in developing information for volunteer managers who want to start virtual volunteering programs, as well as for our own staff operations.

The resources we found most valuable were:

Robert Moskowitz's "Are You Ready To Telecommute? An Objective Checklist To Determine If Your Company And/Or You Are Ready For Telecommuting", published in MicroTimes magazine.

Successful Management in the Virtual Office
This outstanding, extensive guide, released May 10, 1995 by Bernie Kelly and Bruce McGraw, is no longer available online. If you know of where this guide can now be found please contact us.

Pacific Bell Network Telecommuting Guide. Pacific Bell's telecommuting program was one of the first in the nation.

 
Communication and Trust in Global Virtual Teams
http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol3/issue4/jarvenpaa.html
an in-depth academic study by Dr. Sirkka L. Jarvenpaa that "explores the challenges of creating and maintaining trust in a global virtual team," particularly those that involve people of different cultures and interest, and varying degrees of committment.

 
Involving People With Disabilities in Virtual Volunteering Programs
A benefit of virtual volunteering is that it can allow for greater participation of people who might find on-site volunteering difficult or impossible because of a disability. This in turn allows organizations to benefit from the additional talent and resources of more volunteers. The Virtual Volunteering Project has received a special grant from Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation to research and document ways to accommodate and encourage people with disabilities in virtual volunteering programs, and to help agencies develop volunteering programs and systems flexible enough to meet the needs and preferences of the broadest range of users of computers and telecommunications equipment.

 
Questions and Answers About Telecommuting for Persons With Disabilities: A Guide for Employers
http://www.muskie.usm.maine.edu/research/disability/empguide.html
Produced by Dr. James E. Jarrett, Graduate School of Business, University of Texas at Austin, and the Independent Living Research Utilization Program at the Institute for Rehabilitation and Research in Houston, Texas. While this guide is focused on managers working with paid employees, the advice is easily adaptable to managers working with online volunteers.

 
Establishing a Corporate Telecommuting Program
http://www.auxillium.com/telecomu.htm
Part of "The HR Manager", an on-line reference guide to the broad range of Human Resources topics. It's produced by Auxillium West.

 
Gil Gordon Associates
http://www.gilgordon.com/hub2.htm
Consultant Gil Gordon provides excellent resources for managers of telecommuters, and many links to other telecommuting sites. Also featured are articles by Jack Nilles, known as the "Father of Telecommuting".

 
Telecommuting: Get Off the Road and Get On-Line
http://www.nbn.com/~nbc/telecommute.html
A 1995 essay that documents the benefits of telecommuting, as well as identifying companies that allow their employees to telecommute. Produced by the North Bay Council of Novato, California, a research and public policy organization representing employers in that area.

 
International Telework Association/Telecommuting Advisory Council
http://www.telecommute.org/
This site is the home of TAC, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the benefits of telecommuting, and the"Telecommute America Program," a nationwide public awareness, information and education program focusing on the benefits of telecommuting and nontraditional work environments including virtual office, work-at-home, satellite offices, and more. Contains a calendar of worldwide telecommuting events, a discussion group, a library of articles, and information on telecommuting organizations in many states.

 
The Oregon Department of Energy
http://www.cbs.state.or.us/external/ooe
This site contains loads of information on Oregon's telecommuting programs.

 
Best Places to Live and Work for Telecommuters
http://www.pcworld.com/workstyles/mobile_computing/articles/apr97/1504p124.html
PC World's April 1997 article by Brad Grimes, Fern Schumer Chapman & Michael Goodwin. San Francisco rated first and Lima, Ohio rated last place (300th).