Volunteering as a family is a great way to connect with your community and each other. Make time for what matters most this summer with these fun and family-friendly volunteer activities.

Darcy Hughes
Recent posts by Darcy Hughes
2 min read
Volunteering as a family: 7 opportunities to give back together
By Darcy Hughes on May 9, 2023
Topics: inspiration
2 min read
4 Ways to Support Disaster Relief
By Darcy Hughes on February 20, 2023
You can make a meaningful difference in relieving the effects of natural disasters, whether it be through donations, volunteerism, or advocacy. When looking for ways to contribute before, during, and after natural disasters, consider how you can maximize impact by working with others! Here are 4 ways to support disaster relief efforts today:
Topics: disaster relief
3 min read
7 Ways to Honor Black History this February and Beyond
By Darcy Hughes on February 15, 2023
Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history. This list offers a few ways to delve deeper into Black history and support a more equitable future.
Topics: nonprofit resources social justice inspiration advocacy
3 min read
7 ways to Level-Up your Social Strategy to Recruit more Volunteers
By Darcy Hughes on February 9, 2023
Every follower on your organization's social media is a potential volunteer—they just might not know it yet. Building and maintaining a social media presence, especially in a small organization, is not without its challenges. That is why we compiled 7 ways to level-up your social media strategy to recruit more volunteers:
Topics: nonprofit resources volunteer engagement
2 min read
Pledge to volunteer in the new year!
By Darcy Hughes on December 7, 2022
One thing I have learned as a marketer on a small team is that making content that serves multiple audiences or multiple purposes is invaluable. The same goes for our efforts in life. We only have limited energy and hours in the day so we need to be efficient—this is how I approach New Year's resolutions.
Topics: inspiration
2 min read
5 easy ways to volunteer – virtually
By Darcy Hughes on November 23, 2022
With all the hustle and bustle of our modern lives, it can be easy to let our good intentions to volunteer fall by the wayside. Volunteering doesn’t have to feel like an extra task on your never-ending to-do list. From small tasks to larger projects, finding ways to get involved is easier than you might think.
Topics: virtual volunteering
5 min read
The Process was Magic: How a Creative, Skills-Based Volunteer Opportunity Became a Documentary Short
By Darcy Hughes on November 14, 2022
In 2020, Cedar Schimke, Executive Director of Slow Food Minnesota, posted an opportunity on VolunteerMatch, seeking creative volunteers to tell her organization's story. At the same time, filmmaker Kish Daniels was looking on VolunteerMatch for an engaging, skills-based project. He saw Cedar's posting and clicked the button, "I Want to Help," what came next was a project neither party could have expected.
Topics: inspiration local volunteering
3 min read
Planting the Seeds for Change during National Adult Education Week
By Darcy Hughes on September 22, 2022
This week is National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week and we want to show some #LocalLove to Literacy Minnesota, the only statewide, volunteer literacy organization in Minnesota.
Sophie Phan, Volunteer Outreach Coordinator and volunteer for Literacy Minnesota, believes in English literacy as a powerful means to broaden educational and economic opportunities for immigrants and refugees in the United States. Sophie immigrated from Vietnam to Minnesota when she was five years old, grew up as a voracious reader, and believes in the power of stories to motivate and inspire.
Topics: inspiration Stories from the Field
3 min read
Senior Dogs Snuggle Up For International Dog Day
By Darcy Hughes on August 25, 2022
For this International Dog Day (August 26th) we want to spotlight Lily’s Legacy Senior Dog Sanctuary, a nonprofit dedicated to the mighty task of rescuing, caring for, and rehoming large breed senior dogs. Of the dogs who come to Lily’s, 80% are from shelters and, more often than not, have suffered neglect. The organization does thorough evaluations and treatments to get them adoption ready.
Topics: inspiration local volunteering
4 min read
“Feeding others feeds my soul” Pajaro Valley Loaves and Fishes
By Darcy Hughes on July 8, 2022
An interview with Rozene Pieri Enloe, a Community and Volunteer Outreach Coordinator with Pajaro Valley Loaves and Fishes— a community-based organization dedicated to alleviating hunger in Santa Cruz County, California.
- 40% of those served by Loaves and Fishes are children
- Homelessness in Santa Cruz County is 5x the national average
- With only four full-time staff members, the nonprofit relies on volunteers