Finding Volunteer Activities During the Holidays

• So many, many people want to volunteer during the holidays that organizations that involve volunteers during these days book their volunteer openings quickly, often months in advance (some food pantries and soup kitchens are booked with volunteers for Thanksgiving and Christmas a YEAR in advance!).

• Most economically or socially-disadvantaged people find family to be with during the holidays. Even most people staying in homeless shelters go to a family member's home on Thanksgiving or Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. That means that many shelters and soup kitchens don't serve many people on Thanksgiving or Christmas.

• It is very hard for a nonprofit organization to develop a one-time, just-show-up and volunteer activity that is worth all the expense (staff time to supervise the volunteers and supervise them, particularly since the volunteer may never volunteer again); often, it's cheaper and easier to simply let the staff do the work themselves. In addition, group volunteering activities are also quite difficult to develop, for similar reasons.

• Staff at nonprofits often suspend all training of new volunteers the week of Christmas, through January 1. This is to allow staff some time off to be with their own families for the holidays.

• Start looking early. August is not too early. January is not too early!

• Volunteer with the organization months before the holidays: go through their orientation process, get trained, and prove yourself as a reliable volunteer at least a few times. You are more likely to get to volunteer during the holidays as a result.

• Contact your local office of Meals on Wheels. They will prefer that you volunteer several times before the holidays, to prove yourself as a reliable volunteer, before signing you up for any days during the holidays.

• Call, email or visit the nearest ReStore - the thrift store that operates for the benefit of Habitat for Humanity in your area. You could help organize books or albums or DVDs (if they sell such) - they often need this help every week. You could help organize any area of the store: games and puzzles, luggage, electronics, holiday-related items for sale, etc. You could help move furniture from the warehouse to the showroom. You could take photos for online sales. You could help decorate the store for the holidays. You could help put all the Christmas decorations away after the holiday. You could help people take large items to their car. Every ReStore is different in how it involves volunteers. Some require volunteers to volunteer for a minimum hours a week. Some allow volunteers to help just one day, one time. 

• Holiday farmer's markets or city markets. Many towns and cities ended their outdoor weekly farmer's markets this month, but will have a special in-door event in December. Same for nightly markets, artist markets, etc. Just find the nonprofit or government agency that does your town's weekly or monthly farmer's market, artist market, outdoor market, etc. and see if they have an event in December, and contact them about volunteering.

• Helping at any community event. Does your town have a holiday parade? Is there a music performance happening at your city auditorium or another venue? A Chrismas play at the local community theater? Contact the organizers and ask if you can help with ushering, directing parking, whatever. 

• Call your local United Way and ask for a list of homeless shelters and other agencies that serve food in your community, then call each shelter to ask if you can volunteer during the holidays (call at least three months in advance; six months or a year is even better). Be ready to call numerous places in order to find a place to volunteer on a holiday, and have an alternative if, even calling six months in advance, you cannot find a place on your preferred day.

• Call the Salvation Army to see if they will be delivering meals or serving meals during the holidays and if you could volunteer to help with either activity. Call at least four months in advance.

• Contact local hospice organizations to see if you could help with meal delivery or other services during the holidays, or on a specific day.

• Call your local USO, VFW, VA hospital and other veterans organizations and ask them if they will be doing any activities during the holidays that you could volunteer for.

• Make baked goods, or bake fresh bread with home made or high end jam, or create a healthy charcuterie board and, on the holiday of your choice, drop by places that might have someone working -- animal shelter staff, police, firefighters -- and distribute them with your best wishes.

• Practice singing 5 - 10 short songs with families or friends, then call your local hospital or senior home and see if you could perform there during lunch or supper for patients or residents during the holidays.

• Get a group together to serenade volunteers serving food at the local homeless shelter, or people coming in to pick up deliveries for Meals on Wheels, or volunteers at a Habitat for Humanity site. Get permission from the associated nonprofit well in advance -- do NOT just show up. And take no for an answer -- if you are going to be in the way, or your going to delay work too much, your offer may be turned down. You can, ofcourse, also look for opportunities to sing for recipients of service (people in hospice care, people receiving meals at home, etc.) but, again, get permission from the associated nonprofit well in advance -- do NOT just show up.

• Clean up or decorate a room in a facility serving youth, seniors, patients, etc. (you will have to start looking at least six months in advance for such an experience).

• Arrange to do a canned food drive to benefit your nearest food pantry at your workplace, community of faith, ethical society, civic group, sports facility, or central site in your neighborhood.

• Arrange to have a book drive for the local library at your workplace, community of faith, ethical society, civic group, sports facility, or central site in your neighborhood (however, call the library first, to make sure they accept book donations, and make sure donors understand that their books will probably be sold and the money used to benefit the library, rather than their books becoming a part of the collection).

Note that for certain activities, nonprofits may require that the names and home addresses of all volunteers be supplied to them. They may require volunteers to undergo criminal background checks. Don't be offended; respect the policies and procedures of nonprofit organizations regarding volunteer involvement, some of which may be required by law, just as you expect employees to adhere to policies and procedures at your workplace.

I don't have "make cards for homebound people/seniors/children in hospitals", etc. That's because so many places are overrun with such cards, and those the cards are for often don't want them. Always call a place first to ask if they want such cards and, if they do, what cards should say - and what they should not say.

Also see the various web sites and apps where you can find places to volunteer in your community in the USA, Canada and a few other countries.

If you are thinking of holiday volunteering as a way to deal with your own loneliness, depression, feelings of worthlessness, etc., a caution; most nonprofits are not prepared to address the mental health needs of volunteers. Here is realistic advice for Volunteering to Address Your Own Mental Health (loneliness, depression, anxiety, etc.) that will help you find appropriate volunteering that won't frustrate you or make your condition worst.

You may also want to review these resources regarding labor laws and volunteering.

If you feel mistreated as a volunteer, here is advice for volunteers on how to complain.

 Also see

Advice for family volunteering - volunteering by families with children and, related, advice for teaching children compassion & understanding instead of pity with regard to poverty.

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).

You are NOT too young to volunteer! Ways you can volunteer, no matter how young you are

Volunteering with Seniors.

Advice for volunteering as a group / volunteering in a group

Finding Community Service and Volunteering for Teens

How to Find Volunteering Opportunities, a resource for adults who want to volunteer

Online Volunteering (Virtual Volunteering)

Creating or Holding a Successful Community Event or Fund Raising Event.

Fund Raising For a Cause or Organization

How you can advocate for an issue important to you

Volunteering To Help After Major Disasters

Volunteering with organizations that help animals and wildlife.

Volunteering to Address Your Own Mental Health. There are many people that have high hopes that volunteering for a "good cause" can help them address their own mental health issues - depression, loneliness, even feelings of suicide. And, absolutely, social interactions and accomplishments that can come from volunteering can help improve a person's mental health. But volunteering activities can also can augment negative feelings. This resource is designed to help you have realistic expectations for volunteering and to avoid an experience that will make you feel worse instead of better.


Tax credits for volunteering (for residents of the USA)

How to Make a Difference Internationally/Globally/in Another Country Without Going Abroad

Using Your Business Skills for Good - Volunteering Your Business Management Skills, to help people starting or running small businesses / micro enterprises, to help people building businesses in high-poverty areas, and to help people entering or re-entering the work force.

Details on how to quickly fill a community service obligation from a court or school.

Ideas for Leadership Volunteering Activities
These are more than just do-it-yourself volunteering - these are ideas to create or lead a sustainable, lasting benefit to a community, recruiting others to help and to have a leadership role as a volunteer. These can also be activities for the Girl Scouts Gold Award, the Duke of Edinburgh's Award (U.K.), a mitzvah project, or even scholarship consideration.

Ideas for Creating Your Own Volunteering Activity.

How to complain about your volunteering experience.

Donating Things Instead of Cash or Time (In-Kind Contributions)

Group Volunteering for Atheist and Secular Volunteers

Helping People Address Their Problems with Plastic
How to mobilize a community to clean up plastic bottles, plastic bags and other plastic waste from their environment, and how to reduce their use of such items in the future

Ideas for Funding Your Volunteering Abroad Trip.

Careers Working With Animals (for the benefit of animals)

 
 
 
 
Suggested books:

 
Volunteering: The Ultimate Teen Guide (It Happened to Me)

 
The Busy Family's Guide to Volunteering: Doing Good Together

 
Doing Good Together: 101 Easy, Meaningful Service Projects for Families, Schools, and Communities

 
Engage Every Parent!: Encouraging Families to Sign On, Show Up, and Make a Difference

 
Volunteer Vacations: Short-Term Adventures That Will Benefit You and Others

 
Children as Volunteers: Preparing for Community Service