Getting Started

If you are thinking about volunteering, it is good to ask yourself some important questions about your interests, needs, and limitations before you begin searching for volunteer opportunities: 

• Do you have a passion that can be pursued through volunteering?
• How much time can you give? Once a week, a few times a month, or every so often?
• What skills would you bring to a nonprofit or volunteer organization?
• Are there new skills or knowledge would you like to acquire? Where and how do you want to serve?

It is also important to consider what kind of volunteering experience you want to have and what kind of environment you will feel most comfortable in. Examples of volunteer opportunities include:

• Tutoring children in reading and math.
• Helping to build houses with families in need.
• Participating in neighborhood watch programs.
• Serving as a Community Emergency Response Team member
• Mentoring a young person to help him or her achieve a personal goal.
• Joining a community environmental clean-up or recycling project.
• Delivering meals for elderly and ill residents in your neighborhood.
• Helping local nonprofits by fundraising, recruiting other volunteers, serving on their boards, or contributing other skills you may have.

Matching Your Skills with a Volunteer Opportunity

Click on the “Find a Volunteer Opportunity” button at the top of the page. On the search page, enter your ZIP code or state, area of interest, distance you’re willing to travel, and type of program for which you’d like to volunteer. To find opportunities that suit the particular skills or experience that you would like to share, you can also conduct a keyword search or a skills search that will seek out volunteer opportunities that target the skills and interests that you designate. Below are examples of some of the keywords that may help you find skill-specific opportunities:

• Fundraising
• Event planning
• Volunteer recruitment
• Teaching
• Nursing
• Accounting
• Board member
• Strategic Planning
• Legal services
• Technology

Finding the Right Place to Volunteer

Research the different organizations that have volunteer opportunities available. Be sure to look at the mission of the organization.  Understanding an organization’s philosophy will help you determine if a given volunteer opportunity is a good fit for you. 

You may find that you really like an organization, but that the volunteer opportunity currently advertised is not a good match. Feel free to inquire about whether there are other ways you might contribute to the organization’s mission.

Below are several questions to help you research an organization before volunteering with it:

• What does your organization do?
• Who do you serve? (People in a certain geographic area, age group, etc.)
• What outcomes have your efforts produced?
• Do you have a specific philosophy guiding your work?
• How many volunteers are in your group? What are their responsibilities?
• Is there a designated volunteer coordinator who would be your point of contact?
• What is the time commitment?
• Do they provide assistance with travel, parking, or other incidental expenses?
• Can you speak with others who have volunteered with the organization in the past?
• What opportunities are there for family members to accompany you/participate?