Where Should You Volunteer?

It’s a common problem.  You want to volunteer someplace, but don’t know where to get started.  How do you find a place to volunteer?  Are you just supposed to hit the internet and Google things like “soup kitchen,” or “build houses” in your area?  Are you supposed to look up charities you’ve vaguely heard of, things like “habitat for humanity,” or “local food bank”?  And if you do, how do you know that the charity you find is reputable and worthwhile?

Luckily there are groups out there who can take care of all of that for you.  These organizations will help rate charities for you so that you know where they are located and what to expect.   And they’re not any farther away than a click of the mouse .

One of these groups online is  VolunteerMatch.org. With nothing more than a desire to volunteer and a zipcode you can find volunteer organizations in your area that are reputable, organized, and actively looking for volunteers.  They’ve got millions of visitors and over 80,000 organizations on their site, which is more than enough to help you find someone you can help near you.

But if you’re looking for something a bit more than VolunteerMatch then Idealist.org might be the website for you.  It’s a board for volunteer opportunities, internships, or even jobs that are looking for people.  You can post your resume, explore options, and even apply online.

And that’s not it.  Both groups also keep blogs containing an extensive collection of news articles and write-ups of different organizations in their network.  All-in-all, they’re excellent resources for potential volunteers, and a great way to scratch that philanthropy itch.