These resources on this section of my web site are focused on people who want to make a difference for good in some way, through volunteering or through a career. These are pages that are focused on people who are not professionals already at a nonprofit, NGO or charity - though please note that volunteering activities are a great way to explore possible careers in the nonprofit or humanitarian sector. What I'm trying to do with these pages is to answer the frequently asked question What can I do to make a difference in the world or a cause I care about. Note: a lot of traditional volunteering activities was suspended or completely curtailed because of the pandemic - and many volunteering activities have been greatly and permanently altered to better protect both volunteers and clients from any potential virus spread. Please respect protocols that nonprofits have instituted because of the novel coronavirus / COVID-19 pandemic - if they ask you to wear a mask, wear a mask. If you don't want to do that, go somewhere else to volunteer. Contents If you want to stay as safe as possible from the novel coronavirus / COVID-19, or other respiratory illnesses, but still want to volunteer, please see Volunteering in the time of the novel coronavirus/COVID-19. How to find volunteering opportunities, a resource for adults who want to volunteer. Detailed information on for teens that want or need to find community service or volunteering tasks. You are NOT too young to volunteer! Ways you can volunteer, no matter how young you are. Advice for family volunteering - volunteering by families with children and, related, advice for teaching children compassion & understanding instead of pity with regard to poverty. Group volunteering for atheist and secular volunteers - how to find welcoming opportunities for groups of volunteers that are not religious-based.
If you are seeking volunteering in order to fulfill a community service obligation from a court or for a school graduation requirement, see this resource. How to find or create volunteering opportunities to help seniors / elders / the elderly. Advice for finding volunteer activities during the holidays (spoiler alert: start looking in as early as August - not even kidding). Online Volunteering / Virtual Volunteering: finding volunteering tasks you can do from wherever you are in the world. Also called remote volunteering, crowdsourcing for good, online microvolunteering, digital volunteering, etc. This is the most comprehensive advice and list you will find regarding this type of volunteering. Home-Based (in your own home) Volunteering Where Your Service is NOT via a Computer or the Internet (at least not to actually DO the volunteering service, but you may need to report your work online). Volunteering to help after major disasters - if you have ever wanted to help people affected by a sudden event like an earthquake, flood, tornado, hurricane, fire or human-caused event, this resource details what you need to do NOW. Volunteering to address your own mental health - This resource is designed to help you have realistic expectations for volunteering to address your loneliness, depression, anxiety, etc., and to avoid an experience that will make you feel worse instead of better. Volunteering with ETHICAL organizations that help animals and wildlife. There are opportunities much closer to you than you might think. Volunteering on public
lands in the USA (national parks, national
forests, national monuments, federally-managed
historic sites, Bureau of Land Management land, state
parks, wetlands, etc.) Volunteering
to help refugees in your own country. There is
NO need to go to another country if you want to help
refugees - it's very likely they are right there in
your country, now, even right there in your own
community. And your help, as a volunteer, is urgently
needed. This resource will tell you how to help. With
the launch of the Welcome Corps in the USA, it's
important to know what supporting newly-arrived
refugees really entails. Using your business skills for good - volunteering your business management skills, to help people start, expand or improve small businesses / micro enterprises, to help people building businesses in high-poverty areas, and to help people entering or re-entering the work force. Dos & don'ts for
technical assistance volunteers / volunteers
donating expertise Volunteering in pursuit of a medical, veterinary or social work degree / career - volunteering that will help build your skills and give you experience applying skills to work in these fields. Ideas for Leadership
Volunteering Activities Ideas for creating your own volunteering activity. If you haven't been able to find the volunteering opportunity you want to do with an existing nonprofit, why not create your own project? You can do so without forming your own nonprofit. How to Get a Paid Job with
the United Nations or other international
humanitarian or development organization. Packing advice for
first-time humanitarians & aid workers 14 Reasons Not to
Volunteer Abroad Fund raising for a cause or organization - how to raise money for a nonprofit, non-governmental organization (NGO), charity or program you care about. Crowdfunding for a personal cause: raising money to help with health care costs for a sick family member, someone in a dire financial crisis, etc. (as opposed to raising money for a nonprofit) Donating things instead of cash or time (in-kind contributions) - do people living in poverty, or people after a disaster, really want your used shoes, your used clothes, your used car, etc.? Creating or holding a successful community event or fund raising event - before you throw a concert or marathon or comedy show or whatever to raise money, read this. Careers working with animals (for the benefit of animals) - how to volunteer and study to get this type of paid job in the future. How to make a difference internationally / globally/ in another country Without going abroad. Yes, there really are ways you can help without moving or traveling. Ideas for Funding Your Volunteering Abroad Trip & How to Engage in RESPECTFUL "Voluntourism." This resource includes suggestions of ethical programs and questions to ask any program that wants your money to give you your feel-good short-term volunteering experience in another country. How to complain about your volunteering experience. Tax credits for
volunteering - advice for residents of the USA. How you can advocate for an issue important to you. If there is something you want to tell people about, to prompt them to care, even to prompt them to action, this resource is for you. Helping People Address
Their Problems with Plastic
What Work-At-Home / Remote Jobs Look Like and how to avoid scams. How to Try to Work Abroad & Not Get Scammed. Beware of pay day loans, quick loans, cash advances, etc. How to stop being a slave to debt. Tips for Long-Term
Unemployed People Seeking Jobs, Older Job Seekers
& For Those Just Starting Out. Tips
for Teens to Find Paid Work. What To Do After You Have Been Fired from a Job. Caring for Your Elderly Family Member / Loved One. When Your Parents Aren't Supportive: Thriving in a household where your parents don't seem to really care. A Teenager's Guide to
Emancipation. Because it rains a LOT in Portland. This is the most comprehensive list you will find ANYWHERE. How to Live Car-less/Car-free in the USA (or, at least, ways you can live and work and use a car less day-to-day) How to Find the Login Screen for Public WiFi |
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