This information was last updated on October 4, 1999
Advice For Volunteers:
Using the Internet to find offline and "virtual" opportunities
The Internet provides many ways for you to find both offline and online volunteering opportunities.
This is an index of links to major regional and nationwide sites in the U.S. and Canada that provide updated lists of volunteer opportunities at various different organizations. Many of these are third party volunteer databases (they provide information about other organization's volunteer opportunities). Also included are links to indices of local sites, such as volunteer centers and community networks/freenets.
List of Volunteer Centers by U.S. State
There are a number of places to find such lists online; our recommendation:
List of Community Networks and FreeNets in the U.S.
Community Networks and FreeNets often have areas to promote local volunteer/service initiatives, and often work in conjunction with local volunteer centers. Two places to look for local community networks:
Amigos de las Americas
http://www.amigoslink.org
Sponsors volunteers, primarily between the ages of 16 - 25, in public health and environmental projects in Mexico and Central and South America.
Amizade
http://amizade.org
Not-for-profit organization with programs that offer a mix of community service and recreation which provide volunteers the opportunity to participate first hand in the culture of the region. Past projects have included building a vocational training center for street children on the Amazon, building additional rooms onto a health clinic in the Bolivian Andes, and doing historic preservation and environmental cleanup in the Greater Yellowstone Area. Volunteers need no special skills, just a willingness to help.
Break Away: the Alternative Break Collection
http://www.vanderbilt.edu/breakaway
National non-profit organization based at Vanderbilt University, promoting service on the local, regional, national, and international levels through break-oriented programs which immerse students in often vastly different cultures, heightens social awareness, and advocates life-long social action. Break Away promotes alternative break programs through student training, technical assistance, volunteer placement, and publications.
Charity Village Volunteer Bulletin Board
http://www.charityvillage.com/charityvillage/volbb.html
Canadian registered charities and Canadian public service agencies needing volunteers may put a notice on the Charity Village Bulletin Board without charge.
City Cares
http://www.citycares.org/
Local Cares organizations were formed with the goal to make volunteering possible for even the busiest individual. In cities large and small, 22 Cares groups have been established, and four more are currently being formed.
CitySearch
http://www.citysearch.com
A for-profit company creating Web-based community guides for selected cities in the U.S. (and expanding to other countries as well). If your organization is in a CitySearch city and involves a large number of volunteers, you can post your volunteer opportunities on the CitySearch Web site for your area, and have a link from CitySearch to your own Web site (as applicable).
Community Action Network
http://www.getinvolved.net/
A new place to post volunteer opportunities, or to post volunteer interests. Presented by Samaritan Software.
COOL (Campus Outreach Opportunity League)
http://www.COOL2SERVE.org/
National non-profit that helps college students start, strengthen and expand their community service programs. The COOL Web site lists to even more organizations that can help students to get involved in improving their communities and the environment.
Do Something
http://www.dosomething.org
A national nonprofit organization that encourages young people to help build their communities. Organizer of The Kindness & Justice Challenge, a nationwide two-week "character education" and community service effort in January, and the organizer of Webstock96.
Faith-Based Volunteer Opportunities Directory
http://www.dosomething.org
Listing of domestic (U.S.) and international full-time service programs hosted by Catholic and Protestant organizations. Some have long-term placements (1 - 5 years), others are short-term (2 weeks - 3 months). This site is sponsored by the Catholic Network of Volunteer Service
4laborsoflove.org
http://4laborsoflove.org
For volunteers to list their skills, and for agencies to list volunteer opportunities.
Give Five
http://www.independentsector.org/give5/givefive.html
Works raise public awareness about the important role that giving and volunteering play in our communities. You might have seen Give Five public service announcements in the newspaper, on TV, or heard them on the radio. The Web site includes Ten Tips for Volunteers, Selecting an Organization to Help, and general information about volunteerism.
Global Service Corps
http://www.globalservicecorps.org/Main%20Pages/home.html
Provides short-term, long-term and college internship programs in Costa Rica, Thailand, or Kenya. These volunteer programs target three primary project areas: Environment, Health and Education.
GuideStar
http://nonprofit.guidestar.org
An initiative of Philanthropic Research, whose mission is to provide information about charities to donors and others. In addition to its information to help donors of both money, equipment and time monitor the programs and performance of charities, Guidestar also features a "classifieds" section of volunteer opportunities at agencies around the U.S.:
Impact Online (& VolunteerMatch)
http://www.impactonline.org/
A nonprofit organization online since 1994. It's Web site is an excellent place for agencies to post volunteer opportunities (VolunteerMatch/CityMatch) . Potential volunteers can use the site to find volunteer opportunities (VolunteerMatch/CityMatch).
InterAction: The American Council for Voluntary International Action
http://www.interaction.org/jobs.html
Nation's largest coalition of international development, disaster relief and refugee assistance agencies. Members include more than 150 US-based non-profit organizations. InterAction was formed in 1984 from the merger of the American Council of Voluntary Agencies for Foreign Service and Private Agencies in International Development. InterAction offers Global Work , a publication with 98 pages of opportunities with 68 international relief and development agencies in 120 countries, including the United States.
http://www.interaction.org/pub/gw2000.html
Interaction also offers online its Guide to Appropriate Giving and Volunteerism, at http://www.interaction.org/disaster/guide.html
Make A Difference Day
http://www.usaweekend.com/diffday/
Each October, sponsored by USA Weekend. Includes a database of volunteer opportunities for Make A Difference Day each Fall.
Netday
http://www.netday.org
Effort by a partnership among volunteers and corporations to wire schools in the U.S.A. to the Internet.
Opportunities and Information for Volunteers
http://nonprofit.miningco.com/library/weekly/aa072298.htm
Another good list of links, by Stan Hutton and the Mining Company Nonprofit Charitable Orgs, an online publisher.
Peace Corps
http://www.peacecorps.gov/home.html
Begun by the Kennedy administration in 1961, the Peace Corps places volunteers from the United States into developing countries to help citizens with education, environment, health, business, agriculture and other projects. Former and returning Peace Corps volunteers can also participate in the new Crisis Corps, providing short-term assistance to countries that have experienced natural disasters or a humanitarian crisis.
POSH Corps
http://www.posh.org
People Organized and Striving for Harmony. The Corps says it supports volunteers with The $2,000 POSH Public Service Award and free database services for volunteers to track and document their service. WARNING: this site is very graphic and java intensive; you will need a very high-end computer and high speed Internet access for this site.
ServeNet
http://www.servenet.org
or
http://www.volunteernow.com
A place to post volunteer opportunities, or to post volunteer interests. Opportunities are tied to the challenges of America's Promise.
The Service Station
http://www.servicestation.org/
Creates, promotes and manages short-term volunteer opportunities for youth and adults between 15 and 35. Also assists high schools and colleges wishing to incorporate volunteerism into their studies and provides consultant services to cities and counties in establishing volunteer centers.
VISTA (Volunteers In Service To America)
http://www.friendsofvista.org/
Now part of the AmeriCorps national service program, VISTA members take on long-term community-related projects, many of them technology focused, and receive a small stipend. The "Friends of VISTA" web site has a listing of VISTA opportunities all over the U.S.
Volunteer Canada
http://www.volunteer.ca/
Operates the new Volunteer Opportunities Exchange (VOE)
Volunteers Solutions
http://www.volunteersolutions.org
A Boston-based nonprofit hosting a database of volunteer opportunities in selected cities in the U.S.
Volunteers of America
http://www.voa.org/tier2_ka.cfm?folder_id=181
49 community-based service organizations throughout the U.S. offer more than 160 different programs that help people including children, youth, the elderly, families in crisis, the homeless, people with disabilities or mental illness, and ex-offenders returning to society.
VolunteerWeb
http://www.epicbc.com/volunteer/
Another place to post volunteer opportunities online, with some general information about volunteerism. By Epic Productions.
International Volunteer and Volunteerism Resources
http://garlic.aitec.edu.au/~bwechner/Documents/Travel/Lists/VolunteerOrgs.html
There's also a list of organizations looking international volunteers at:
http://garlic.aitec.edu.au/~bwechner/Documents/Travel/Lists/VolunteerOrgs.html
International Service Opportunities on the Web
http://www.txserve.org/general/volopp2.html
Opportunities may vary in length from one week to several years, depending on the program sponsor.