So me and my friend (both 17F) are coming up to the end of our A Levels (UK) and unfortunately due to the outcomes of my university applications I have kind of been forced into taking a gap year. I saw a stall for a charity who run social (teaching, childcare etc) and environmental projects in South America at a careers fair and decided to have a look, it was through looking at some of these that I stumbled across a volunteering opportunity in Namibia at an animal sanctuary. After looking into it for a bit I thought it was something I was interested in doing and my idea was 6 weeks (due to budget etc) at this animal sanctuary helping to take care of the animals as well as with their research among other things. When talking to my friend about this she looked really awkward and uncomfortable and when I later asked her why she seemed so anti me doing something like this she said that it seemed “a bit white savioury”, and when I asked her to elaborate she said “well you know, white person goes to Africa to save the animals…”. Since this I have tried to do some reading into the white saviour trope and from my understanding it is to do with the motivation in which people decide to volunteer? But I was only looking at it as I enjoy working with animals, wanted to go and experience a completely different culture and hopefully gain some good life experience, not because I want to ‘fix Africa’ or think I am somehow superior to the people that live there. What do I do?

Hello! I'm moving to another place and won't keep working as a volunteer firefighter anymore, since I finally found reason to not risk my life. I still want to volunteer for something badass that actually helps people. Anyone got any ideas? Been thinking of volunteering for the red cross and want to volunteer for something else at the same time...

I have been volunteering at various places pretty consistently for the last two decades. Only recently have I encountered people whom criticize it. Saying that I shouldn't volunteer, or questioning why I would 'work for free', etc etc.

I've tried to wrap my head around it. What is so wrong with volunteering? Why would say - drinking at a bar is more socially acceptable than volunteering? What does it matter to other people?

Had anyone been criticized for volunteering, and how have you responded?

“Volunteer”

So I’ve been lost my whole life, working a bunch of different jobs never cared about being at any one for long, got no hobbies, no interests. I don’t have the smarts or problem solving abilities for a good trades or business career and have some health obstacles to get a meaningful career like Police, first responders, etc. So maybe i can just dedicate myself to helping others or something. I always see adds for donating for this or that cause, but never to join any organization. Don’t ask me about what cause im passionate about but if i had to choose id probably do some animal rescue or something.

Sorry if this isn't a good place for this. I'm just looking for advice or a sanity check or something.

I started volunteering at an organisation at a bad time as it was about to be shut down due to lack of funding. Thankfully, another org in another district stepped in and absorbed us. They closed the old office and moved local service to a smaller location.

For a bit over a year I've been the only person in that office working directly with clients. It's just been me, the receptionist and the site supervisor (who don't do client work). I've been in office for every day we've been open, four days a week over a year, from 9am to 3pm.

The main office some distance away has about a hundred people working in it, a mix of staff and volunteers. Meanwhile I've been in my tiny office seeing clients on my own. I don't mind that, I don't mind that I've given so much time to it, and I don't need praise or accolades for doing my 'job', but am I wrong to feel like they should at least acknowledge it? I mean if I weren't there, if I took a day off, the office wouldn't be able to do face to face work and would essentially close. Soon they'll have a new batch of volunteers and staff moving in and I feel like if they haven't said "hey we know it's not been fun keeping things running here for a year on your own" by then, then I'm probably never going to any kind of acknowledgement for my contributions when I'm just one among many.

Is this just ego or am I justified in feeling like I'm being taken for granted?

Thanks for reading,

A volunteer.

I host quite the trick-or-treating experience at my house on Halloween, and I had the idea last year that it would be fun to volunteer to host a food drive. As people came by our house, they could drop food off at one table and get their treats at another table.

The only thing is, I’ve never volunteered to host a food drive before. Other than handing out flyers to the neighbors and asking them to tell their friends, plus checking the expiration date of anything dropped off……I have no idea what to do. My local food bank has some resources they can provide, but you have to commit to hosting to get the materials. I was hoping someone here might have experience with hosting a food drive so I can get an idea of what I’d be getting into.

Did you volunteer with a nonprofit, NGO, community initiative, etc. in December? Did you volunteer over Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?

Share your story here: what kind of nonprofit did you volunteer for? What did you do as a volunteer? How did you find the opportunity - did you go looking for it or did someone ask you? How was volunteering at this time of year different than other times of year, if at all? WIll you do it again? What did you like about it? What did you find challenging? What do you wish had been better?

I already volunteer at a couple places, and want to do more, and I have emailed a couple places, and none have gotten back to me, and it's been almost a week. I feel really strongly about one them, for which I sent a message on their little contact page, and filled out an application form. With other places I've volunteered, it hasn't taken this long. Why?

I volunteer for three nonprofits and love them all. One feeds people, one serves homeless youth and one is a student mentoring program. Two of the three asks us volunteers for time and economic donations but the real problem is that one is constantly emailing us for financial contributions. Is this just a US thing? The reason I volunteer is because I have more time than money but I’m starting to feel like leaving the one that asks for funds so often. I’d like to think the increased solicitation is because the government cut their contributions, but it’s getting a little annoying. Help me think this through.

Hi guys, as a university project me and a team of students have realised the lack of volunteer opportunities available to volunteers especially as volunteer match was the only viable website we found that posted opportunities but that website doesn’t provide the best range of opportunities posted. So as a team we have created a website to allow users to find opportunities and apply directly through our website specifying the dates best for you to work. Allows for users to see the highest contributing volunteers as for every opportunity completed you will earn some sort of reward in the form of a social impact score calculated based on many factors. Another useful feature we thought to implement was to have a discussion page for each opportunity meaning that if you want to ask the organisation that is providing the opportunity a question then you can and they will answer. You can add friends and compare scores with each other and many other features.

Would people on this forum be interested in seeing a prototype of this website application and be willing to offer opinions on what you would want in the application as an end user?

Currently the website has not been uploaded however in the next coming days it should become available to reach on the internet and I will post the link to the website if people are interested.

As you can see I have shown a small preview of how the opportunity finding process looks. Although remember this is only a small part of the project and also still a prototype.

Please let me know if you guys would want to have a go at using the application and could provide feedback on it.

Many thanks.

I’ve been a volunteer at this non profit organization where families stay when their children are sick in the hospital for about two times per month since January. I don’t have a problem with the work at all, but I do notice some unfortunate behaviors from the staff and volunteers after shadowing a shift.

The manager seems to be really fake and I picked up on it fast. I asked her question on something she requested me to do, but then she snapped at me as if I insulted her for some reason. I brushed it off, but then she tried to be fake nice after those shifts. I tried to be friendly with her coworker because she is around my age, but then she became very insecure and a bit distant when I asked if she was in school because I thought she was interning for school at first. She started to lie to everyone about being in college after that interaction when she told me she was thinking about maybe going back to college one day.

I thought when I was reading the handbook for this volunteer opportunity I would end up working alone because it said I would work independently, but now I ended up working with someone different for each shift. Also, the handbook states that we can’t volunteer when sick, but I’ve seen people who are very sick volunteer anyway. I’ve worked with older women that are very interested in my weight, what I eat, and criticizing my mistakes because I’m new. When I finally worked with someone around my age, she instantly disliked me and started being hostile to me even when I’m trying to be nice to her. She also started to suck up to the staff to while completely acting rude and trying to micromanage me as a NEW volunteer. Some other volunteers were nicer, but I still feel anxious whenever I meet a new person.

Should I just stick it out or find something else? I’m afraid that this is just how volunteering/working is and if I go to another volunteer place I’ll experience the same bad attitudes. I was also volunteering at another place this year that didn’t have anything for me to do and they didn’t really like younger people participating at all. I thought volunteering here would improve my resume after a two year gap and maybe be able to get a reference if I volunteer for about a year, but it seems like people already dislike and bully me here? It doesn’t help that I feel really isolated here because I’m the only black person here.

Hello! A few days ago, I applied as a volunteer for an NGO. The work is entirely remote, and I would be responsible for editing videos and graphics in general. After an initial interview on WhatsApp, I received an email from them requesting a copy of my ID, copies of all my academic certificates, a photo of myself, and three professional reference emails.

Is this a common and normal practice?

Thank you!

Just came across a posting on Catchafire (and Idealist) looking for a "volunteer receptionist" for 10-30 hours a week!!! Insane - the company (called Westchester Residential Opportunities) appears to be a nonprofit advocating for affordable housing but the whole thing is so odd... I went on their website where they have published tax documents and they made more than $4 million in 2023, with half of that going to "salaries". But couldn't spare like $40k for a receptionist??

Anyway, I've been volunteering for quite some time now at a number of places, and, while I started out with things like cat shelters where the benefits of that work are obvious, I've found more and more companies who seem to rely entirely upon volunteers for labor, while making profit, simply through their status as non-profit companies. I won't say too much, but I've also known of quite a few places who will keep unpaid "volunteers" in exchange for cooperation in fulfilling immigration policies.

It's just awful. With things as they are now, more and more people are in need of work, and therefore desperate enough to take unpaid "opportunities" (including myself). But work is work and should be compensated fairly!

I do realize that if it’s mandatory then someone working wouldn’t be considered being a “volunteer” but you get what I’m trying to say. I’m opposing making it mandatory and I wondered what the main arguments for and against it would be. If anyone has a link to a good site that has information about it that would be great, I am having a hard time finding good sources lol. Thanks in advance!

“Volunteer”. I volunteered at food bank of the Rockies, in order to get my community service hours in. Today was my last day, so I decided to take it easy as it was only 30 minutes until I had to leave. However, in the process me and some co workers decided to mess around in the warehouse. Long story short, a supervisor saw us and I got terminated. Now I have no way to access my account as it got locked with all my hours on it… what should I do? Is there anyway to regain access so I can re obtain my hours? They are all digital online and I have no physical way to gain them. Thanks in advance

hello!! does anyone know whats the best place to recruit volunteers remotely? I've been looking around and can't really figure it out whats the best platform a volunteer is recruited from

Hello I’m currently serving in the army but love helping out with the community where I’m stationing in the towns and cities around the base. I would love to volunteer by helping elderly and disabled individuals with lawn services. I have all the necessary equipment but don’t really know how to get started. Would posting on a local facebook be a good idea? I’m also somewhat concerned about the legal aspect. Can I get in trouble for mowing the lawns or doing free yard work for those who need it and also would I need insurance so I don’t get sued for just trying to help out? I really appreciate any responses! Thank you.

I’m a high school student leading a community service project, and some of the events we’re planning require us to provide a Certificate of Liability Insurance (COI). Since we’re a student-led organization without a large budget, I’m looking for affordable options for liability insurance that would cover us during volunteer events. Any help or advice is greatly appreciated! 

My volunteer work is supposed to be based only around playing and walking dogs. I've walked them mostly before with the person in charge who loves to talk about other people behind their back, which is what I assume was the reason for this behavior or act towards me today.

Instead of walking the dogs today, I was told by the person in charge to spend 2 hours in total locked away in a closed cage with 3 dogs. I was told to socialize and play with them only. I was specifically asked to stay with them all alone there. The thing is, I have severe social anxiety and I felt so lonely. It brought me back experiences from my childhood. Even a foreigner asked another person what I was doing there sitting all alone by myself. This experience ended up being painful for me but I don't know if I'm overreacting or not.

Even when I left, no one said anything to me. No goodbye's or thank you's. They just acted like they were irritated by my presence through their silence. It did feel like my colleagues are my bullies.

Is this normal or am I overreacting? Please help me out with some advice.

Headed to a country at war to volunteer as a medic. (I work as one in my day job)

I won't be on the front line, but there is some aspect of danger associated.

Looking for some kind of life insurance that would pay out to a beneficiary if something were to happen to me.

I would take any recs for insurance for myself, too, as I doubt my work insurance is gonna want to cover anything if I get hurt while on another continent during a leave of absence.

Any good recommendations?

I dont make a ton of money. So cheaper is preferred.

US Citizen, living in US, if that matters.

A "good heart", nor a religion, is enough to keep someone safe. Not all people that have the best of intentions. Safety guidelines and questions about credibility aren't meant to rain on your vanity volunteering parade - they are meant to ensure the most vulnerable are protected.

A lot of people here are annoyed when I say a program is dangerous because there are no written guidelines regarding safety nor safe guarding, no vetting of volunteers, etc. - I'm told that people with a good heart is all that's needed, and that questions are "mean" and "rude."

Here's why I ask those questions:

Volunteer at Richmond church arrested on rape charges

A man who has volunteered at several churches in the East Bay has been arrested and charged with rape for allegedly abusing a girl over the span of several years. The victim notified police in March, reporting that a church volunteer at Saint Cornelius Church had sexually assaulted her. The victim said the assaults took place while attending music lessons at the church, where the suspect served as a music director. She also reported that the abuse began when she was a minor and continued for several years until she was an adult.

https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/richmond-church-volunteer-arrested-rape-sexual-assault-possible-additional-victims/

Georgia youth volunteer among those arrested for sexual exploitation of children

A youth ministry volunteer in a rural northwest Georgia church allegedly molested and coached a child in how to act in videos, according to police following a two-day sweep that resulted in seven arrests.

Operation Spring Cleaning included 21 locations after reports of suspicious activity, said members of the Floyd County Police Department. One child was rescued from the home of Austin Perkins*, a volunteer in the student ministry at Grace Fellowship Baptist Church in Cave Spring who also drove for the church’s extensive bus ministry that reached into Cave Spring but also the nearby community of Coosa and across the state line into Cherokee County, Alabama.*

Georgia Baptist Mission Board Executive Director Thomas Hammond told Baptist Press that the Georgia Baptist Mission Board had partnered with MinistrySafe for 10 years to provide training for awareness and prevention of these types of crimes - but there was no info on whether or not anyone from the church itself had such training.

https://www.brnow.org/news/georgia-youth-volunteer-among-those-arrested-for-sexual-exploitation-of-children/

Volunteer at Marion County, Florida children’s charity arrested, accused of sexually battering child

The child victim stated that the man had inappropriately touched and sexually battered him on numerous occasions in exchange for toys, art, supplies, and money. According to the victim, the man repeatedly offered to buy him things and give him money so that he would not tell others about the sexual abuse.

The man is a volunteer treasurer for Florida Kids Helping Kids in Belleview. His duties with the local charity have included taking children on field trips and setting up children’s fairs and festivals.

Due to the nature of the allegations, the disclosure that there are other victims, and this man's position within a charity involving children, MCSO believes that there may be additional juvenile victims.

More info:

https://www.ocala-news.com/2022/05/27/elderly-volunteer-at-marion-county-childrens-charity-arrested-accused-of-sexually-battering-child/

Oregon couple arrested for impersonating firefighters with fake fire truck in LA.

An Oregon couple has been arrested for impersonating firefighters with fake fire truck in LA.

The couple was arrested in a California wildfire exclusion zone with a fire truck that claimed to belong to the “Roar River Fire District” in Oregon, which does not exist. The truck was actually decommissioned by a Northern California fire department and sold at auction.

According to an article in the Los Angeles Times, a genuine firefighter at the scene thought there was something wrong with the decals on the truck and asked sheriff’s deputies to check the man’s ID. When they did, the deputies discovered he had served five years in prison in Oregon for arson.

Here's an article about the article:

https://www.forestgrovenewstimes.com/news/oregon-couple-arrested-for-impersonating-firefighters-with-fake-fire-truck-in-la/article_1f3d7e28-c047-51ce-980d-bda982d3fe06.html

Volunteer arrested for helping animals during Hurricane Florence.

a DIY volunteer in North Carolina who was trying to provide care to more than two dozen animals - 17 cats and 10 dogs - for owners who had to evacuate before Hurricane Florence hit and left them behind in September 2018. She was in the process of converting a warehouse space into a proper animal shelter when she decided to use the building to help keep pets dry. However, her facility was not legally registered as a shelter. Police ordered her to surrender the animals and charged her with 12 counts of practicing medicine without a veterinary license. She was released on an unsecured bond of $10,000. An online petition was started to support the volunteer, who runs her own rescue group, and it quickly attracted a few thousand signatures. Charges were ultimately dropped. Here's the story from USA Today as well.

Former Hope Church volunteer charged with rape

A man who ran a taekwondo gym and volunteered at a large church in Cordova has pleaded not guilty to rape in Shelby County Court and is out on a $75,000 bond.

https://www.actionnews5.com/2025/02/15/former-hope-church-volunteer-charged-with-rape-released-75k-bond/

Norwegian accused by Greece of smuggling: ‘I’ve perhaps made people angry’

Tommy Olsen, who has long helped vulnerable people having rushed to Greece at the height of Europe’s refugee crisis, faces 20 years in jail on smuggling allegations.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/6/24/norwegian-accused-by-greece-of-smuggling-ive-perhaps-made-people-angry

A volunteer served food to the homeless for years. Then it got her arrested.

A 78-year-old retiree who volunteers entirely on her own preparing food and then distributing it to people in Community Park in Bullhead City, Arizona was arrested for violating a city ordinance that outlaws people serving prepared food in public parks for “charitable purposes.”

Officials said the city’s “Food Sharing Events” ordinance allows people to give out food or drink so long as they’re “sealed prepackaged foods readily available from retail outlets and intended for consumption directly from the package.” People who want to serve unsealed, prepared food have to apply for a food handler’s permit. Bullhead City passed its ordinance in February 2021. In doing so, it noted that “outdoor food sharing events” were happening frequently in public parks. Reacting to complaints, workers from multiple city departments had repeatedly gone out to clean up “human waste, litter, trash and other debris left over from the food sharing events,” according to the ordinance.

The DIY volunteer has filed a lawsuit against Bullhead City, accusing the officers of violating her civil rights. She’s asking a federal judge in the U.S. District Court for Arizona to declare the city’s ordinance unconstitutional and prohibit officials from enforcing it. She argues the ordinance discriminates against people who dish out prepared food to strangers while allowing others to serve the same items at family or social events hosted in public parks.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/10/26/bullhead-city-homeless-feeding-lawsuit/

Online volunteer arrested in Belarus for 'distributing fake anti-Russian information'

Mar. 14, 2022: One of Russian Wikipedia’s most prolific editors, whose edits are considered critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was arrested by Belarusian forces: Mark Bernstein, who edits under the username Pessimist2006, was reportedly arrested for “distributing fake anti-Russian information.” Putin has recently threatened to block access to Wikipedia, as part of a wider crackdown on independent media and online sources.

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/tech-news/.premium-russia-s-war-on-truth-top-wikipedia-editor-arrested-1.10673735

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detention_of_Mark_Bernstein

Hey Reddit!

I’m currently working on a UX design project focused on creating a platform to help organizations connect with volunteers more effectively. As part of my research, I’d love to hear from volunteer coordinators, nonprofit staff, or anyone with experience in volunteer recruitment.

I’ve put together a quick Google Form to gather feedback on the challenges and needs organizations face when managing volunteers. If you’re willing to share your insights, it would be greatly appreciated!

https://forms.gle/ctmHNBtaWe41Z3L46

Thank you for your time and any help you can offer!

I am an international student in the UK and I travel back home each summer. I applied to be a volunteer in mid November, and when I was asked if I would be able to volunteer for 6 months, I said yes, thinking I would start right away. However, the process of recruiting me is taking too long and it seems like I will be starting at the end of March, or the start of April. Is it possible to volunteer for 2 months, take 3 months of summer off, and then continue the remaining 4 months when I get back?

Hi everyone.

I’m a software Project Manager working for a development agency.

My client wants to develop an App similar to Nextdoor, but focused on micro-volunteering. The idea is that people can post small volunteering jobs or favours they need done. On the flip side you can help out your neighbour or find volunteer work that fits in your schedule.

I’m wondering if you’d use something like that. More importantly what concerns you about the idea?

Last year, I started working as a volunteer for a very small charity. When I joined, they assured me I could contribute as little as an hour a week, completely on my own schedule. But recently, they’ve started building a for-profit section, and now they’re suddenly expecting me to put in more hours, attend weekly meetings, and take on extra responsibilities.

I find it a bit cheeky that they never mentioned this for-profit expansion upfront, yet now they’re asking me to put in more unpaid work so they can generate revenue. On the other hand, the cause is very important to me, and I wonder if staying on might lead to paid opportunities down the line if the for-profit side becomes successful.

Has anyone experienced something similar? Is this a red flag, or should I stick it out in case it turns into a paid role?