Virtual volunteering makes it possible to create real-world impact—without ever leaving your desk. For HR, DEI, and CSR leaders, it’s one of the most scalable, accessible ways to engage employees in purpose-driven work, no matter where they are.
In this post, we’ll cover what virtual volunteering is, why it matters for your team and company culture, and the best virtual volunteer opportunities for teams, with real examples from our client events.
Why Virtual Volunteering Matters
Virtual volunteering offers flexibility and impact—two things today’s workforce values highly. It’s a cornerstone of inclusive, high-engagement workplace programs, especially as more employees work remotely or in hybrid models.
Here’s why it matters:
- 71% of employees say volunteering improves their well-being.
- 82% of Gen Z employees want to work for companies that support the causes they care about.
- Companies with employee volunteering programs see 52% lower turnover.
- And virtual volunteer opportunities help bridge gaps in access, location, and availability—making it easy for every employee to participate.
Whether your team is fully remote, hybrid, or distributed globally, virtual volunteering for teams makes purpose-driven programming possible.
What is Virtual Volunteering?
Virtual volunteering refers to any volunteer activity that can be completed remotely—usually via computer or phone. It allows individuals and teams to contribute time and talent to nonprofits and causes without needing to be physically present.
How does it work?
There are two core formats:
- Live virtual events: Guided sessions run over Zoom or another platform, usually hosted and facilitated by an expert team.
- On-demand/async activities: Flexible opportunities employees can complete on their own time.
And the best part? It’s easy to measure, scale, and repeat.
You can create your own program or use a virtual volunteering platform like Percent Pledge to manage, track, and celebrate your impact.
Benefits of Virtual Volunteer Work from Home
Virtual volunteer opportunities are not just logistically simple—they’re strategically smart. Here’s why:
- Accessibility: Anyone with internet access can participate.
- Scalability: One event can engage a global team.
- Flexibility: Volunteers can contribute live or async.
- Inclusivity: Supports caregivers, parents, introverts, and others who may be less able to volunteer in person.
- Impact Reporting: Digital tools make it easy to track hours, engagement, and outcomes.
This model works especially well for mid-sized companies who want to offer more benefits without hiring a dedicated social impact team. With Percent Pledge, for example, your team gets ready-made events, a purpose-built platform, and a full suite of volunteer event planning services.
Best Virtual Volunteer Opportunities for Teams
Here are the best virtual volunteer opportunities we’ve organized for clients. All are high-impact, well-loved by employees, and easy to facilitate remotely.
Virtual Volunteer Map-a-thons Supporting Disaster Relief
Volunteers learn how to read open-source maps from satellite images on a digital platform, then work to map buildings or areas for a real project submitted by a community in need. Up-to-date maps are critical for hunger and disaster relief globally.
New Relic Service Day Impact:
- 46 volunteers
- 1,663 map edits
- $5,106 in-kind value
Citizen Scientists Supporting STEM & Environment
Become a Citizen Scientist: Contribute to real research from your own computer. Volunteers assist in real, ongoing research by analyzing authentic materials—such as images of distant galaxies, historical records, or wildlife videos.
New Relic Service Day Impact:
- 68 volunteers
- 7,793 classifications
- $7,548 in-kind value
Mock Interviews Supporting Vulnerable Adult Populations
Volunteers collaborate with justice-impacted individuals completing retraining programs, offering personalized guidance on crafting effective resumes and cover letters. This support enhances their employment prospects, facilitating successful reentry into the workforce.
New Relic Service Day Impact:
- 26 volunteers
- 18 Per Scholas Learners interviewed
- $2,886 in-kind value
Virtual Birthday Messages Supporting Sick Kids
Employees recorded fun, heartfelt birthday greetings to bring joy to children experiencing homelessness. It's a simple, creative way for teams to connect with each other while making someone’s day.
New Relic Service Day Impact:
- 15 volunteers
- 18 videos recorded
- $1,665 in-kind value
DIY Pet Toy Making Supporting Foster Animals
Team members followed step-by-step instructions to create toys for shelter animals using old clothing—all from their homes. Virtual hands-on projects like this give employees the chance to do good, get creative, and feel immediate impact.
New Relic Service Day Impact:
- 15 volunteers
- 48 pet toys made
- $1,665 in-kind value
On-Demand STEM Tutoring
Volunteers offer on-demand, asynchronous STEM tutoring to underserved high school students. This support is crucial in guiding over 60,000 students toward higher education and successful careers.
Letter Writing Campaigns
Employees write heartfelt letters to children in foster care, hospitals, or facing food insecurity—an easy and emotional way to give back.
Literacy Inclusion & Audiobook QA
Volunteers engage in a two-part virtual or in-office event to promote literacy inclusion. First, they participate in a Literacy Simulation to experience the challenges struggling readers face. Then, they conduct QA checks on audiobooks, ensuring high-quality resources for students nationwide.
Virtual ‘Face Hunger’ Simulation Supporting Hunger Awareness
Experience the challenges of food insecurity. Participants assume the roles of individuals facing hunger, navigating real-life scenarios to provide nutritious meals for their families. It fosters a deep understanding of hunger in cities. *Hunger Trivia Challenges are also available, as part of critical education/awareness building campaigns.
Real Testimonials From Happy Employee Volunteers
These are just some of the 28 incredibly positive employee testimonials after this single service day organized by Percent Pledge for our client New Relic:
How You Can Find Virtual Volunteer Opportunities Like These
There are dozens of platforms listing virtual volunteer opportunities, but not all of them are designed for employee teams. Many are built for individuals, not for CSR, DEI, or People leaders looking to scale impact and measure engagement.
If you're building a workplace program, here’s what to look for:
- Opportunities tailored to causes your employees care about
- Ability to run both live and async activities
- Tools to track participation and impact
The Percent Pledge platform checks every box—plus more.
We integrate the full VolunteerMatch database of nonprofit opportunities, but we don’t stop there. Our platform also offers:
- Volunteer management tools to organize all team events, past and present
- VTO tracking, impact dashboards, and dollars-for-doers integrations
- Live virtual events, pre-planned for heritage months and social causes
- A global-ready system that supports remote and distributed teams
What Makes the Percent Pledge Volunteering Platform Different?
Other platforms like Groundswell and VolunteerMatch fall short for employee volunteering. Here’s what sets Percent Pledge apart:
- We include the full VolunteerMatch database—but we don’t stop there. Our platform also helps you manage, track, and report all employee volunteering in one place.
- We host live virtual events, run on Zoom and designed for ERGs, hybrid teams, and cause holidays.
- We track VTO and offer “dollars-for-doers” features—essential for companies building full-circle engagement programs.
- We support global teams with a flexible system that works across offices, time zones, and languages.
- And unlike Groundswell, we don’t just give you a list—we give you an end-to-end program.
In short: VolunteerMatch is just a directory. Groundswell is just a form.
Percent Pledge is a full employee volunteering platform.
👉 Explore the Percent Pledge Volunteering Platform
👉 Learn more about our full-service corporate volunteer events👉 Invite your team to one of our upcoming virtual volunteer opportunities
In addition, we are continuously bringing new innovations to the domain of corporate volunteer programs that, which makes Percent Pledge the best volunteer management software. Here are three examples:
- Community Volunteer Events: Percent Pledge hosts monthly community volunteer events aligned with heritage months and cause awareness holidays—zero planning required. These events are loved by employees and deliver high-impact results.
- Volunteer Tree Planting (aka Grow Your Impact): And don’t forget—your employees can turn their volunteer hours into real trees planted through our innovative new Grow Your Impact feature.
- Impact Badges: Automatically recognize your employees with collectible virtual badges tied to key actions—like supporting multiple global charities or logging 8+ volunteer hours. These badges aren’t just for recognition—they drive the behavior you want to see by making social impact feel visible, gamified, and celebrated.
Whether you're looking to engage remote teams, plan volunteer events around heritage months, or build a fully integrated program from the ground up—Percent Pledge makes it easy.
👉 Request a demo to see how our clients drive 50%+ participation in their employee engagement programs.
