7 Unusual Ways to Volunteer in Your Community

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When most people think about volunteer opportunities, their first thoughts usually involve food pantries, soup kitchens and homeless shelters. While these are invaluable resources for the underprivileged in a community, not everyone can or wants to volunteer at those locations. Other common mental images are events such as the American Cancer Society’s annual Relay for Life or the Walk for Alzheimer’s. Again, both of these are wonderful causes for a person to donate their time, money and energy to, but some people feel rather disconnected from the actual cause they are supporting when they are so focused on a specific event. They want to be a little closer to those they are actually helping.

Volunteers dedicate a great deal of time and energy to the cause they support. As such, it is important that volunteers enjoy what they are doing. While the satisfaction of helping others can go a long way, volunteers will not stick around for the long haul if they are miserable during their work.Thankfully, volunteer opportunities are nearly endless. Here are seven lesser known ways that a person can make a difference in their community.

Taking Youth Outside

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If you love the great outdoors, there are a number of organizations dedicated to sharing the beauty and strength of nature with inner city children and teens. Big City Mountaineers, City Kids Wilderness Project and Fresh Air all offer opportunities for volunteers to get to know inner city kids and help these kids and teens grow. There are also programs, such as Outdoor Outreach, that do not limit themselves to inner city children and teens. Do some research and see what different organizations are looking for in volunteers. Some organizations prefer volunteers who are experienced outdoorsmen or have some sort of official accreditation in a specific activity such as belaying. Other organizations merely want people who are passionate about nature and can help kids and teens come to feel that same love for the great outdoors.

Fostering Puppies

Yes, that four legged ball of adorable fluff is actually a volunteer opportunity. Puppies that grow up to be working dogs often need someone to raise them until they are old enough for specialized training. Seeing eye dogs and PTSD dogs need a home until they are old enough for their training to begin in earnest, and even then they still need somewhere to rest weary paws. Guiding Eyes is an organization that provides seeing eye dogs and uses volunteers to raise their puppies and handle the initial training. K9’s For Warriors trains a mix of dogs rescued from kill shelters and donated puppies to become PTSD dogs for injured veterans. They also need volunteers to help foster the dogs that will go on to save veterans’ lives. Before committing to be a foster puppy parent, be sure to review the organization’s requirements. Some organizations insist that volunteers live within so many miles of the organization’s regional headquarters or that volunteers attend certain classes before fostering a four legged friend.

School Tutoring

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Most people can remember struggling with a lesson or subject in school regardless of how long it has been since graduation. In some cases, a person may have enlisted the help of another student or an adult to help them get a better grasp on the material that was not making sense to them. That adult might well have been a volunteer.

Tutoring in schools is a great way to give back to the community. There are always students who need help with their schoolwork, and volunteers often have a slightly different take on the material than teachers. This different perspective is sometimes all that a struggling student needs to have an epiphany. Volunteers who are interested in being more involved may also be paired with a single student for a full school year or even longer. This allows volunteers to really get to know their student and can allow interested volunteers to transition into a mentorship role.

Hospital Help

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Just like schools, hospitals almost always need an extra set of hands. While volunteers, understandably, cannot help with diagnosing or medicating patients, volunteers still play a vital role in hospitals. Volunteers run a variety of errands for nurses and doctors such as restocking carts, sorting mail and answering phones. Volunteers also interact directly with patients and family members. Volunteers may keep the family members of patients in surgery company or spend time simply talking with long-term or hospice patients. In addition to spending time talking with long-term patients, volunteers are essential for helping patients keep their spirits up especially with children. Volunteers may bring in crafts, take pediatric patients for wagon rides or partner with a four legged friend to provide pet therapy. Hospitals tend to require a bit more information on their volunteers and have extra requirements that volunteers must meet. Be sure to check on what a local hospital requires from volunteers before applying to be a volunteer, and be aware that a surgery volunteer will likely have different requirements to meet than someone who is helping in the hospital gift shop.

Technology Guru

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Technology changes so rapidly today that it is no wonder that some people feel like they are getting left behind. Even people who use computers, smartphones and tablets everyday find themselves dealing with a learning curve when they upgrade to a phone that is two or three generations newer than their old phone. As such, technological know-how is a valuable skill and can be turned into a volunteer opportunity especially for those who are comfortable working with the elderly. Many elderly people struggle to keep up with the constant changes in modern technology, but it is the best way to reach their children or grandchildren. As such, they need someone to help them learn how to use the technology that will help them reach out to family, type up their memories or stay abreast of current events easier. That “someone” is often a volunteer who teaches other people how to do everything from search the internet to send an email to set up a Facebook account.

Put Passions to Work

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Everyone has something they are truly and deeply passionate about. Those passions can almost always be turned into a volunteer opportunity. For people who are passionate about history, look for local museums or battlefields that are nearby. These places often need volunteers to act as docents and tour guides. The same is true for science museums and aquariums. Be sure to do some research before applying to be a volunteer. Some places insist that volunteers have a certain level of qualification, such as SCUBA certification being required by some aquariums. Other organizations may require volunteers work a certain number of hours per month. Research will also make it clear what positions are available as these may vary widely by facility.

Creatives can also put their passions to work. Seamstresses can donate a dress through the Dress a Girl Around the World organization and people who enjoy knitting can create a prosthetic breast for women who had mastectomies through Knitted Knockers. Writers and graphic designers can also put their talents to work by helping with an organization’s advertising.

Unaffiliated Help

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Volunteering does not have to be done through a specific organization. Many volunteer opportunities can be found simply by looking outside. People can give back by shoveling an elderly neighbor’s snow or raking leaves for other members of the community. People may also take home cooked meals to those who recently lost a family member or have a loved one in the hospital. Almost every neighborhood has someone who could use a helping hand.

Churches are also wonderful places to find volunteer opportunities. Churches often have lists of charities that the church is involved in, and churches are also a great place to find opportunities to help individuals without becoming involved in a larger parent organization. Simply keep an ear to the ground and listen for which members of the conversation could use an extra hand in their life. Then, reach out.