Offering your time and talent (aka volunteering) can be a great way to support the causes you are most passionate about and give back to your community. Many nonprofits, campaigns, and social justice causes depend on volunteers to run their operations. Volunteering can create direct and indirect benefits for both the volunteer and the causes and communities served. However, not all volunteer opportunities are created equal, and some volunteerism can do more harm than good.

Here are some tips on how to volunteer with purpose and impact.

Align your values and interests with your time, talent, and ability

Google “how to volunteer,” and you will be bombarded with articles that talk about the importance of assessing your skills and talents and aligning them with your values and interests. They are right. You should volunteer for a cause you are passionate about or to help address a pressing need in your community. You should consider the amount of time you have to volunteer and not commit to more than you can handle. But, once you figure that out, there are still a variety of considerations to explore.

Consider the impact of different types of volunteering

Skills-based vs. general knowledge

One of the most significant ways to increase your impact as a volunteer is to share a specific skill or expertise.   When most of us think about volunteering, we think about directly interacting with the people or cause we want to support.  We want a tangible way to connect to the work we are doing and see the impact it is having firsthand.  However, many organizations are understaffed or operating on shoestring budgets.  They benefit from experienced volunteers who can support their back-office operations such as marketing, HR, finance and accounting, IT, data entry, etc.  It may not feel as warm-and-fuzzy, but if you have the right skills and can put them to use, it can often be very impactful.

That said, there will always be a need for front-facing support that utilizes specific skills and talent.  For example: language interpreters for immigrants and refugees, research for an advocacy campaign, music lessons at a nursing home or youth center,  child care for survivors of domestic violence attending court proceedings, math tutors for youth in foster care, IT support for the elderly, and so much more. 

Other volunteer opportunities only require some general knowledge and common sense with limited training, but can still be very impactful.  For example: delivering meals to the homebound, escorting people seeking abortions past protesters, or driving people to the polls.  

Still other opportunities require training to participate.  You should still consider your innate talents when seeking a training-based opportunity.  For example, if you are not naturally non-judgmental or an active listener, volunteering as a crisis counselor or mentor may not be the right fit for you. 

One-off vs. ongoing

One-off volunteering (think: a company volunteer event or MLK Day) may make you feel good about yourself, but it is less likely to be that impactful.  One-off engagements are an opportunity for nonprofits to expose you to their work and longer-term volunteer options, and to build a relationship to increase the likelihood of you making a monetary donation.  These events can also be a lot of work for charitable causes to organize, with minimal benefit or payoff.  If you can commit to an ongoing volunteer assignment, you are more likely to reap higher returns for both yourself and the cause.   That said, be realistic about how much time you can commit.  The worst thing would be having to back out when an organization is relying on you. 

Anytime vs. emergency response

Volunteerism tends to increase during a catalytic event, following an emergency, or during a period of social change.   And, while not necessarily “emergency response,” there are also many impactful, time-bound opportunities to volunteer - for example, phone-banking for a Get Out The Vote (GOTV) campaign.  Volunteering during these times is great, and we encourage you to continue to do so.  You may also want to consider how volunteering during a low-energy moment can help prevent the crisis or emergency in the first place, sustain a movement beyond a catalyzing event, or contribute to lasting and systemic change.  (Perhaps an emergency response volunteer moment is your first exposure to an organization - consider following up with the organization to see if they have opportunities to help on an ongoing basis!)

In-person vs. remote

The advantages and practicality of in-person volunteering include the social benefits of face-to-face interaction and relationship building, more hands-on support, seeing the work in action, and the opportunity to better understand the issue first-hand.  There are also many benefits to virtual volunteering.  It can increase volunteer support to rural or under-served areas and accessibility for disabled people.  Online volunteering can also be more time-efficient and flexible. 

We often prefer to use people-first language (a way to avoid using labels to define someone with the intention of recognizing the person instead of their trait). For example: people with disabilities versus disabled people. However, many people in the disability community prefer “disabled person” because they feel that identity-first language is destigmatizing and affirming. When in doubt, go with what the people with lived experience around you prefer.

Established volunteer programs vs. cold-calling

The work of some organizations does not easily lend itself to volunteer tasks.  It may require highly specialized skills. Or, it needs more time and effort than the organization has to create a meaningful program that adequately trains volunteers and centers the community or cause it is meant to serve.   However, when people reach out to these types of organizations with an offer to volunteer, they feel like they can’t say no.  They want to cultivate a relationship with the person to increase the likelihood of a monetary donation or other types of support in the future.  In these instances, the organization or group may create busy-work to accommodate the volunteer request.  In the end, this does not benefit the volunteer or the group.

Instead of reaching out to groups with an unsolicited offer to volunteer, look for well-established volunteer programs with a track record of success and meaningful contributions to the cause or community served.  They are more likely to have the mechanisms in place to create a mutually beneficial exchange and help you to leverage your time and talent to increase your impact.  Check out our Take Action newsletters for volunteer opportunities with trusted organizations. 

 Local vs. travel-based

From long-term volunteer commitments such as Peace Corps or City Corps that provide a stipend to volunteers to live and work in a community for a specific period, to shorter travel-based volunteer opportunities (aka voluntourism), service trips, and mission trips -  there are a variety of ways to combine travel, culture, and volunteering.   These types of opportunities have received a lot of criticism in recent years including that they exploit local communities, promote white saviorism, implement costly solutions that can’t be maintained by the community, and mostly attract younger people who lack the skills and experience to do the needed work properly.  Others believe that when done correctly, these opportunities provide a powerful opportunity to increase cultural understanding and awareness, mutually benefiting the volunteer and host community.  Make sure you research any opportunity carefully to ensure the organization is reputable and that volunteer action is driven by communities on the ground, is meaningful to and fills a gap for the host community,  provides sufficient training and support, and promotes a sustainable solution.  

Recognize power and privilege

Volunteering, though well-intentioned, can sometimes reinforce patterns of power and privilege.  We all hold privilege and power based on race, ethnicity, social status, income level, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, ability, age, etc. It’s necessary to be aware of the privileges and power you hold to address power imbalances. It’s also important to learn to recognize areas where you might be able to use your privilege or relative position of power to amplify your impact. Here are some things to watch out for.

White saviorism

Time and money are precious commodities, and many people cannot afford to volunteer.  As a result, a large portion of volunteers tends to be well-off, well-intentioned, white people who volunteer in low-income and communities of color or in developing countries.  Despite good intentions, many of these volunteer programs center the white or well-off person as the one who knows best and portrays those they help as passive recipients of charity, incapable of meeting their own needs.  It reinforces shame-based identities that turn recipients into helpless victims, robbing them of their dignity and autonomy.  We are not saying that well-off and white people shouldn’t volunteer.  We do recommend looking for opportunities that intentionally respond to this criticism by centering the needs of the community being served over the needs of the volunteer and shifting power dynamics.  For example, a food kitchen that serves its guests restaurant-style with volunteers waiting on tables is more empowering than one that offers a buffet line. 

Unpaid Internships

Young people often use internships as a way to gain experience or a foot in the door to a coveted paid job.  Certain undergraduate and graduate degrees require internships (aka practicums, field placements, co-ops) to graduate.  Internships can also boost college and job applications.  Unpaid internships are a form of volunteerism because they rely on free labor.   As a result, many of the people who would most benefit from an internship -- or who would most contribute to fields that require internships to graduate -- can’t afford to take an unpaid job or don’t have access to prestigious placements.  Conversely, it’s often people with already reduced job market barriers (think: family connections, educational background, or people for whom pay is not a factor) who can afford to work for free.  Unpaid internships can also displace entry-level jobs and drive down wages.  We recommend that all internships should be paid. 

Prevention and personal accountability vs. response 

In addition to volunteering for a cause in response to a problem, reflect on ways you could change your own behavior to help prevent or reduce the problem in the first place. 

How to find a volunteer opportunity

Here are a few suggestions to find high-quality and reputable volunteer opportunities:

Go with something tried and true

National, long-standing volunteer-based programs such as Big Brothers Big Sisters, Habitat for Humanity, Meals on Wheels, Rotary Club, and Sierra Club, among many more, are a good place to start.

Use a volunteer matching site or volunteer job board 

Check out VolunteerMatch, Idealist, Catchfire, and Taproot Foundation, among others. 

Fight social injustice through existing volunteer programs with a track record of success  

Focus on reputable nonprofits and social change organizations that work on the social justice issues you are most passionate about.  Many of Everyday Activism Network’s Take Action newsletters recommend these types of volunteer opportunities at organizations that we’ve vetted for you.   

Volunteer in institutional settings

Look for opportunities at nursing homes, long-term care facilities, prisons, juvenile detention centers, and rehabilitation programs. 

Get political 

Volunteer for a political candidate, political action committee, or community advocacy group.  Look for opportunities on the website of your go-to political organizations or check out Mobilize for vetted opportunities. 

Run for office!

Many locally elected positions are volunteer-based.  One of the most impactful ways to create change in your community is to get involved in local politics.  Learn how at Run for Something. (Run for Something also offers volunteer opportunities if you want to dip your toes in first.) 

Support local community structures  

Look for opportunities at your public library, parks and recreation department, community center, youth center, faith organizations, state and national parks, and public schools.  Reach out to them directly or visit Volunteer.gov.

Become a patron of the arts 

Volunteer at an arts and cultural organization such as your local museum or community theater.

Join a neighborhood association or nonprofit board

Always vet the organization you are thinking about volunteering with to avoid the pitfalls mentioned in this post. You can also apply some of the tips from our Making the Most of Your Monetary Donations post.

Just do it

We don’t want you to have analysis paralysis or think that all volunteering is exploitative or oppressive. We do want you to take the time to reflect on your power and privilege, vet the organization and the opportunity, and push yourself to commit to ongoing vs. one-off activities. This will help you to volunteer responsibly and increase your purpose and positive impact.

Make a difference on the issues you care about.

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Everyday Activism Network is a one-stop-shop where you can learn about and take action on a variety of social justice issues and causes. Each week, we publish new posts designed to support your everyday activism.

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Originally published August 3, 2021.

Posts identify both fast actions that you can take in under five minutes and more time-intensive actions that deepen your engagement.  Our fast actions tend to be time-bound, as a result, some posts in the archive may contain expired links. Not to fret, we also recommend anytime actions that never go out of date.