Volunteer Service Activities

Volunteer in Your Community

VolunteerMatch has a comprehensive database of opportunities submitted by thousands of nonprofit organizations throughout the United States. Search by zip code, type of job, one time or ongoing, etc. Sign up online and a representative from the nonprofit organization will contact you.

Volunteer in a Foreign Country

If you are a US citizen and interested in volunteering overseas for 27 months the Peace Corps will provide training and placement in one of over a hundred different countries.

For individuals who want to volunteer for a shorter period of time there are a number of non-profit organizations that arrange for volunteers to work in select countries for one week to a year. These organizations must charge a tax-deductable fee to cover transportation, housing, food, and other expenses. A number of these organizations are listed below.

Donate to a Charity

Charity Navigator uses the information US-based charities are required to provide to the public regarding their fundraising, expenses and growth to determine their organizational efficiency and capacity. This is used to provide potential donors with an overall rating to help you decide who will make the best use of your donation. Their lists and classifications of charitities are also a great help in finding charities that target areas you are interested in.

The American Institute of Philanthropy is a non-profit charity watchdog service that also helps donors make informed giving decisions. They do this by providing their Charity Rating Guide and Watchdog Report which inform donors about how over 500 US charities spend their money. These are available for a very small fee.

The BBB Wise Giving Alliance produces in-depth evaluative reports on US charities based on comprehensive standards for charity accountability and publishes a quarterly magazine, the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Guide. They do not rank charities however.

Last updated on Wed Jan 20 2010 at 9:58:01pm