Though my experience with online volunteer organizations is very limited, it seems that the major cause of failure in many projects is fundraising. Very little can be done without the funds. The volunteers may have the best of intentions, spending much time putting together a great plan with a very willing community, but the project gets to a point where it cannot progress without funding. And if the project does progress beyond that stage, it is because it has been taken on by an established charitable organization.
An online volunteer organization (OVO) is at a distinct disadvantage in this respect. There is very little that can be done as a group to raise funds online. How does one establish the credibility necessary for the donor to feel secure that their funds will be well spent? What exactly is the entity the donor is sending funds to? In my experience, this method does not have a high success rate.
As mentioned elsewhere, I believe that an OVO might succeed best by acting as a broker between the community in need and established charitable organizations, finding a match between the community and the organization that would be best able/willing to meet their needs.
I'm hoping others here have had better experience with the fundraising/OVO experience. What have your experiences been? And what are your thoughts on a better way?