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  • Writer's pictureShazia Peeran

Where to volunteer locally

Introduction

Volunteering is a great way to help out in your community and meet new people. There are many ways you can volunteer locally, from helping at your local soup kitchen to building houses for Habitat for Humanity. Are you interested in something more specific? Check out these helpful websites:

VolunteerMatch

VolunteerMatch is a great place to start your search. It has more than 90,000 listings for organizations in all 50 states. You can use the site's search tools to find volunteer opportunities that match your skills and interests, or you can create an account and add information about yourself so that organizations can find you when they have openings.

The site also offers tips on how to be an effective volunteer and provides advice on what kinds of projects you should only consider if they align with your skills or interests.

VolunteerSpot

VolunteerSpot is an online volunteer matching service that offers more than 10 million opportunities nationwide. You can search by location or interest, and the site also has a special section for kids to help them find volunteer activities in their area.

You can sign up for email alerts about upcoming events in your area or create an account so that all of your searches are saved.

VolunteerMatch is a great place to start. This site is designed to help people find places to volunteer in their local community. It has more than 90,000 listings for organizations in all 50 states. You can search by interests or location, or you can create an account and save all your searches for you to check out later.

Volunteermatch is a great place to start. This site is designed to help people find places to volunteer in their local community. It has more than 90,000 listings for organizations in all 50 states. You can search by interests or location, or you can create an account and save all your searches for you to check out later.

To use VolunteerMatch:

  • Visit www.volunteermatch.org and click "Search Now" at the top right corner of the screen

  • Enter your zip code or city name into the field provided (or both) and click "Search"

VolunteerSpot is another great site where you can search by interest or location to find organizations that need volunteers. Its database holds more than 10 million volunteer opportunities nationwide, so it's likely you'll find something close by!

VolunteerSpot is another excellent site where you can search by interest or location to find organizations that need volunteers. Its database holds more than 10 million volunteer opportunities nationwide, so you'll likely find something close by!

The platform also offers an easy way to keep track of your progress and stay motivated as you work toward your goal of being an active citizen in your community and beyond.

Want to get involved but don't know how? The website DoSomething.org offers ideas for ways that young people can help others both locally and globally through their surveys and polls about what teens want from the world and how they feel about social issues.

If you're looking to get involved but need help figuring out where to start, DoSomething.org is a great place to start. The website offers ideas for ways that young people can help others locally and globally through their surveys and polls about what teens want from the world and how they feel about social issues.

For example: If you want to volunteer at an animal shelter, DoSomething will ask questions like "How many hours do you think it takes each week for an animal shelter worker?" or "How important is it that shelters provide stray cats with food?" This way, when someone completes this survey (which is anonymous), they'll have some information about what kind of work needs to be done at that particular shelter before actually going there as a volunteer.*

Want to volunteer without leaving home? Giving Digitized is a website where you can see who needs coats or back-to-school supplies, and you can send them directly to the non-profit collection center, and they take care of the rest.

Here are some ways you can volunteer without leaving home:

  • Donate directly to non-profits. Many non-profit groups will take donations from individuals, even if they don't have an official donation program set up yet. If you see something interesting, call their office or email them and ask if they accept donations from individuals (they probably do). They may need specific items urgently, so make sure you ask about them before sending anything off! You can also use givingdigitized.com, which has specific donation requests from non-profits for their clients, which you can send.

  • Donate school supplies for students who need them--you can do this through Giving Digitized's website by clicking on the "Support a cause" tab, where all sorts of clothing items are listed along with who it's for and preset links with prices per item, so there's no guessing involved when deciding what will be most beneficial for families in need! This site also helps track where things get once shipped & allows non-profit teams manage the drive and hand it out to the community!

There are many ways to give back locally.

There are many ways to give back locally. VolunteerMatch and Volunteerspot are popular websites that connect you with opportunities in your area, while Do Something and Giving Digitized list local volunteer opportunities.

If you're looking for something more specific than general volunteering, consider using one of these sites:

Conclusion

We hope this article has inspired you to get involved in your community. Whether it's volunteering at a local charity or helping someone out with their homework, there are so many ways to make a difference!

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