Using Instant Messaging to work with volunteers
Howard Lake | 8 November 2002 | News
Jayne Cravens of United Nations Information Technology Services (UNITeS), has published an article to help
illustrate the advantages of using Instant Messaging to work with volunteers.
Many volunteer managers communicate with volunteers via the phone and e-mail, especially volunteers operating remotely. Can Instant Messaging (IM) also be a useful tool in such distance management?
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Jayne Cravens, author of the article “Handheld computer technologies in community service/volunteering/advocacy,” shares her thoughts on the benefits of IM in this field. She pulls together research derived from online discussion groups, from UNITeS’ staff’s own experiences, and from other resources.
She is careful to define IM as “a text-only exchange among two or more people that is via computer and the Internet, is private, and is live.” She contrasts this with online “chat” which is usually involves more people and is more public.
Read “Using Instant Messaging to Work With Volunteers: Benefits and Suggestions” at UNITeS.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.