Having spent many years working for nonprofit organizations, I know first-hand how valuable volunteers are to helping them accomplish their missions. In fact, most organizations simply could not be effective without volunteers. Looking for a way to give through action. Take a look at more than 20 Volunteer Opportunities.
A Range of Volunteer Opportunities
- Become a volunteer greeter at a visitors center or city-sponsored special events.
- Enjoy athletics? Why not become a volunteer coach with Special Olympics. Or a partner for a sight-impaired runner.
- Equipped with medical expertise? So many organizations can use your assistance with educational programs, free clinics, hospice mission trips, and much more.
- Handy with tools or willing to learn? Volunteer on a construction site partnering with a family to realize the dream of home ownership through a program such as Habitat for Humanity International.
- Help prepare food and serve at a shelter or soup kitchen.
- Hold a clothing, food, school supply, or toy drive for a local nonprofit.
- Love animals? An animal shelter near you can probably use help caring for and raising funds for four legged (and sometimes other) creatures in need. Wildlife rescue centers and zoos often need volunteers, as well.
- Mentor a young person through a program such as Big Brothers/Big Sisters.
- Nature your gig? Did you know that you can volunteer short-term or long-term at national parks, refugees, and more. Opportunities range from park maintenance and repair to visitor guides and facility operations.
More Ways To Serve
- Pack, organize, and/or help distribute food through a food bank.
- Participate in a littler cleanup. Many towns conduct both roadside and waterway litter sweeps.
- Read books with students through a school-sponsored or nonprofit program.
- Serve on the volunteer team for a road race. All sorts of help, from passing out t-shirts to helping with water stations along the course, is needed.
- Spend time helping out at a nonprofit or church run thrift store. Help sort through donations, stock shelves, and help customers find what they are looking for.
- Take hot meals to senior citizens and check in on them through a program such as Meals on Wheels.
- Teach a financial literacy course through a community center or to high school students through a school-sponsored program.
- Train and deploy on a short-term assignment as a disaster relief volunteer. In the United States, organizations such as the American Red Cross, Convoy of Hope, Samaritan’s Purse, and many more need large numbers of volunteers. Also, you can locate your area community emergency response team to see about volunteer opportunities near you.
- Tutor in reading, a language, or a variety of subjects.
For ideas about how to serve others:
30 Kind Inexpensive Things To Do For Others
