25 Great Ways Volunteering Is Good for Older Adults

Poor quality of sleep can generate or accelerate cognitive decline, according to a 2022 study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. A 2023 report from the National Sleep Foundation states it is “especially critical to optimize routines during the day,” adding that older individuals no longer have social cues like waking up for work or driving a child to school.

9. You can be picky about what you do

One of the best things about volunteering is that there are so many opportunities out there that you don’t have to settle. Wiley-Robinson attributes AARP’s ability to attract tens of thousands of volunteers to the wide range of opportunities the organization offers. Literacy programs, mentorship, helping the hungry, providing tax help and community cleanup are just a few of the options.

Bennett, an animal lover, fosters kittens, which provides relief to rescue organizations whose facilities are regularly over capacity and are forced to euthanize animals they can’t find homes for.

“There’s no one way to volunteer,” says Kaslow. “You can pick the ways that work best for you.”

If you’re not able to be there physically, look to volunteer remotely.

Kathleen Fu

10. You can volunteer remotely

While not as social as other opportunities, virtual volunteering is a good option for individuals who have limited mobility or cannot travel, says Wiley-Robinson. Dotson adds that volunteers with physical challenges are better able to overcome societal stigmas and experience the kind of meaning that is so valuable for their physical and mental health. “Studies in older adults with functional limitations show that volunteering improves cognitive functioning, mood and emotional well-being, and provides a buffer against the physical toll of stress,” she says.

Remote and hybrid opportunities can also break down location barriers, says Bennett, and volunteers can assist with a cause of their choice anywhere in the world via computer screen. For instance, an accountant can donate their expertise to assist with invoices, paperwork and budgets for organizations across the country or world, says Bennett, adding that virtual volunteering can help with time-commitment issues since individuals don’t need to commute to begin the work. 

11. It’s easy to sign up

Online searches have supplanted word of mouth as the primary method for volunteers to discover organizations to assist, says Bennett.

Michelle Currier, 55, of Nashua, New Hampshire, began volunteering at the Humane Society of Greater Nashua, an animal rescue organization through VolunteerMatch, which is now part of Idealist.

The process was simple, she says. After registering on the portal, Currier selected several causes she believes in, plus her ZIP code, to explore her options. “It was a safe place to look for volunteering, versus just googling,” she says. Some opportunities, such as being a docent or an after-school tutor, require extensive screening, says Bennett, adding that Idealist also utilizes social media to recruit potential volunteers. 

12. You grow into your role

Just as in a professional workforce, there is ample room to expand your role and responsibilities as you grow more comfortable within the organization or as time permits. Older volunteers can take on more duties as they retire or because they find the effort fulfilling. “We call it the ‘ladder of engagement,’” Wiley-Robinson says.

Bennett says the first step is to make sure it’s a good match and the organization is happy with your work, which could lead to more substantial opportunities to contribute. “I think about volunteering as a two-way street,” says Bennett. “It needs to work for the volunteer, and it needs to work for the organization.” 

A major perk of being a volunteer is that you can advance at your own pace or choose to maintain the status quo, notes Wiley-Robinson.

13. You can use your expertise

Whether employed or retired, older individuals can pass along their knowledge to help make the world a better place, says Kaslow, who comes from a dance background. Her volunteer work includes providing psychiatric assistance to members of the Atlanta Ballet.

“Capitalize on whatever your strengths are,” she says.

Williams, who is the executive director of the City of White Plains Youth Bureau, agrees, adding that he has worked with at-risk youth for years. “I like working with people serving the community,” he says.  Leider believes that opportunities to contribute are valuable to healthy aging. “Purpose is fundamental to health, to healing, to happiness and, ultimately, longevity,” he says.    

14. Build community with your fellow volunteers

Shared experiences can help you bond with your fellow volunteers, either through project work or social outings. Those connections encourage friendships that can fend off isolation and stimulate the mind, Rowe says.

Rowe says developing connections is vital to enjoying your later years. “A central aspect of aging successfully and maintaining full function is what is generally referred to as ‘engagement,’” says Rowe. “The older people become, the more potent the impact of engagement comes.” 

Connecting with other volunteers may lead to new friendships.

Kathleen Fu

15. You can fill a need in your community

Williams has seen firsthand the need for father figures for children in Westchester County, New York; it was his impetus for founding Grandpas United.

Its services include counseling, visiting schools and fostering better relationships between communities and police officers. Williams reports that Grandpas United has worked with more than 100 children coming through the court system. 

Currier, who works at CCL Hospitality Group and chairs the company’s diversity and action council, which manages corporate social responsibility projects, says volunteers can fill in the gaps in many local organizations. “Communities can’t survive without volunteers, whether it’s sporting events or if it’s Scouts,” she says. 

16. You can help others live up to their potential

Among the most fulfilling aspects of volunteering is helping bring out the best in others, says Amy Lewis, 51, a professor of management at Texas A&M San Antonio who has volunteered for decades as a self-defense instructor, math tutor and board member of the League of Women Voters of Southwest Missouri.  

Lewis currently serves on the board of Goodwill Industries of San Antonio. The San Antonio chapter helps individuals with special needs get jobs and become productive members of society through adaptive technology.

“One of the things that resonates with me — and this is both in terms of why I chose higher education as a vocation, as well as my community service — is it gives me great joy to help empower people to fulfill their potential. It fills my heart with pride and joy when I see that happen,” Lewis says. 

17. You can become a better version of yourself 

Many, if not all, volunteers start with the idea that they will help others in some capacity. But the rewards can go both ways, says Dotson. “Volunteering can expand how older adults see themselves, others and the world. It shifts focus outward, fosters empathy, encourages learning and deepens connection, all of which help cultivate a broader, more youthful and more inclusive perspective,” she explains. 

For example, Vito Sessa, 74, a retired pediatrician in White Plains, New York, decided to start a program that supports fathers after noticing their reduced roles in their kids’ lives when he was treating his patients.

Through Grandpas United, he initiated JumpStart for Dads, a 12-week program that encourages fathers to overcome the challenges of being a parent. What surprised Sessa was that his role in assisting the 20 people who’ve gone through the program since 2023 has fostered better habits within himself.  “I think I’m a better husband, spouse, partner, father and grandfather,” he says. “I am able to have conversations with my sons that maybe I wouldn’t have had otherwise.”

18. It’s a learning experience

Volunteering provides opportunities to learn tangible skills that can be used in a variety of ways.

Alexia Savage, United Way’s senior vice president of U.S. network engagement, says her organization and others train volunteers to perform a variety of helpful tasks, such as assisting with basic tax preparation.

Leider says learning is fundamental to aging well. “Curiosity is what really fuels purpose,” he says. “If you’re not curious about yourself and about the world, you’re not growing and you’re not aging well.” 

19. You can develop intergenerational bonds

Volunteering as a mentor gives you the chance to assist young people and potentially guide them to a happy and productive life. “Young people need a connection; they need somebody to care; they need hope and encouragement,” says Williams.     

Rowe, citing a study exploring the impact of Experience Corps, a project of the AARP Foundation that assisted students, says the interactions with youths stimulated the adults’ minds. “They did MRIs of the brains of the volunteers and the control group before and after a year of volunteering,” he describes. “They found that the portion of the frontal cortex that was involved in what’s called ‘executive function’ was enhanced.”

Kaslow adds, “Intergenerational bonds benefit both younger and older individuals by fostering meaningful connections, encouraging empathy and compassion and enhancing mutual respect.”   

Set an example for family members by volunteering, and see if they’d like to be included.

Kathleen Fu

20. You can make unlikely friendships

When Sessa describes himself as a “typical guy,” he means he isn’t particularly social. “I don’t have many close relationships outside of my family,” he admits. Yet through JumpStart for Dads, he has been exposed to a wide range of individuals, in the form of the facilitators and group members, that he may not have interacted with otherwise.

The range of individuals he regularly volunteers with includes deacons, an educator, a small-business owner and a former IT person. Among the best friends he has made is a retired truck driver. “We share just about everything that’s going on with our lives,” he says. 

Savage says such scenarios are common. “Giving back knows no bounds,” she says. Meeting people outside your regular social circle helps break down silos that can limit views, says Kaslow: “It helps people find common ground and bridge gaps between groups.”

21. It puts troubles in perspective

Savage says volunteering at food banks or shelters serves as a reminder about income disparity. She says it’s been “very eye-opening, because you see what those needs are, especially if you’re doing something very direct-service.”

She adds that volunteer work can also really put your own problems in perspective. Donating your time at a food bank during the holidays is a classic example. “As we’re all sitting at home enjoying a warm Thanksgiving meal, knowing that you help provide that to someone else that would not have otherwise had that opportunity will … increase that level of gratitude,” Savage says. 

22. Volunteering is “contagious”

Wiley-Robinson says one “problem” of volunteering is that you may catch the bug for it. Conti and Kaslow are just two of the older individuals active in a variety of organizations. “Folks are surprised by how contagious volunteerism is,” Wiley-Robinson says. “I often tell people that we have chronic volunteers in our space. It’s a problem, but it’s a good problem.” Likewise, individual or group volunteering can inspire others to do the same. Williams, for example, says he has fielded several calls over the past few months from groups in other cities interested in replicating Grandpas United after it was featured on national media outlets like CBS and NPR.

23. It’s a way to continue a family legacy — or start a new one

Volunteering is a chance to set an example for family members to also do good, says Savage, 48, who includes her 12-year-old son on several give-back opportunities. Perhaps not surprisingly, many older volunteers themselves began at a young age, when their parents and/or grandparents showed them the power of giving back.

Bennett’s mother continues to donate her time at a natural history museum in Oregon. “It was definitely modeled for us,” says Bennett, whose father was a tutor.  Likewise, Wiley-Robinson and her family would assist at church functions  when she was younger, and continue their tradition of volunteer work today. People who didn’t volunteer when they were younger can start their own line of community helpers right now, she adds.

24. It will blow you away

First-time volunteers may not be able to predict the emotions that come from assisting others in need. “There are folks literally blown away by just the impact they have ... whether it be for that hour, for that day, for that week, for their lifetime,” she says.  Currier also can attest to the powerful feelings volunteering creates, whether she is helping animals at the Humane Society, or unhoused individuals through Project Place.  “It’s a high,” she says.  “Many people don’t realize that an hour of your time is tenfold of how it makes you feel.” Adds Leider: “There’s a felt sense of … ‘This made a better day for me.’”

25. You really do make a difference

Bennett recalls passing by a large unhoused population while riding Bay Area Rapid Transit in San Francisco. “This is a huge systemic problem that I cannot solve on my own,” she acknowledges. But she knew she could offer assistance for disadvantaged persons with getting ID cards and other paperwork to better their lives. “Can I solve the unhoused crisis in California by myself? No, but I can make a difference for that one person that one day,”  Bennett says.

Williams adds, “Volunteers don’t just do the work. They change the world.”