Virtual Volunteer Opportunities

 It’s December and many of us are gearing up for a long winter filled with Zoom holidays and very limited social interaction. One way to fight off this year’s particularly acute seasonal blues is to give back and volunteer your time.

To start, think over the causes that mean something to you. You’re going to be more motivated and feel better if you’re volunteering your time to an organization or cause that matters to you. Plus, many nonprofits or social good organizations are always looking for volunteers who can help with their digital platforms, outreach, social media, and more positions that will help you hone your professional skills and boost your resume while giving back. 

If you’re still not sure where to start, check out these virtual volunteering opportunities:

Volunteer with the LGBTQ Community:

• The Trevor Project is the nation’s leading crisis resource for LGBTQ youth. They are currently looking for Crisis Counselors who will be trained to answer chat messages or texts online from young people who are struggling with issues such as coming out, LGBTQ identity, depression, and suicide.

Help out the Differently Abled:

• Be My Eyes is a free app that connects a volunteer with blind or low-vision individuals through a video call. The volunteer helps them with anything from reading a food label to navigating a new or unfamiliar area. 

• Bookshare is a virtual library specifically for people with learning impairments, low vision, or physical disabilities. As a volunteer, you can either scan in texts using a scanner or proofread and format files that have already been uploaded.

Save the Environment:

• ZSL Instant WIld is an especially fun way to volunteer. You watch videos of animals from all over the world while identifying and tagging them for conservation experts. The crowdsourcing project helps scale up important animal monitoring work and help scientists protect wildlife.  

• Zooniverse is a popular platform for people-powered research. This research is made possible by volunteers. The goal is to enable research that would not be possible, or practical, otherwise.

Looking for something else?

• Volunteer Match has hundreds of volunteer opportunities and you can customize the search to put your skills to work. 

• DoSomething.org find a cause, pick a group, and see how you can help. Or start your own local organization. 

• Catch A Fire matches volunteers with nonprofits looking for specific types of work. This is an excellent option for someone looking to build their skills as they job search, take a break from school, or figure out their next professional steps. 

Search Locally:

Give back to your community by volunteering your time with local organizations. Consider looking into women’s shelters, homeless shelters, food banks, LGBTQ centers, meals on wheels, toy drives, retirement homes, local environmental groups, and many others.