Choosing Where You Should Volunteer

You’ve been hesitant about volunteering because you feel you don’t have the time or you don’t know where you want to volunteer. The good news is that you can find a volunteer opportunity tailored to almost any amount of time you can give. But to make your precious time even more valuable, you need to make sure you’ve chosen the right nonprofit to give of your time. Here are a few ways to help you make the decision.

Find your friends
A great place is to start is to ask your friends about their volunteer experiences. This should give you insight into well-run volunteer programs. You may even be able to try out an organization by volunteering with them.

Find your passion
While asking your friends is a great first step, it’s important to consider your talents and your passions. If you’re using untapped talents or have a vested interest in the mission of the nonprofit organization, your volunteer experience will be more fulfilling.

Find an organization
In discovering your passion and assessing your talents, maybe you found more than one. No problem. Search for nonprofits in your community that you feel fit—unless your passion takes you global—and contact a few about your interest in helping out. Spend some time with the organizations and do some research on their financials, programs and volunteer opportunities. Then you can make an educated decision on the organization that suits you best.