Virtual Volunteer Opportunities
Virtual Volunteering: Give Back From Anywhere
Looking for a meaningful way to use your time and skills from home? Virtual volunteering lets you support causes you care about, build experience, and even earn service hours. Start by picking a cause you’re excited about—then choose one of the student-friendly options below.
How to Pick the Right Opportunity
- Know your “why”: climate, mental health, literacy, human rights, museums—choose a cause you’ll stay motivated by.
- Match your time + skills: some roles are 1–2 hours/week; others are on-demand or project-based.
- Check age & training: a few roles require being 18+; many welcome high-school students.
Teach & Mentor (great for students)
- UPchieve — 1:1 online tutoring & college coaching for low-income high-schoolers; flexible, on-demand shifts. (High-school students in grade 9+ can volunteer.)
- Learn To Be — free 1:1 online tutoring for K–12 students across the U.S.; flexible weekly sessions.
- Schoolhouse.world — volunteer tutoring in math, SAT prep, and more; open to tutors ages 13+.
Mental Health & LGBTQ+ Support
Note: Crisis roles include training and specific eligibility; some orgs have limited application windows.
- Crisis Text Line — train to provide text-based crisis support remotely.
- LGBT National Help Center — remote hotline/chat and outreach roles supporting LGBTQIA+ peers.
- The Trevor Project — crisis counselor applications are currently paused, but you can check status and other ways to help.
Accessibility, Reading & Audiobooks
- Be My Eyes — on-demand video help for blind and low-vision people.
- Distributed Proofreaders (Project Gutenberg) — proofread public-domain books online.
- LibriVox — record chapters of public-domain books to create free audiobooks.
Citizen Science & Conservation
- Zooniverse — classify images/data for real research (wildlife, space, history & more).
- ZSL Instant Wild — identify animals in camera-trap photos to aid conservation.
Humanitarian Mapping
- Missing Maps & Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team — trace buildings/roads from satellite imagery to support disaster response.
- American Red Cross MapSwipe — quick, phone-friendly micro-tasks that help map vulnerable communities.
History, Museums & Archives (Transcription)
- Library of Congress — By the People — transcribe historical documents to improve access.
- U.S. National Archives — Citizen Archivist — tag/transcribe records (no experience needed).
- Smithsonian Transcription Center — help make museum collections searchable.
- Library & Archives Canada — Co-Lab — transcribe, tag, and translate digitized records.
Global & Skills-Based Projects
- UN Volunteers — Online Volunteering — 18+; support nonprofits worldwide with writing, design, research, and more.
- Translators without Borders (CLEAR Global) — language volunteers help communities access vital information.
- Taproot Plus & Catchafire — match your professional skills (design, marketing, data, etc.) with nonprofits in need.
Find More Remote Opportunities
- VolunteerMatch — Virtual (filter by cause, time, and skills)
- Points of Light (national/global listings & engagement hub)
- Idealist — Remote Volunteer Search
Make It Count (Student Tips)
- Track hours: many orgs provide certificates or can sign school forms. Keep a simple log (date, hours, task).
- Build your resume: note tools you learned (e.g., OpenStreetMap, transcription platforms, research tagging).
- Stay safe: follow each org’s training and privacy rules; use official platforms only.
Have a virtual opportunity to add? Drop it in the comments so others can join!