April 2, 2024

The Best Volunteer Opportunities for Social Connection

About Nicole Pajer

Nicole Pajer is a Los Angeles-based freelance published in The New York Times, Woman's Day, AARP, Parade, Wired, Glamour, People and more.

Volunteering can have an endless array of benefits – one of them being that it’s often a great way to meet other people and get social. Have you been wanting to give back, but don’t know where to start? The good news is there are so many ways in which you can help out your local community.

Sure, you can sign up for day-long volunteering sessions or write a big check to an organization, but there are many things you can do on a smaller scale that will still help to foster that connection that volunteering provides. And some of these things you can do from the comfort of your own home.

Here are some ways to get started!

Volunteer to teach a class - virtually or in person
Do you have any skills to offer to someone who could benefit from them? Do you have a teaching background? Are you an artist? A writer? A musician? A photographer? A champion flower arranger? Volunteer to teach some virtual classes. If you do a quick Internet search for “volunteer virtual tutors,” or other similar search terms, for instance, you’ll find organizations that need people to help teach certain skills to everyone from fellow seniors to underprivileged children and more.

Donate to a local drive
Many local churches or other religious centers, stores and organizations set out boxes for monthly or annual give-back drives. Near the holidays, for instance, many stores have ways in which you can donate toys. And in the wintertime, places are often taking donations for warm coats and blankets for those in need. To make the donations a social event, get together with some friends, make a day of shopping and pick up some goodies for these drives. You can also shop from the comfort of your own home and have a friend or family member drop off these goods for you.

Hang out with some pets
Are you a dog lover? Contact your local animal shelter to see if you can help out by walking some pets who are awaiting loving homes. Many shelters are desperate for volunteers to do this and other tasks. Prefer cats? There are plenty of felines who are sitting around shelters that would love for you to play with them. Plus, getting out to an animal shelter can be a great way to meet new people. You’ll be able to spend time with other volunteers and meet all the new prospective pet parents that come in to search for a new pet.

Sign up to be a docent
Do you ever go to the museum and see people standing near a piece of artwork who are eager to tell you all about it? Have you seen someone seated near a certain animal habitat at the zoo who knows all about certain creatures like elephants? These are often volunteer docent opportunities. Finding a local museum or zoo to volunteer at can be a great way to align your interests with giving back. You will get to have fun conversations about your interests during your entire shift.

Help out at a community garden
Do you love to garden? Find an organization that helps to teach kids about the benefits of gardening or one that grows food to give out to the homeless. Browse the website of your local community garden to keep in touch for volunteer opportunities and sign up to offer your green thumb. Then, you may be able to help others to perfect theirs.

Register with volunteering platforms to see what virtual opportunities they have

VolunteerMatch, Idealist, All for Good (now called Points of Light Engage), or United Nations Volunteers Online Volunteering are all organizations with websites that list out the monthly volunteering opportunities they have available. Bookmark these and make a point to visit the registration page or get on their email list. Since many of these opportunities are virtual, these platforms can also help to connect their volunteers with remote opportunities across the globe. You could be sitting in your living room in Florida, for example, bringing cheer to someone as far away as India!