Do you work with a specific community or organization, or just take opportunities as they come up?
What type of volunteer work do you like to do? Do you like the stuff where you are just a warm body - someone to hold a sign or greet people? Or more involved tasks that are more like professional work? What about shudders door knocking?
Volunteer firefighter.
Drive the 3000L truck or 1000L tender. Run hoses to hydrant. Use mounted water cannon, or run hoses out. Put out, scrub, bush, structure, or vehicle fires. Rescue puppies from drains.
Getting plenty of training, learning lots of different equipment, have a good team currently.
Eg. Last week at training, I tried out the ‘Hot Stick’ high-voltage detector. For finding live wires, beeps when high current closeby.
Similar to this one.
That sound like so much fun!
It really is.
I felt like I knew small fires pretty well, previously.
It is an eye-opener to learn more about large fire behaviour, backburning, and fire suppression methods.
Things like, a leaf-blower can be used on slow moving grass fires to blow them out.
Tool libraries rock! Have volunteered with our local one for years.
Also book libraries often can use volunteer assistance!
I am a founding board member and the treasurer for my regional timebank. I also have done custom software development and IT work for my county and city food bank. In the past, I was a founding board member and technology specialist for the local food co-op. I also used to own and operate a community bike shop where I performed free repairs for anyone who said they couldn’t afford it.
I prefer volunteer work that directly shores up my communities, promotes food security and social equity, connects local food producers to consumers as directly as possible, and empowers non-monetary exchange of labor and skills. For me, timebanks are the sweet spot for these goals. Everyone’s time is valued equally, and everyone has something to offer their communities on an as-able basis. More than that, a timebank promotes members to see all in their community as peers and neighbors despite any superficial differences.
It’s not quite volunteer work, but still donate to food banks seasonally, or monthly when I’m able to. I don’t make a lot of money but I still donate what I can.
I had some crashes in life, I had to rely on food banks. I now give back. It feels amazing. I think a lot of people are afraid of the feelings involved honestly, it’s a strong emotional ride when you donate stuff and see the faces of the people waiting in line for food, toiletries and things like socks and underwear.
I think many people really don’t like knowing that other people suffer. Much easier to pretend that suffering doesn’t exist by not interacting with it. But once you overcome that hurdle of realizing that suffering exists, then there’s so much joy to be found in being able to actually eliminate some of it.
I was a member of the US Coast Guard Auxiliary for 10 years. It’s a branch of the USCG made up entirely of civilian volunteers. We train to perform many of the same things the USCG does with the exception of law enforcement. I’ve done everything from tow broken down boats to searching for missing boats/people to escorting warships and tankers through harbors to providing security at fireworks and tall ship parades.
For the last few years I have been heavily involved in scouts due to my kids. It’s the first time I have had a volunteer role that felt semi-professional: I’m organizing other adults, managing money, planning events weeks or months in advance, etc. I didn’t initially want to be so involved. I gradually volunteered for one role after another because shit needed to get done and nobody else was willing to do it. I feel like I’m flying by the seat of my pants, but everyone seems happy with my work so I guess I’m not screwing up too much.
Previously I did a handful of “warm body” volunteer jobs where I just had to show up on schedule and follow instructions. Fixing kids’ bikes was the most fun, but serving the poor was the most rewarding. The best volunteer role was delivering and serving dinners at a tent city hosted by a local church. We would join them for the meal and talk around the table. That was eye-opening. I went away with a lot more compassion for the homeless, and a lot more disdain for all the little ways my country makes their lives unnecessarily hard.
I was just thinking I would love to volunteer regularly. Completely forgot that the position I have within the org for my favorite hobby is actually a volunteer position. I joke I do the least that gets called an organizer.
I volunteer as a receptionist at a free-entry-but-donations-funded art gallery. Probably the most comfortable volunteer position anyone will ever have, as it’s really flexible with my university commitments.
What type of volunteer work do you like to do? Do you like the stuff where you are just a warm body - someone to hold a sign or greet people?
Surprisingly, something I really like about it is seeing all the people there and getting to talk to them, and the work environment is very nice. There are a lot of responsibilities involved too, which is both good and bad, but I like that I get to sit in front of a laptop and check emails when I’m not greeting people or selling stuff.
What about shudders door knocking?
I considered door knocking in the past, thinking I had no choice because the ecosystem of different volunteer roles wasn’t that varied. Glad that I didn’t, it’s definitely shudder inducing. It’s also kind of hard to see it as useful. Although, I did almost volunteer to do it for a fledgling political party I used to belong too, and I would’ve followed through on that.
I am a help a non profit that delivers food to unhoused people for free. it’s really great and I feel I am really making a difference in the community. I highly suggest people try some volunteer work.
While not really a volunteer position, I do spend a chunk of my free time picking up litter in my area. From snack wrappers to cigarette butts to midnight ditch tips, I’ve done it all.
I used to do that at my previous job and used to chuck it up to being good for the business if the boss asked, but in reality, I just liked seeing the street clean while getting paid for it.
Similarly, I use company equipment to pick up the larger amounts of trash or furniture items.
A commercial vehicle backed into a ditch has had the side effect of attracting a few police from time to time, but it’s never been any trouble. No clue if it helps the business in terms of image, but it sure helps me feel better.
Do you have a stabby stick, or do you just wear gloves?
Generally just gloves since most of what I come across is either too small or too large for a picker. They’re also not too useful when there’s a lot to be picked up. Tends to be faster to use a shovel sometimes.
I volunteer at a wildlife rehab clinic. I don’t get to treat the animals, but we get to do all the other work. I feed them, clean their area, check them to make sure their recovery is going well, we weigh them, prep various food mixes and formulas. There’s a ton of housekeeping like dishes, laundry, and sterilizing crates. I’ll also greet people that arrive with animals and grab one of the staff to get the intake started.
We also have events where I’ve directed cars where to park, ran games for the kids, and answered animal questions. I got put on the open house planning group so I will help plan and build new activities, and if we we’re able to get a new owl ambassador by then, I will run meet and greet things with it. I also got asked to help design some new shelters due the various raptors.
Our shifts are 4 hours, one day a week, from April through September, but I’ve been participating in random things over the winter.
I like working with animals because most of their injuries are caused by humans, and they are unable to advocate for themselves. I get to work with amazing people and see a ton of rare animals most people don’t even know we have. It can be difficult to see severely injured animals, have a lot die on you, to see people crying bringing in hurt animals, especially little kids, but there is also the reward of seeing animals recover and return to their homes.
I’m mainly there for raptors, but the most touching story was a little boy found a bumble bee with a damaged wing. He took it to his parents and he wanted to help it. They dialed us up and he asked if we could fix his bee. We can often fix butterfly wings, but bees are too tiny, and he was near the end as it was, but we set that bee up in a terrarium with soft bedding and half an orange, and for the rest of his days, we took care of that bee like any other animal we’d get through our doors.
Awww, the bee story :')…
I’d love to do that too but haven’t found yet. The closest I’m getting this year is saving amphibians during their migration period (which starts soon).
Every bit counts! Good luck! 🦎
I volunteer on the board of an arts nonprofit
As someone who works for an arts nonprofit: thank you!
I do outreach stuff sometimes through my mother’s social work company randomly. Thats usually a few times a year and consists of handing out state/fed benefits type literature to people outside grocery stores. I usually spend a day or two a month at a dog shelter I really like too, two of my dogs have come from there and I just really believe in the way they operate.
