Sharing Your Work With Volunteers (and Others) Online

Sharing this kind of information online in a private space where only those you choose to see it may do so (such as volunteers) cuts down on email for everyone, prevents anyone from losing a file, and means those of your choosing can view the information from *any* computer with web access.

And the good news is that there are many FREE tools you can use to get started.

In addition, learning how such free, simple applications work means you will be training yourself and those you work with to use more advanced, customized systems down the road. It means that, when a technology professional starts talking to you about an advanced sharing system, you will understand more about what he or she means -- and be able to express YOUR wants and needs.

Sharing files and work online takes a very different way of thinking that comes from a commitment to being open in your work, more than it takes any technological expertise. You will be letting other people see and comment on your work, something that only the marketing manager used to have to deal with at a nonprofit organization! This is a new way of working for most people, and it can feel scary. But the potential benefits far out weight the risks.

For instance, a volunteer manager might

• post the entire volunteer policy manual to a private shared space and invite volunteers to comment on any section they think should be rewritten,
• create an online calendar that shares volunteer work/event schedules with all volunteers,
• post drafts of a new logo and invite feedback, or even take a poll regarding which volunteers prefer, and
• invite further discussion online about an issue brought up at a face-to-face meeting.

I'll use Yahoo's free web-based applications as an example of how to make the above happen, but most of the following applies to Google's web-based applications as well:

• Set up a Yahoo ID, if you don't have one already. With a YahooID, you get an email address, an instant messaging address (that is cross-platform with Microsoft, Google and other programs), and a MyYahoo RSS reader (http://my.yahoo.com/). If you already have a YahooID, but would prefer to keep your ID and all activities associated with it (instant messaging, for instance) separate from your work at the nonprofit, then, create a YahooID specifically for your role at the organization. This ID can be inherited by whomever fills your role at the organization in the future. For instance, the work-specific YahooID could be:
  volunteers_audubontheater
  cowcreekchildhelp
  valleygarden_helpers

• If you create a YahooID specifically for your role at the organization, then redirect the Yahoo email to the email address you use primarily in your role at the organization. This allows you to keep right on using your regular email address. It also means that, when you leave the organization, the Yahoo email address used for your previous position does not change, and can be redirected to the new person.

  For Yahoo, this is done by logging into your account, and in the upper right hand corner, clicking on "Hi [[username]], and "edit my account". Then choose "edit" under Email information, and follow the directions to add your primary email address, get it verified, and then make it your "main" email address.

• Set up a YahooGroup for all those at your organization you want to have access to your online information. This can be volunteers, a particular group of volunteers, remote staff, or people in your department. You can set up the group to be completely private, allowing only those who are members to see the messages and resources, and putting all requests for membership in a queue for you to approve for participation. You may be tempted to create several different groups for different teams or different projects; don't do so, however, until you have successfully launched one, and everyone who should be using it is doing so.

  With your online group set up, you now not only have a discussion group/mailing list; you also have tools you can use with members:

  -- an area to share files
  -- an area to share photos
  -- an area to share links
  -- an area to share databases (spreadsheets)
  -- polls (surveys)
  -- shared calendar

  If you require all volunteers to join this YahooGroup, you have an easy way to contact them all. Members can decide to receive messages via individual emails, via a digest email, or web-only.

Also see:

• Stages of Maturity in Nonprofit Orgs Using Online Services
  What does a networking technology-savvy nonprofit organization look like? To help nonprofits think about networking tech standards they should pursue, and possible goals for the future, I've created this assessment of the states of maturity for a nonprofit organization's use of networking/online technologies.

• Handling Online Criticism
  Online criticism of a nonprofit organization, even by its own supporters, is inevitable. It may be about an organization's new logo or new mission statement, the lack of parking, or that the volunteer orientation being too long. It may be substantial questions regarding an organization's business practices and perceived lack of transparency. How a nonprofit organization handles online criticism speaks volumes about that organization, for weeks, months, and maybe even years to come. There's no way to avoid it, but there are ways to address criticism that can help an organization to be perceived as even more trustworthy and worth supporting.

• Online culture and online community
  It's becoming the norm for mission-based organizations (NGOs, NPOs and others) to use Internet tools to work with volunteers (including board members), staff, donors and others. This section of my site has been greatly updated, providing even more ideas and resources on how to work with others online, in language that's easy to understand for those considering or just getting started in using online technologies with volunteers, donors and other supporters.

• Internet discussion groups for volunteers
  Many agencies use e-mail-based discussion groups or newsgroups (USENET) to communicate regularly with their volunteers. This resource chronicles the benefits of such groups, and offers tips for set up and management.

• Using Real-Time Communications With Volunteers
  A growing number of organizations are using real-time communications -- including video conferencing, online phone calls, chats and instant messaging -- to hold online meetings with volunteers, to allow volunteers to interact with staff, clients, or each other, or to involve volunteers in a live, online, real-time event. This resource provides more information on real-time communications with volunteers -- what the various tools are, how agencies are using them to interact with volunteers, and tips to encourage and maintain participation in synchronous communications.

• How People In Remote Locations Can Work on the Same Document
  The key to sharing documents among people in remote locations isn't your computer technology; it's how your humans save and share information.

• Getting the Most Out of Yahoo!Groups
  I'm the administrator for several Yahoo!Groups, and I've created several customized help files for users of those groups. I share them all online. In addition to encouraging Yahoo!Groups members to use these files to help improve their online experience, any Yahoo!Groups owners out there are welcomed to use them and adapt them as they like. (this resource was originally published in my monthly email newsletter Tech4Impact).

• How To Successfully Move an Online Discussion Group
  Originally published in Tech4Impact.

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