Find a Volunteer Opportunity in Your Community

By: AARP Volunteer Services | Source: AARP.org | March 30, 2006

Looking for volunteering opportunities to give back to your community, to support a cause that you believe in, to develop new skills, or to establish new friendships? Whatever your reason, you can put your time and talents to good use by volunteering in your community.

Your help is always needed. Many organizations are facing shortages of volunteers while the demand for direct services continues to grow. To help organizations keep up with increasing demands, volunteers now play a greater role in developing and providing key services. Today's volunteers bring a breadth of skills and experiences to many organizations. Behind the scenes and in the forefront, you too can make a difference in the lives of others in your community.

When considering volunteer opportunities, there are many questions to ask yourself. You'll need to decide if you're interested in a formal or informal assignment — one that is regular and ongoing or one where you work as needed.

Many organizations offer opportunities where you can apply a variety of leadership and technical skills. So, you'll need to decide whether you'd like to work directly with people being served or behind the scenes helping to plan, coordinate, and establish programs.

Take time to think about the types of volunteer opportunities that would most interest you. The clearer you are on what you seek to get out of the experience, the more likely you are to locate an opportunity that can meet your needs. To help you make this decision, ask yourself some key questions like:

• Why am I interested in volunteering?
• What type of activities am I interested in?
• What are my natural strengths and gifts? What do I really enjoy doing?
• Would I prefer a small local organization, or a larger regional or national one?
• What issues do I care most about?
• How will my desire to serve fit in with my current time commitments?
• How much time do I want to give? What days, or parts of days?
• Would I prefer to do something in my own neighborhood, or travel to another?

These questions are meant to help you begin to think about your skills, interests, and preferences. Once you've thought these questions through, you'll have a better idea of the type of volunteer opportunities that would most interest you.

When looking for volunteer opportunities, consider becoming an AARP volunteer. AARP continues to offer a range of opportunities where volunteers can put their time, skills and experience to good use. Working closely with community partners, teams of volunteers ensure that important AARP programs are available in their community. Others help with a variety of community events that inform, protect and empower adults 50+ on a range of important issues. And, those who apply for and are selected to hold key volunteer leadership positions are helping to guide, shape, and/or advance AARP's state or national priorities.

Together, AARP volunteers and staff are working to enhance the quality of life for all as we age by achieving positive social change through information, advocacy and service. You can too!

You can visit your AARP in Your State pages for more information on volunteer opportunities.

Some AARP Programs currently seeking volunteers are:

• AARP Tax-Aide:  Volunteer with Tax-Aide, the nation's largest free, volunteer-run tax counseling and preparation service.

• AARP Driver Safety Program:  Volunteer for the nation's first and largest classroom driver refresher course program.

Other ways to find volunteering opportunities:

•  Volunteer Match: Get information about a range of volunteer opportunities currently available in your community. Volunteer Match is easy to use and available free of charge.