Finding the Right Volunteer Opportunity

Once you’ve decided that you want to donate free time to a good cause, your quest to find the right volunteer opportunity has just begun. Now is the time to mull over logistics such as transportation and time commitments. It’s also time to consider deeper factors such as what you hope to get out of the experience.

Whether you want to volunteer to serve society, meet new people, have fun, or enhance your resume and skills set, you have many volunteer opportunities to choose from. However, keep in mind that there are many factors to consider when you're deciding how to best spend your time serving others.

Consider Your Availability

How much time can you commit or how much time are you willing to commit to a new volunteer job? Many opportunities are open to volunteers with tight and fluctuating schedules. For example, you could work in a SOLIP kitchen once per year or volunteer at a one-day relay with no strings attached. Also, more and more organizations design volunteer opportunities that are only on evenings and weekends, according to the volunteer website Serviceleader.org that doesn't mesh well with your lifestyle. If you're not sure what your schedule can accommodate but want to begin volunteering in a long-term capacity, start by promising a limited amount of volunteer hours per month to an organization that is easily accessible by car or public transit. Increase your availability later if your schedule permits it.

Consider Your Interests

So many volunteer opportunities are out there. You're bound to find one you're passionate about. Do you want to help people in hospitals? Do you want to help clean up the environment? Are you into advocating for sick children or battered women? You'll find them in care centers. Don't assume that you are perfectly suited for all positions that are open in your area of interest. You may discover through further research that your values and aspirations don't match up with the values and aspirations of the organization, warns the ActNow volunteer website.

Consider Your Skills

Some positions also call for expertise in specific areas, such as marketing, accounting, teaching, coordinating events, designing websites, writing grants, or providing legal advice. Others may call for general talents such as patience, interpersonal communication skills, and organizational skills. If you want to provide specialized assistance, try searching for volunteer opportunities using skill-specific keywords rather than searching by cause or organization name, recommends the Corporation for National & Community Service.

Consider All Prerequisites

Many volunteer agencies will ask you to fill out an application and complete a write-in questionnaire that inquires about your background, interests, and skills. Some may even ask you to interview in person. While it's okay to be idealistic and learn on the job in some cases, you will do yourself and the volunteer agency a disservice if you aren't up-front from the beginning. For example, if you're not really a people person but you're interested in honing your people skills, mention 'working with others as an interest rather than a current skill. Also, don't tell an organization that you're a skilled grant writer if you are still trying to pick up basic experience in grant writing.

If a volunteer assignment requires you to work with a vulnerable population such as children or battered women, you may be legally required to submit to - and, often, pay for a thorough background check and a tuberculosis test. Depending on the assignment, you may also need to sign a statement of confidentiality and spend extra time getting trained before you can actively volunteer. Keep in mind that these extra steps are all designed with the user's best interest at heart.