Discover Volunteer Opportunities From Your Family And Friends

Who knows you well? Who shares many of your interests?

It is your family and friends.

If you are searching for a great volunteer opportunity, don't forget to tell your family and friends.

One of them may already be volunteering in a way that might interest you (he or she does share some of your same interests). Volunteering with others you know can make volunteering even more fun. It also can provide an additional motivation to stick with it.

Your family and friends can also provide you a network to help find your volunteer opportunity. They can ask people they know. They can help identify nonprofit organizations that need help. They can keep their eyes and ears open to volunteer opportunities that match your desires. All you need to do is let them know what kind of volunteer opportunity you are interested in and that you would like their help.

Don't forget your family and friends when you are ready to volunteer.

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Volunteering Has Personal Benefits

Britt Bravo from the Have Fun • Do Good blog wrote a terrific blog post about the benefits of volunteering and performing acts of kindness. Her post, Got the Winter Blues? Giving May Cheer You Up, provides a list of benefits and resources.

If you want to do something for your health and happiness - volunteer!

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Discover Volunteer Opportunities At Your Local Schools

Our children and youth of today are our leaders for the future. They need proper teaching, mentoring and encouragement to bring out their full potential.

Contact your local schools and discover the volunteer opportunities that are available to you. Also, consider the following ways to help and then start thinking of other unique ways you can contribute:

• Donate clothing. If you have children in your house, now would be a great time to find clothes that no longer fit. Donate them to a family in need or local charity. If your kids attend a school that wears uniforms, consider providing the uniforms to the school where they can put them to the best use.


• Be a Tutor. My son is learning things at his age that I was not taught until later years. This is great for those that are able to grasp the concepts. However, there are some that need additional help outside the classroom. Consider being a volunteer tutor.


• Be a Teacher's Aide. Teachers have a significant responsibility. I am thankful for those that teach. They should not have to do it alone. Ask a school or teacher what you can do. It might be helping to organize a room. It might be to support the school library. It might even be to help plan a school event. There are many ways you can contribute your time and be a tremendous help.


• Donate School Supplies. The cost of school supplies can be a major burden on some families. Consider donating money for school supplies or purchasing school supplies that will help one or more of these wonderful families.


• Adopt a College Student. Many college students do not live at home. They do not have the benefit of their own family near them everyday. For most, it is the first time they are away from home and their friends for a significant amount of time. Why don't you "adopt" a college student. Invite him or her to a home-cooked meal from time to time. Provide them a space they can get away from the campus.
  

The number of ways you can help students during the school year is unlimited. Seriously think about one or more ways you can make a difference in a young person's life this year. The benefits you receive from volunteering just might surprise you.

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Discover Volunteer Opportunities Through VolunteerMatch

VolunteerMatch is dedicated to helping everyone find a great place to volunteer with nonprofit organizations. It doesn’t get any easier to find an opportunity. Go to http://www.volunteermatch.org/, type in your zip code and click on the Search button. You can narrow or expand your search by specifying criteria like the type of charity you are interested in and the distance from your zip code you want the search to cover.

When you find one or more volunteer opportunities that you are interested in, VolunteerMatch provides you the ability to submit a resume to the nonprofit organization as well as provides you the contact information needed to follow up regarding your interest.

VolunteerMatch offers detailed instructions on their website just in case you run into any difficulties or have a question.

Don’t stop at searching for volunteer opportunities. Browse the Volunteer area of their website. You will find some terrific information on the topic of volunteering. Discover the benefits of volunteering.



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Expand Your Career Opportunities Through Volunteering

Volunteering provides many personal benefits. Some of these benefits include increasing your job skills and networks. These new abilities can open up new career opportunities to you.

Many companies are discovering the value of volunteering for nonprofit organizations.

"...volunteers often sign up to network or spend time with work friends and find they've improved their interpersonal skills, their ability to work as part of a team and their ability to overcome obstacles."
http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/worklife/02/08/worker.volunteers.ap


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Discover Volunteer Opportunities at Work

Companies are are waking up to the fact that supporting nonprofit organizations through employee volunteering can help their bottom line as well as help the community. Your company may be one of those.

Ask your employer whether they have a list of volunteer opportunities they support or resources for you to use to find a match for yourself. Also find out if they offer incentives to employees for volunteering. The incentives might be allowing flexible leave or even paid time to volunteer (although if you get paid for the time it shouldn't be called volunteering).

"As more employees see volunteer work as a way to learn new skills or move their careers forward, volunteering has become a sort of corporate benefit. Companies are increasingly offering time off for volunteer projects, volunteer work on company time or company-organized efforts."
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5g4aOK0HuId1Q6oWOGzIM5h9Rtf_QD8UKB4L80

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Discover Volunteer Opportunities In Online Forums

As you are participating on online forums and other social networking websites, watch for bannners and links related to charities and events. Contact the nonprofit organizations you find and contact themto learn about volunteer opportunities that are available.

A volunteer opportunity could be as simple as spending time promoting the charity. The How To Find Volunteer Opportunities blog is currently promoting an event for a nonprofit organization. This opportunity was found through online discussions. Other blogs supporting the same event are:

• Diet Without Starving
• Dog Health Issues
• Online Auctions Nook

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Discover Volunteer Opportunities At Community Service Fairs

A great way to discover many local volunteer opportunities is to attend a community service fair. Many communities hold this event once or twice a year. These fairs are typically located at a local community center, school or mall. Nonprofit organizations set up displays and have staff available to educate you about their organization and available volunteer opportunities.

In a news article about an upcoming volunteer fair, this is what was said about the community benefits of volunteering:

"Building better communities starts with volunteers. At the Marketplace, you can find out why donating your time is a great way to build a stronger and more caring community, and a fine way to gain hands-on experience."
http://ottawastart.com/story/7290.php

Consider attending a community service fair in your area to discover the many volunteer opportunities available to you.

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How to Find Volunteer Opportunities

Welcome to the blog that will explore many ways to find great volunteer opportunities. If you want to make a difference in the world, volunteering is an excellent choice.

Studies have shown that volunteering is beneficial to your mind and heart. There are other personal benefits as well. Check out 18 Reasons to Volunteer Your Time to learn about several of the benefits.

Finding the best volunteer opportunities could be an overwhelming task. There are more than 1.5 Million nonprofit organizations to pick from and numerous skills that are needed. However, it doesn't have to be difficult. There are many tools now available to us to simplify the task.

My life has changed since being deliberate in my volunteering activities. I want the same for you.

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