Volunteering is a powerful way to give back to your community, gain new skills, and connect with like-minded individuals. Whether you’re looking to make a difference in someone’s life or simply want to explore new interests, there are countless options available. Here are 20 ways to find the volunteer opportunity that resonates with you.

After graduating from Federal Polytechnic in Nigeria, Folashade sought to grow her professional skills through virtual volunteering. She studied Accounting for practical reasons and had not expected to find a volunteer opportunity that would ignite her passion and change her life. 

Through VolunteerMatch Folashade discovered Womenful Voice, a U.S.-based organization empowering women in Haiti. After three months of volunteering as the Executive Assistant to Womenful’s CEO, she was hired to do the role full-time.

Volunteering: The Gift That Gives Back

Q: Can you tell us about yourself and your organization, Crisis Text Line?

A: Yes. Thank you. I have been the CEO of Crisis Text Line for three years, and it's truly been a privilege to lead such an extraordinary organization that provides free and accessible mental health support through text messages.

School on Wheels is an organization enhancing educational opportunities for children who are experiencing homelessness from kindergarten through twelfth grade.

• 1/3 of unhoused people are under the age of 18
• 1:20 children in CA don’t have homes
• 64% of children experiencing homelessness do not graduate high school

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.

Published 10/6/21 and updated on 9/30/22

Each of us has the power to create more compassionate and inclusive communities in different aspects of our lives whether at home, school, work, or in our neighborhood. October provides a variety of opportunities to celebrate diversity, learn more about each other, and strengthen our communities by giving back. Explore 12 ways you can do just that!

In a world where we are seemingly endlessly bombarded with painful news, it’s easy to imagine that the pandemics of our time would have all of us curled up in a ball on the couch. It’s not an unreasonable reaction to a steady onslaught of tough news. It’s also not true.

Last month we held our first ever Webinar Design Session: Solving the Retention Problem. I want to thank everyone who attended and participated — it was a really dynamic conversation! You can learn more about the question that started all of this, some of the existing challenges with retention, and my thoughts here. 

Michele Wiesner is the Director of Capacity Building at Hire Heroes USA, a national nonprofit empowering U.S. military members, veterans and spouses to succeed in the civilian workforce. Her work focuses on supporting service delivery through partners and stakeholders to increase organizational reach, effectiveness and efficiency.

Many of us are looking for safer ways to give some kindness to others this holiday season as we see the increasing need to support our communities and the rise of the Omicron variant. Giving to others in any form — from cards to meals to a sympathetic ear — shows people they’re cared for. Here are 10 simple ways to be a force for kindness.