CULTURE

Where To Find Online Volunteer Opportunities

You Can Volunteer Virtually!

These past few years have found many of us with more time, less money, and an abundance of concern for our communities. But not all of us can easily head into retirement centers, affordable health clinics, or animal shelters to lend our energy as volunteers, so how can we foster that support from home?

We’ve compiled a list of ideas for virtual volunteering below. Each section starts with some tips to support the people directly in your network so that you can strengthen existing connections. But don’t stop there—it’s also equally important for us to expand our horizons and help those outside of our spheres, especially if our network is homogenous. For a wide variety of specialized remote volunteer opportunities, start by checking VolunteerMatch, Idealist, or your local volunteer match organizations, like LA Works.

Ultimately it comes down to this: we’re stronger when we’re together, and 2022 requires all the community connection it can muster.

Mental Health Support

There’s a heaviness right now that cannot always be borne alone, whether it’s the pandemic, racial inequality, or global instability and war. It probably won’t take you long to find someone in your own network who can benefit from a listening ear. Make a plan to text one friend a day to check in, to offer up a phone call, or to run an errand for them. Or, invite your connections on social media to engage with you privately if they’re experiencing stress, anxiety, depression, or otherwise. Unless you’re a mental health professional, you cannot provide full service to someone, but support can go a long way.

Volunteer Opportunities

Seniors

Many seniors, especially those in retirement or assisted living homes, can be isolated from friends and family these days. Connect with the older people you know—neighbors, grandparents, family friends—by writing letters or setting up a regular call or virtual touch base. If you can’t offer emotional support right now, consider picking up groceries or running essential errands to help reduce more vulnerable people’s exposure to COVID-19. The below opportunities are global, but you can make a local impact by calling nearby care homes to see if anyone needs extra outreach.

Volunteer Opportunities

  • Help with essential errands like yard work, snow removal, and grocery shopping through Cultivate
  • Adopt a grandparent through CHD Living (UK)
  • Reach out to an elderly person who is experiencing loneliness while living at home through ALONE (Ireland)

Children

The past few years have posed additional stresses for parents of young children, whose regular resources may no longer be available to them. Additionally, many schools are still wavering between in-person classes and virtual learning, which both carry significant concerns for parents, teachers, and kids alike. If you have friends with kids, host a virtual storytime, or send a care package of simple and engaging activities like crafts, games, or outdoor toys. Especially if you’re volunteering with children directly, look for organizations that do background checks and have policies to ensure protection and privacy for children.

Volunteer Opportunities

  • Mentor a teen in creative writing through WriteGirl (Los Angeles, US)
  • Offer your science knowledge to young people through Science Buddies
  • Help students improve their reading skills through Reading Partners, which offers virtual reading tutors based on local school re-openings
  • Narrate audiobooks for children and adults who have “a demonstrated learning disability, visual impairment, or physical disability” through Learning Ally
  • Write a letter to a child experiencing physical illness to brighten their day through Post Pals (UK). You can also write to the child’s siblings. This organization connects volunteer penpals with kids ages 3 through 17
  • Mentor a young person between the ages of 11 and 30 through The Prince’s Trust (UK), which helps people gain skills and confidence, find jobs, and start businesses

Career & Technology

If you’re tech-savvy or have a specific skillset, extend your professional support to those around you. Consider developing a website, lending business plan guidance, or offering legal tips to people in your network who are starting their own businesses. And if you’ve got an editorial eye, you can help others craft a sharp resume and polished cover letter.

Volunteer Opportunities

  • Support a nonprofit through Catchafire, a certified B Corp that connects volunteers with nonprofits to offer professional services
  • Consult pro bono through Taproot and help nonprofits with projects like social media strategy, HR consulting, business plan creation, financial analysis, and more
  • Engage with entrepreneurs to support their areas of growth as a Micromentor
  • Increase access to Code.org’s classes by offering your skills as a translator
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