Are you ready to volunteer virtually with MASS TIMES?
Volunteering from a home or work computer is different from working on-site with an organization for many obvious reasons: there's usually more flexibility in the use of your time, a greater degree of independence, you interact very little (if at all) with various staff members, etc. For some, these differences make virtual volunteering ideal; these same reasons can make it difficult for others.
Setting your own schedule is one of the chief joys of virtual volunteering. However, there's nothing virtual about the commitment you are making, nor the deadlines you are assigned to complete the volunteer work. MASS TIMES is counting on you to finish any projects you volunteer for. When you agree to a virtual volunteering assignment, you are agreeing to complete the assignment on time.
It's so easy to say yes to volunteering via the Internet that many individuals sign up to do so before really considering their expectations and schedule for an assignment.
Before you volunteer to help MASS TIMES via the Internet, consider the following to determine if you are ready:
Do you have regular, ongoing access to the Internet?
If you only have access at college, and the semester is about to end; or, if you are about to switch Internet providers or computers, now is probably not a good time to volunteer to complete a project virtually. Online volunteering assignments usually last several months; make sure you will have ongoing access to the Internet during that time. Do you know how to communicate well via the written word?
Most, if not all, of your communication during a virtual assignment will be via e-mail. Good writing skills and excellent attention to detail are important in any virtual volunteering project. Even if you want to provide a highly technical service, such as creating a database, you have to be able to clearly communicate what you are doing to your supervisor at MASS TIMES. Do you stick to deadlines? Do you see a project through to its finish?
MASS TIMES is counting on you to complete the assignment you've volunteered for; there's nothing virtual about your commitment. Do you have the time needed to complete the assignment?
Virtual assignments vary in length and depend on the skill level as well as the time devoted to the assignment each week. Most of the programming and web design assignments can be completed in a relatively short amount of time if they are worked on daily. This makes these assignments ideal for students needing a semester project or for people who can devote a lot of time to the assignment in a short time frame. MASS TIMES does ask that you devote the time needed to complete the assignment as it is often difficult for another volunteer to start working on a programming project in midstream. For research, publicity and other assignments that are on-going, MASS TIMES asks volunteers to make a 1 year commitment to help us maintain continuity. Are you comfortable working on your own, without direct supervision?
That doesn't mean you shouldn't ask for guidance when you need it. However, virtual assignments are best for those people who enjoy working on their own, with just occasional supervision. Are you self-motivated?
At times you may receive an e-mail just to say, "Good job" or you may get a personal email thanking you for your contribution. But this won't happen on a regular basis. When you work at home, the inspiration to work on a virtual assignment has to come from yourself. Do you pace yourself well? Do you avoid over committing for projects?
Most volunteers who do not complete their online assignments say that they thought they could do the work when they signed up, but as the deadline for the assignment approached, they realized that other things must take priority: school activities, home duties, work projects, etc. MASS TIMES is left with an unfinished assignment and an unmet need. Think about your work style and your other commitments before volunteering. Do you have a set time of day when you will work on virtual assignments? Don't just assume that you will get to that three-hour virtual assignment some time before the deadline two weeks from now; schedule a time, to complete the project you've committed to do. Will your work area be void of distractions while you are working on a volunteer assignment?
Any virtual assignment is going to take a certain level of concentration and intensity. Make sure your environment is going to allow you to devote the proper energies to your assignment.
Is this the right time for you to take on a volunteering project?
If you are feeling overwhelmed by other responsibilities, now is probably not a good time to volunteer, on or offline. Volunteer managers are very understanding about your job and family commitments -- but they are also counting on you to finish assignments you commit to. Do you answer your e-mails quickly (no more than 48 hours/two business days after receipt)?
MASS TIMES may need to contact you with a critical issue before you complete the assignment. If you are interacting one-on-one with someone as part of the virtual assignment, responsiveness is crucial to the success of your online relationship. What benefits do you expect out of volunteering virtually? What results should the organization expect because of your volunteering?
Answering these questions for yourself will help you better identify the virtual assignments right for you.
If you answered no to any of the above questions, or had difficulty answering some of the questions, perhaps you are not ready for volunteering virtually.
Before You Begin Volunteering with MASS TIMES
To volunteer online, you must have regular access to:
- a computer
- your own email account
- the Internet, both via email and the Web
While volunteering:
- You are responsible for your own equipment and maintenance.
- MASS TIMES cannot reimburse you for any expenses associated with this assignment without prior written approval from us (we don't anticipate any costs being associated with assignments, but if you come across such a possible cost, please let us know and wait for approval before you make ANY purchase).
- You are expected to complete any assignments you volunteer for by the deadline date. If you cannot complete the assignment, please notify the Project Manager at your earliest possible convenience.
- We ask that you are answer all e-mails from MASS TIMES within 48 hours (two business days) of receipt (weekends and holidays excluded, of course). The Project Manager is committed to answering e-mails from you within 48 hours as well.
- Please correspond with MASS TIMES via the e-mail address you used to apply to volunteer originally. If you need to change this address, please let us know.
- Material produced by volunteers for MASS TIMES, including graphics materials, web page designs, research, compilations, etc., becomes the property of MASS TIMES upon submission.
- You need to have updated anti-virus software on your computer. MASS TIMES makes every effort to ensure its files are virus-free.
- You will need to submit weekly e-mails to us describing your volunteer work on either Mondays or Fridays. At times, we will also send you e-mails involving MASS TIMES to help keep you informed of major events, activities, milestones reached, etc.
- The safety of our volunteers is important to us. To that end, MASS TIMES will not release a volunteer's phone number, age or other personal information to anyone outside of our organization without that volunteer's written permission to do so. We may list volunteers who have completed assignments for us, along with the city where they reside and their e-mail address, in internal e-mail news bulletins or newsletters. We are happy to remove any or all of this information for a particular volunteer per that person's request.
- MASS TIMES accepts the service of all volunteers with the understanding that such service is at the sole discretion of the organization. Volunteers agree that the organization may at any time, for whatever reason, decide to terminate the volunteer's relationship with them. The volunteer may at any time, for whatever reason, decide to sever the volunteer's relationship with the organization. Notice of such a decision should be communicated as soon as possible to the volunteer¹s supervisor.
- Volunteers are asked to NOT contact organizations or individuals on behalf of MASS TIMES unless they are given express written directions to do so by the Project Manager. Prior to any action or statement which might significantly affect or obligate the organization, volunteers should seek prior consultation and approval from appropriate staff. These actions may include, but are not limited to, public statements to the press, coalition or lobbying efforts with other organizations, or any agreements involving contractual or other financial obligations. Volunteers are authorized to act as representatives of the agency as specifically indicated within their job descriptions and only to the extent of such written specifications.
- Volunteers are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of all information to which they are exposed while serving as a volunteer. Failure to maintain confidentiality may result in termination of the volunteer's relationship or other corrective action.
IF YOU ARE PART OF A MANDATORY COMMUNITY SERVICE PROGRAM (as part of a court order, probation or part of a school requirement), please get permission from the organization that is requiring you to do community service BEFORE volunteering with MASS TIMES. Not every program recognizes virtual volunteering as meeting mandatory community service obligations. If you need to have paperwork or timesheets signed, please let us know before you being volunteering. We are also happy to speak with your supervisor by phone to explain our program and answer any questions.
IF YOU ARE UNDER 18 -- please let at least one of your parents know you are going to volunteer with MASS TIMES. We strongly suggest that you give your parents the URL of MASS TIMES so they can see what we are all about. We also suggest you copy one or both of your parents this volunteer manual as well as your weekly reports when engaged in an assignment for us, and we will be happy to do the same.
Communication
Providing a weekly update on what you are doing with regard to your online volunteering assignment is critical to MASS TIMES. We can't interpret Internet silence -- are you doing well? Are you unhappy with this assignment? Are you content and working away? Are you in need of assistance?
Regular reporting is also important because, if you cannot complete an assignment, we need to know so we can give the assignment to someone else. All of our volunteer assignments in some way contribute to our work in meeting our mission. Every volunteer assignment is important to us.
As we mention frequently, each Friday or Monday, depending on your preference, you should email MassTimes@aol.com and tell us:
- what assignment you are working on
- how many hours you've worked on this assignment (even if it's none)
- what percentage of the assignment is left to do (are you half done? 75% done?) and how "on track" you feel
- any problems/obstacles you've encountered in completing this assignment, or any comments in general you would like to make about the assignment (loved it, hated it, learned a lot, etc.).
Also, you may be asked to complete an online survey -- either via the Web or via email -- about your online volunteering experiences thus far. These surveys (no more than twice a year) help us refine our online programs and better serve our volunteers. Consider completing such assignments as part of your contributions to our Project!
Recognition
Volunteers are absolutely vital to the success of this program, and we want to recognize you for your contributions!
Upon completion of your assignment, your name, e-mail address and city and state will be published, along with your accomplishments in e-mail updates and/or newsletters. Please note your e-mail address will not be "live", and therefore will not be harvested by "spambots." If you do NOT want any of this information published, please let me know.
Current Volunteer Assignments
Please copy the assignment(s) you are interested in working on in an e-mail message and mail to: MassTimes@aol.com (We welcome participation from school or other groups. Time frames can be modified to accommodate groups.)
Spiritual Director
Develop/refine spiritual flavor and tone. Respond to emails like this one [I have just went through another loss in my life. I feel empty and so hurt on the inside. After talking to many friends, I feel that Catholicism is something that I would love to look into. I have never been baptized or really been to church. I just need some kind of guidance. How would I go about learning more?]
Suggests re-writes of the web page narratives and letters. Present ideas to achieve increase the service of this ministry to Catholic and to the Church. Minimum hours “none.”
Requirements; religious training and 3 years of experience, good communication skills and a very stick follower of the teaching of the Catholic Church, a strong spiritual live.
Director of Development
Develop/refine fund raising programs. Write the web page narratives and letters that communicate to need to the supporter/donors. Present ideas to increase the donation income. Minimum 8 hours a month for 1 year or until project is complete. Prepare weekly reports of your efforts and e-mail to supervisor.
Web Master by web page
Web Master, help manage the text web pages changes, programs in HTML. You will be required to go through an online or phone interview, or submit samples of your work before you are given this virtual assignment. Minimum 12-16 hours a month for a minimum of 1 year. Prepare weekly reports and e-mail to supervisor.
Research
Using various online tools such as catholic directories, web pages, e-mail, etc. gather information on various topics and organizations that relate to the topic described below. The materials you find will lead to new or updated resources for the Mass Times web site. Excellent attention to detail and a love of online surfing a must. Data entry can be done via the Internet. Volunteer projects can begin at any time and can be completed by teens as well as adults.
Parish-level information gatherers keep church information current for parishes. We will do our best to match volunteers with the parish of their choice. An Internet data entry system allows you to do the updates. Minimum four hours a month for one year. Prepare weekly reports and e-mail to supervisor. (Keeping a few parishes worship times current, dose not require, reporting or a commitment.) Just click on the Update Parish Information button. Email us with any questions.
City-level information gatherers give a minimum of 10 hours a month for a minimum of 6 months (1 year commitment preferred), keep parish information current for all the parishes, missions, and other church sites in a city or diocese. We will do our best to match volunteers with the city or diocese of their choice. An Internet data entry system allows you to do the updates. This is an excellent group activity. Prepare weekly reports and e-mail to supervisor.
Research information on various countries to help us update a reference list of country, providence/state and place/city names and codes. The USA city names list, by state, in an Excel spreadsheet, are in very great need of your help. Minimum 8 hours a month for 1 year. Prepare weekly reports of your findings and e-mail to supervisor.
Survey dioceses to determine what data/format/type style would work best for them, if they were to use Mass Time data on their web site. Also, gather information regarding diocesan holidays, contact information, web site/e-mail addresses, phone and fax numbers. Information can be gathered by e-mail. Minimum 8 hours a month for one year. Prepare weekly reports of your findings and e-mail to supervisor.
Using web sites and e-mail, contact international dioceses to determine cost and purchasing information for published (hard copy) diocesan directories that list parish information. Minimum 8 hours a month for 1 year or until project is complete. Prepare weekly reports of your findings and e-mail to supervisor.
Research the web and other sources to locate Catholic Radio and TV Mass times and channels for designated states. Minimum 8 hours a month for 1 year or until project is complete. Prepare a list of your findings by state, city, channel and day/time and e-mail to supervisor weekly. We will do our best to match volunteers with a state(s) of their choice. This is an excellent group activity.
Review Adorations sites for possible updates/additions. http://members.aol.com/PACoord/#Index or help us update an existing list of camp grounds, state and national parks, airports, trains and bus stations, and hotels/motels. Minimum 8 hours a month for 1 year or until project is complete. Prepare weekly reports of your findings and e-mail to supervisor.
Web Design
For web design assignments you may be required to go through an online or phone interview, or submit samples
of your work before you are given an assignment.
Help E-mail/fax/mail merge a letter to parishes and diocese. Minimum 8 hours a month for 1year. Prepare weekly reports for supervisor.
Design a search engine lookup of international country/diocese/parish web and e-mail addresses. Minimum 8 hours a month for 1 year (or until assignment is complete). Prepare weekly reports for supervisor.
Improve the computer-generated locations on churches by editing church addresses to achieve a higher % of Geo code lat/longs. Minimum 8 hours a month for 1 year. This could be a group project with a shorter time frame. Prepare weekly reports for supervisor.
____Add ability to know what response times are and add information to statistical web page. http://www.masstimes.org/Stats/Default.asp Minimum 8 hours a month for 1 year (or until assignment is complete). Prepare weekly reports for supervisor.
____Redo lookup of other Services. Minimum 8 hours a month for 1 year (or until assignment is complete). Prepare weekly reports for supervisor.
____Test and review performance figures at various modem speeds for the Mass Times web site. Also, test for broken links. Minimum 8 hours a month for 1 year (or until assignment is complete). Prepare weekly reports for supervisor.
Web Site Programming (Text only) HTML Programming only
____Redo Who we are/What we do/Frequently Asked Questions and Volunteers. Minimum 8 hours a month until assignment is complete. Prepare weekly reports for supervisor.
____Catholic Web Links, make user friendly, refine category indexing, automatic URL testing. Request links to MT and ask for missing useful web sites/pages. Minimum 8 hours a month for 1 year (or until assignment is complete). Prepare weekly reports for supervisor.
____Add a list of diocese contact info, web site/e-mail address, phone/fax numbers. Information will be provided by a research volunteer. Minimum 8 hours a month for 1 year (or until assignment is complete). Prepare weekly reports for supervisor.
____On-line print service for Mass Times Prayer Cards, Posters and press releases. Minimum 8 hours a month for 1 year (or until assignment is complete). Prepare weekly reports for supervisor.
____Test web addresses in database for broken web addresses then add to error list. Minimum 8 hours a month for 1 year (or until assignment is complete). Prepare weekly reports for supervisor.
____Design a Site Map, extensive one page index for the Mass Times site. Minimum 12 hours a month for 1 year (or until assignment is complete). Prepare weekly reports for supervisor.
____Add option for Text only and large print to the web site. Minimum 8 hours a month for 1 year (or until assignment is complete). Prepare weekly reports for supervisor.
Web Site Programming (Mass Times Data Base)/Map lookups.
____Add to list of language lookups including, Sign (American Sign Language). Minimum 12 hours a month for 1 year (or until assignment is complete). Prepare weekly reports for supervisor.
Improve the computer-generated locations on as many churches as possible. Edit church addresses to achieve a higher % of Geo code lat/longs. This could be a group activity with a shorter time frame. Minimum 12 hours a month for 1 year (or until assignment is complete). Prepare weekly reports for supervisor.
Publicity
____Send notices for Mass Times to parish bulletin editors. This can be done by e-mail. This is an excellent group activity and can have a shorter time frame. Minimum 8 hours a month for 1 year. Prepare weekly reports for supervisor.
____Distribution of information--cards and posters--that give the Mass times, phone number and web site. We will do our best to match volunteers up with an area of their choice. This is an excellent group activity and can have a shorter time frame. Minimum 8 hours a month for 1 year. Prepare weekly reports for supervisor.
_____Send e-mail, faxes and mail letters to designated dioceses asking them to put a link to www.Masstimes.org and offering Mass times data for their diocesan web site. Postage expense will be reimbursed. Minimum 8 hours a month for 1 year. Prepare weekly reports for supervisor.
_____Send faxes and mail letters to designated parishes asking the to put a link to www.Masstimes.org Postage and phone expense will be reimbursed. This is an excellent group activity and can have a shorter time frame. Minimum 8 hours a month for 1 year. Prepare weekly reports for supervisor.
_____Send e-mail, faxes and mail letters to designated Catholic Web sites asking the to put a link to www.Masstimes.org and offering Mass times data for their web site. Postage and phone expense will be reimbursed. This is an excellent group activity and can have a shorter time frame. Minimum 8 hours a month for 1 year. Prepare weekly reports for supervisor.
I can share my other God-Given talent of:
Online Research Advice and Resources
More than half of all online volunteer assignments with MASS TIMES involve some kind of online research.
What are the tools?
There are four types of search tools on the web: search engines, directories, directories with search engines, and multi-engine searches. Because each tool has its strengths and weaknesses, an experienced web researcher will try to use multiple tools to get the most out of the search.
Search Engines
Also called "spiders" or "crawlers," search engines constantly visit web sites on the Internet in order to create catalogs of web pages and 'index' the content based on keywords. Indexing works in a similar way as the Index in the back of a book-a long list of keywords link you to the pages that the word is on. Since the engines are continually updating the database by indexing sites through the robots, new information is available faster than on directories. Search engines are good for keyword searches, but not subject searches. Realizing that search engines have their drawbacks, many of these engines also have directory functions.
Examples of search engines: Alta Vista, Excite, Google, HotBot, Infoseek
Directory
A directory search tool searches for information by subject matter. It is a hierarchical search that starts with a general subject heading and follows with a succession of increasingly more specific sub-headings. Unlike search engines, directories are created by humans. Sites must be submitted, then they are assigned to an appropriate category or categories. But just like in a library, a directory is only as good as the people that are categorizing. Because they are indexed by hand, some directories can often provide better results than search engines.
Examples of directories include: Encyclopedia Britannica and Magellan.
Directory with search engine
A directory with search engine uses both the subject and keyword search methods described above. As a directory search, it follows a directory path through increasingly more specific subject matter. At each stop along the path, a search engine option is provided to enable the searcher to convert to a keyword search. A subject search and keyword search are thus said to be coordinated. The further down the path the keyword search is made, the narrower is the search field and the fewer and more relevant the hits. Examples of directories with search engine functions include: Look Smart, Yahoo
Multi-engine search
A multi-engine search utilizes more than one search engine at the same time. You enter keywords into the "meta-search" and the engine submits the keywords to multiple sites. It then lists the hits either by search engine or by combining the results into a single listing based on a percentage. Examples of multi-engine searches include: All-In-One and Metacrawler.
So...now what? or How do I use these things?
Now that you have the tools, the next step is asking the questions. Each search engine has its strengths and weaknesses, but the key to better searches is asking better questions. Wording the query properly can dramatically improve your search results.
Start with the specific
Start with very specific terms and use at least three or more search terms when you start. By using more keywords to narrow your search, you can locate documents that fit your information needs more precisely. To narrow your results further, continue to add more query terms to focus your search quickly.
Use Operators, if possible
Operators are "rules or specific instructions used for composing a query in a keyword search." These rules, or tags, help you communicate all of the keywords and combination of keywords to help you narrow your search. Warning! Each search engine has its own operators, so by becoming familiar with which operators your search engine uses, you increase the likelihood of a successful search. Some operators are used in common by a number of search engines: Boolean Employs AND, OR, NEAR and NOT to connect words and phrases [i.e. terms]. AND requires that both terms are present somewhere within the document being sought. OR requires that at least one term is present. NOT excludes a term from a query. When using these operators, remember to capitalize them as shown above. Plus/Minus Signs This is pretty much the same as the Boolean. + is similar to the Boolean AND. - is similar to the Boolean NOT. Do not leave a space between the operator and the term that follows. Quote Marks: Use "quote" marks to indicate that the words within the quote marks are to be treated as an exact phrase.
Finding Out More...
To learn more about search engines and how to use them, here are some suggested sites:
Search Engine Watch On this site is A Webmaster's Guide To Search Engines which explains how search engines find and rank web pages, with an emphasis on what webmasters can do to improve how search engines list their web sites. Guide to Effective Internet Searching A good subject-driven tutorials on everything from the Basic search to using filters and doing specialty searches (like product searches and finding people online).
Spider's Apprentice Details how to get the most from search engines like AltaVista, Infoseek, Excite, Webcrawler, Lycos, HotBot, and the Yahoo Directory. The Strategies page gives a very good guide to planning your search strategy. Information Research FAQ Details the methods, resources and skills used in information research using the Internet. Particular attention is paid to the role of the Internet as both a reservoir and gateway to serious information resources. Discusses everything from finding a Web page to newswires and news databases to research tools and software.
Finding Names, Street Addresses and Phone Numbers
Some online research assignments are just to find correct names, street addresses, and other contact information. This can be part of an assignment to correct information in a contact database, or to build a new database of contact information for a nonprofit organization. We recommend these tools:
Internet Yellow and White Pages:
Yahoo Online Yellow Pages Big Yellow InfoUSA.com & InfoSpace.com
Zip Code and Address Locator Sites: The US Postal Service Zip-Code Look-up
Finding Databases and Statistics
Statistical Resources & Adherents.com
Created and maintained as an independent project by Preston Hunter, this site offers a large collection of statistics on religion, currently totaling more than 44,000 adherent statistics and religious geography citations for "over 4,000 religions, churches, denominations, religious bodies, faith groups, tribes, cultures, movements, ultimate concerns, etc." While deep, the site offers these statistics with absolutely no filtering or distillation, and some users may find the listings somewhat confusing. Those in search of quick facts (largest religions, major branches, largest churches, etc.) will find them on the main page. More detailed statistics are found in the two indexes -- Religion by Location and Religion by Name. The indexes list groups, location, number of adherents, percentage of total population, number of congregations, number of countries, source, and notes or a quote. Users will find numerous and sometimes contradictory statistics for some faiths, depending on the sources used and their dates. Despite this, the listings at this site are downright huge and may prove useful to a wide variety of students, researchers, and interested users.
The U.S. Census Bureau has a free online "Census Tract Street Locator". Just enter in a street address and ZIP Code, and out comes a list of census tracts surrounding that location. Profile options are available for each search result, including information on race, income distribution, education level, household income, etc. Such a tool is useful for getting an accurate picture of the communities served by nonprofits, among other applications.
Grants & Other NP Info
These resources can help you research grant opportunities, and to find similarly-focused organizations and resources
.
Web & Graphic Design Resources
- Learning .html and .cgi Many people want to use their online volunteering experience as a way to learn .html and .cgi and create a portfolio of work. While MASS-TIMES cannot provide you training in these areas, we can provide you with links to other Web sites that can help you.Web Fonts and Colors Guide
Includes an index of web colors and fonts, what they look like on various backgrounds, and what they look like in cells. Free Artwork ("Clipart" or "Clickart") Resources
A list of links to web sites that offer free, public domain artwork that anyone can use. Online volunteers can use this artwork in the development of web sites or print publications they design for nonprofits.
OTHER
- Database support
Many online volunteers take on database-related tasks. These resources can help you during such assignments. Translating documents to or from English
Some online volunteers are asked to translate information from English to another language. These are tips on how to successfully involve such volunteers, as well as links to free tools that translate simple documents from other languages into English, and vice versa. Time Anywhere in the World
A very helpful tool for online volunteers communicating with individuals in a different time zone. Miscellaneous Resources
Where to find a dictionary of file types, a compilation of dictionaries in most major languages.
02-02-2006