The un is offering all non-governmental and civil society organizations working in any field of human development the opportunity to benefit from the collaboration with online volunteers.

NetAid is a major new initiative of UNDP (UN Development Programme) and CISCO Systems, taking advantage of the Internet to allow people around the world to get involved in development issues and to provide a communication and cooperation platform for development organizations and every global citizen aiming to eradicate poverty.

Its website (www.netaid.org) will soon feature an Online Volunteering module produced by the UNV (United Nations Volunteers Programme) (http://www.unv.org).

The central item will be a search engine for NGOs and CSOs to post, and for any individual in the world to find online volunteering assignments.

WHAT ARE ONLINE VOLUNTEERS?

Online Volunteers are volunteering for an institution without physically moving there. They are working on tasks that can be completed on a computer; i.e. the work results are delivered in an information format, like a written text, a computer program or a graphic design. Their products are submitted to their host institution via the Internet.

So for example a Thai environmental NGO wanting to put up a website could be helped by a South African expert webpage designer volunteer.

ARE THERE TASKS TO BE DONE IN YOUR INSTITUTION FOR WHICH YOU ARE CURRENTLY LACKING THE TIME, THE MONEY OR THE EXPERTISE? CAN THE PRODUCTS OF THESE TASKS BE DELIVERED IN A COMPUTER FILE FORMAT AND BE SENT VIA THE INTERNET?

From now on you can assign them to online volunteers.

You don't have to supply a desk, a computer, etc. Your volunteer will work from her/his home, without having to spend time and money on travelling, and submit the work products to you from home, an Internet café or wherever s/he has Internet-access. Without extra expenses your tasks can be completed with maximum efficiency.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO REACH A LARGE AUDIENCE OF POTENTIAL COLLABORATORS?

Through the Internet, and especially a global scale site as www.netaid.org, you are able to publicize your assignments (and by that also your organization) all around the globe.

You'll have the opportunity to collaborate with people from your country but also with people living 10,000 km abroad. Online Volunteering is an innovative way of intercultural and international collaboration.

You'll be in the privileged position to involve all kinds of specialists on certain subjects in your work. Many experts around the world are looking forward to contribute their skills to development issues, be it freelance professionals, students, employees, retired people, housewives or disabled people.

HOW TO BECOME A NETAID PARTNER AND POST YOUR ONLINE VOLUNTEERING ASSIGNMENTS?

Every development oriented NGO can become a NetAid Partner. NetAid Partner organizations are provided with a variety of services besides the option to post online volunteering assignments like setting up a webpage within NetAid, reporting about projects, submitting classifieds for required goods etc. You can register as a NetAid member from the NetAid website www.netaid.org/takeaction/join.htm .

YOU HAVE THE CHANCE TO POST ONE OF THE FIRST ONLINE VOLUNTEERING ASSIGNMENTS TODAY!

Take part in building the global development network and post an assignment to be featured with the launch of the Online Volunteering Module on February 20th.

Attached to this letter you find a pre-assignment form in .txt-format. Think of possible tasks you would like to assign to online volunteers and submit your assignment in advance to our UNV Online Volunteering team: netaid@unv.org

We are looking forward to your interesting assignments!

OF COURSE, WE ARE HAPPY TO PROVIDE YOU WITH FURTHER INFORMATION.

Until the launch of our site in the Internet we will send all information resources to you on request (English language texts).

• Why should I host online volunteers?
• Examples for Online Volunteer Assignments
• Instruction to the online volunteering procedures for host organizations
• Are you ready to host online volunteers?
• Tips for managing online volunteers
• Safety and Privacy Guidelines, Code of Conduct

The pages are also available for potential online volunteers respectively.

We can also provide you with the project concept paper.

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ORDER ANY INFORMATION YOU ARE INTERESTED IN.

TO ORDER, TO SUBMIT AN ASSIGNMENT AND TO ASK ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS, EXPRESS CONCERNS, MAKE SUGGESTIONS, JUST SEND AN EMAIL TO netaid@unv.org

UNV/NetAid Team
Manuel Acevedo (Focal Point for ICT for development, R&D)
Georg Eichhorn, Andrea Goetzke (consultants)
Haus Carstanjen
Martin Luther King Str. 8
53175 Bonn
netaid@unv.org