Today’s post comes from Michael Nealis, Interactive Strategy Coordinator for Points of Light Institute.

Everyone knows about The Extraordinaries, right?  They started a movement in volunteerism—bringing small, online volunteer tasks directly to volunteers via their mobile phones.  Their first really big success came in the aftermath of last year’s earthquake in Haiti.

Volunteers supported by the Extraordinaries tagged photos coming out of Haiti with information about the people in them so that people outside of Haiti could find out if their friends and family were safe.

The Extraordinaries have a new project called Sparked.  Nonprofits come to Sparked to share small online volunteering projects with volunteers who are looking for projects that can be done during a lunch break, in line at the grocery, or while waiting in the limbo that is the DMV.

Sparked is facing one problem, though.  There are far more volunteers than opportunities for them.  More nonprofits need to sign up and provide challenges for the population of volunteers.

You might be thinking that your organization doesn’t have anything that a virtual volunteer can help with.  You don’t have documents that would benefit from another person editing them?  You don’t have any graphic design projects that are collecting dust?  Need help brainstorming ideas for just about anything?  Need a document translated?  Need help filling a position on staff, or finding ways to recognize the awesome work that your organization’s employees are doing?

I thought you might.

Even if you’re not sure what kind of challenges your organization could request, the sign up process helps you to choose tasks!  When you sign up, you’re asked what your organization’s top needs are, and then you’re told just how many volunteers can help you with them!

Sparked even offers webinars to help nonprofits get started!  They’re offered twice a week and hosted by Sparked Community Manager, Shauna, who’s really friendly!

HandsOn Network has signed up and will be posting challenges soon!

There’s a step by step guide below for signing up.  Check it out, think about the challenges you can add to Sparked, and then sign your organization up!

Or sign up to volunteer!

Let us know if you’re already using Sparked, or if you’re going to sign up, in the comments!  We’d love to hear about your experience!