Every Share Helps!

Today's blog post is courtesy of Ben Smith.

When you are getting ready to head out on your next volunteering trip, it can feel like technology is not as important as you once thought, particularly when you are heading to a place where the Internet is not as integrated with everyday life. Farmville requests can take a backseat to actual farms, and Twitter #hashtags don’t belong where actual tagging needs to be cleaned up. However, there are a few ways in which technology can be an asset to you wherever you go. Here are a few reasons why you shouldn’t try to get away from it all.

Before your trip

If you’re feeling like it’s difficult to raise awareness for the cause to which you are dedicating yourself, or if you’re simply just tired of writing support letters, a note on Facebook will help people aid you in your journey. A firsthand account of what you are going to do and why allows people to feel like they can easily be invested alongside you, monetarily or otherwise. Not all support needs to be raised by hosting bake sales or knowing your dad’s rich friends. If you include your donation information in a note, a few dollars sent here and there can really add up to benefit you and those you are going to serve. (This is also a convincing argument for why the elderly should be on Facebook; they usually have pretty deep pockets.)

Facebook can also be a great way to connect with your contact person at the volunteer organization with which you will be working, and get to know the people you will be meeting soon. Arriving in a strange country with just a name on an index card can be fairly nerve-racking! If you have the chance to see and learn about where you’re headed and who you will be working with there, you can feel much more connected and focus on why you are volunteering instead of worrying about making a good impression on the people next to you.

While you’re abroad

If you are fortunate enough to have Internet access where you are working, it is highly beneficial to stay in touch with friends and family while abroad, especially the individuals and organizations who helped you get there. The frequency of your communication should not be a concern; those who only hear from you once or twice will still feel far more connected with you and your cause than those who do not hear from you at all.

Don’t forget, too, that such communication is a two-way street. You will greatly benefit from feeling grounded and this feeling will help you adjust to your new surroundings much more rapidly. “Mini-communications” – writing on someone’s Facebook wall or tweeting updates from wherever you are – are more efficient than postcards, too.

Post-trip

It goes without saying, but keep in touch with the organization you served with and particularly the people you have just met by following them on Twitter or connecting with them via Facebook. This is a great way to stay reminded about how you made a difference, and prevent the depression that can occur upon your return. This is also great way to hear about future volunteer opportunities – provided you enjoyed the one you just completed – and build relationships with people who are different from you. Who knows? You may even meet a future business partner or soul mate and have quite the story to tell when people ask how you met.

These are merely some of the ways in which you can use social networking to enhance your volunteer experience. If you have others, or questions/comments, email me at benjaminsmith@alum.berkeley.edu.