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Virtual Volunteering Project Archive
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"How do
I know if my organization is ready to involve online mentors?"
Before an organization says
it's ready to involve online mentors, apply the following evaluation
to both the entire organization and EVERY site where those to be mentored
are located. Based on our own experiences and feedback from other
online mentoring programs , we strongly suggest your organization
and ALL sites meet the following criteria before you attempt to involve
online mentors:
- Your organization staff should already have some kind of experience
in a traditional, face-to-face mentoring programs , either
in managing or participating in such a program. There should be
in-house expertise on the basics of volunteer recruitment, screening,
matching to assignments, management, feedback and evaluation.
- Determine How This Program "Fits" . Before an
agency staff starts a program that will bring together online volunteers
with clients, students or the public, consider how such a program
will fit within the organization's mission; how will this program
be an extension of the agency goals? You will need to be able to
answer this question before beginning any steps to set up such a
virtual volunteering program at your organization.
- The online mentoring program manager, site managers (including
teachers) and anyone who might work with online mentors or youth
involved in this program must be committed to reading and
responding to e-mails within 48 hours of receipt . All
of these program managers and coordinators must be comfortable
using e-mail as well. If managers can't make this commitment,
or if managers find reading and responding to e-mail "bothersome",
your organization is not ready to involve online mentors.
- Each site for those to be mentored (such as a classroom) MUST
have a minimum number of computers with fully-functional
Internet access BEFORE the program begins. What that number
of computers is depends on your program, but define a number that
would allow every student to be online every week, and make that
number a requirement for site participation.
- Each site for those to be mentored MUST have a minimum
number of people (students, for instance) that are ALREADY involved
in your program , know how to use e-mail and browse the
web, and whom the site manager thinks would be appropriate for this
program. What that number is depends on your program goals, number
of mentors you think you can recruit, and resources to manage the
program and keep track of participants.
- How are those to be mentored currently using Internet
access ? What activities are they already engaging in online
through your organization or in their classroom? If a site manager,
such as a teacher, can't answer this, they aren't ready to work
with online mentors or help students participate fully in such a
program.
- Why does each site want to participate in this program
? Have every site manager or teacher submit an answer to
this question. If they can't, they aren't ready to work with online
mentors.
- Is there a person at each site who will help those to
be mentored write their messages , as needed? This person
would also have responsibility to make sure all of those to be mentored
are writing regularly.
- Assess if your organization has the elements of effective
practice . The National Mentoring Partnership
defines the Elements
of Effective Practice in Mentoring Programs on its
web site and in offline materials. It includes recommended requirements
of a responsible mentoring program and a nuts
and bolts checklist for mentoring programs . The Virtual
Volunteering Project endorses these effective practices as fundamentally
necessary for online mentoring programs as well.
If you feel you meet all of
the above criteria, you are ready to start looking into setting
up and managing a online mentoring program .
Back to Virtual Volunteering Archive Contents
10/21/03
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