Virtual Volunteering with TutorMate

The advancement of technology has created real-life innovations previously only imagined. We can video chat with a friend across the world for free, self-driving cars are now on California roads, and we can even descend into real volcanos using virtual reality! With all these advancements that have improved and enriched our lives, there are also more tools out there that allow us to give back to our communities.  

Many organizations are tapping into technology to increase access and reach of volunteering opportunities. One such way is through virtual volunteering. Employees can now volunteer from their desk, their home, or wherever they have an Internet connection. This has transformed the volunteering landscape as it now allows people to participate who may have been deterred from volunteering due to time or life constraints. And even though virtual volunteering has made it easier to give one’s time, it has not taken away from the social and individual benefits that volunteering can bring.

Recently, 15 Symantec volunteers experienced this first hand. Over the course of the school year, these Symantec employees volunteered 30 minutes each week as reading tutors.They were each paired with one first grader from Markham Elementary in Oakland, CA and every week would meet virtually through TutorMate to practice the student’s reading. Using a phone and a computer, employees would log on to the interactive online system shared with the student and they would read electronic books or play reading games together. Innovations for Learning, a non-profit that uses technology tools to improve literacy for disadvantaged primary grade students, created this program that allows volunteers to help children improve their reading skills virtually.

“Symantec's support for our TutorMate program in Oakland Unified Schools this past school year has been truly wonderful,” said Dan Weisberg, Director of Innovations for Learning / Tutormate. “The participation and consistent commitment of Symantec’s virtual volunteer tutors to helping close the literacy gaps in their young students far exceeds what we usually see in our first year organizational partners. Helping young students at this critical time in their academic career is of enormous long-term value to these kids. We are looking forward to working with them again in Fall 2015 and perhaps to an even greater headcount of volunteer tutors, if the stars align this way in the coming months.”

Jackie Fahrner, one of the Symantec volunteers said, “I had such a great experience through this process. Tutormate gave me a chance to impact a child’s life. It was so easy. All I had to do was schedule a session and then show up online. Getting to know my student and connecting with her was rewarding. I found out we had many things in common – our love of chocolate and dogs. Both of us looked forward to our time together, and the best part is that she was learning through the experience. By the end of the year her reading skills jumped and knowing I was part of that is very rewarding. If taking thirty minutes out of my week improved Lyriq’s chances, just think of the impact we can all make together. Sign me up for next year, and I have others I am recruiting as well!” 

At the end of the school year, Symantec organized a party and the volunteers got to meet their students in person for the first time. To encourage continued learning, the volunteers put together pamphlets for their students that provided them with local and national reading contests  so that they can keep up their reading during the summer holiday. The volunteers brought Symantec gift bags and spent the afternoon decorating bookmarks with their student.

The volunteers were just as excited to be a part of this opportunity as the students, and the benefits were mutually shared. Stacie Wong, another of the Symantec volunteers shared, “Getting on the phone with my student each week was one of the high points of every week! I loved her enthusiasm and interest. Finally getting to meet her at the end of the year was also very special—to put a face to the name and voice and to spend some fun time together was a great way to wrap up the year. I would highly recommend this experience to anyone. It’s a small effort with huge rewards.”

As an added bonus, the volunteers were able to log their hours through the Dollars for Doers program, thus doubling the impact! Employees volunteered a combined 173 hours totaling a donation of $2,598. “I love the double dipping – spending thirty minutes of my time with Lyriq and then also being able to submit hours through the Dollars for Doers program,” noted Jackie Fahrner.

At Symantec, virtual volunteering has become central to our corporate philanthropy strategy and enables us to tap the passion of our 21,500 employees in over 50 countries worldwide.

Lora Phillips is Director, Corporate Responsibility at Symantec.