History

The Online Volunteering service was originally a part of NetAid, a joint initiative of Cisco systems and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to help end extreme poverty. The Online Volunteering service, which has been managed since its inception by the United Nations Volunteers programme, was one of many activities that began under the NetAid initiative.

The Online Volunteering service was launched in 2000, and it quickly attracted thousands of people ready to volunteer online to help organizations working for development. After more than three years of being hosted by the NetAid website, the Online Volunteering service moved to its own URL, www.onlinevolunteering.org, in February 2004.