Easy Ways to Volunteer

Volunteering has never been easier. There are plenty of opportunities to reap the benefits of volunteering for you and your community with little or no training or time commitment. You can even do valuable work from your home!

If you’re stuck at home but have some extra time, you can make a huge difference for a senior or nursing home resident. Make a handcrafted item to drop off; if you’ve always wanted to learn to knit or crochet, here’s your chance! Write a letter. You don’t have to know details about the recipient to share a story or talk about your hobbies or pets.

Craft toys or blankets for shelter animals. Care.com has easy instructions and anyone can make a t-shirt rope toy! Make this the day you purge your old blankets and sheets and donate them, shelters can always use the bedding. If you have free time and want to spend it with dogs or cats, volunteer at your local shelter to read, walk or just sit with future pets that need the attention and socializing.

Hospitals rely on a steady bank of blood, a supply that must be constantly replenished. 

Donating blood is easy and safe.  You can make an appointment with the American Red Cross or donate as a walk-in at designated collection sites. Is it quick? It takes longer to fill out the forms before giving and to enjoy the beverages and snacks after than it takes to make the actual donation. Download the Red Cross blood app to save even more time on the paperwork.       

Your donated unit can be separated into its specific components of red cells, plasma and platelets to help multiple patients. 

Platelets, most often used during cancer treatment or surgical procedures, have a shelf-life of only five days so there is a constant need for donors. The good news - if you qualify and have the extra time, you can donate through an apheresis machine which draws and separates the blood, retains some of the platelets, and then returns the remainder of the blood to the donor. One apheresis donor can contribute up to six times the amount of platelets obtained from a regular whole blood donation and you can donate again after just seven days.

Many nonprofits rely on annual walks or runs for funding. What can you do if you’re not athletically inclined? Volunteer to work the event. Even the shortest, simplest course needs an army of volunteers. No training is needed to haul water or man a hydration station, to hand out warming blankets or direct traffic. Your few hours can make a huge difference, freeing up trained volunteers and staff to work with the public.

Volunteering doesn’t have to be structured, you can make an incredible difference just by taking part in a social media awareness campaign.

Consider the ALS ice bucket challenge.  It’s raised over $115 million for ALS research with no organized event, no sign up and no minimum requirement for time. 

In 2014, Anthony Senerchia, Pete Frates, and Pat Quinn, young men living with ALS, launched a world-wide phenomenon that changed the fight against ALS forever.

So far over 17 million people around the globe have dumped ice water on their heads and donated to an ALS organization. The Challenge raised both awareness of the disease and $115 million to date for ALS research and patient support. 

The premise was simple; fill a bucket with ice, water, confetti, or whatever and tag and post it to your social media it as it’s dumped over your head. You can make a donation or ask your followers to do so. No matter how much money you raise, you helped support ALS awareness.  

What do you enjoy doing? If you run, join a walk. If you like to cook, help staff a soup kitchen. Have valuable professional experience or training? Teach or mentor through a local jobs program. If you have a personal connection to a charity or cause, visit their website for volunteer opportunities that will be even more meaningful for you. Think beyond non-profits, schools, hospitals, community centers or senior residences, all need extra hands.     

Volunteering is habit forming; find something you enjoy or are passionate about, and you’ll find ways to do more!