Volunteer Resources

Below is a list of organizations that provide numerous ways to become involved in helping your community.

Don't see your organization? If you would like to have your national volunteer organization listed here, please email your information, including web address and brief description, to chc@hsph.harvard.edu.

Action Without Borders
www.idealist.org
Action Without Borders connects people, organizations and resources to help build a world where all people can live free and dignified lives. The website includes listings of job and volunteer opportunities from around the world.

American Red Cross
www.redcross.org
The American Red Cross, a humanitarian organization led by volunteers and guided by its Congressional Charter and the Fundamental Principles of the International Red Cross Movement, will provide relief to victims of disasters and help people prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies.

America's Promise—The Alliance for Youth
www.americaspromise.org
America's Promise—The Alliance for Youth, led by General Colin Powell, is dedicated to mobilizing individuals, groups, and organizations from every part of American life to build and strengthen the character and competence of our youth. To point children and young people in the right direction, to help them grow up strong and ready to take their place as successful adults, these five promises must be fulfilled: an ongoing relationship with a caring adult — parent, mentor, tutor, or coach; a safe place with structured activities during non-school hours; a healthy start; a marketable skill through effective education; and an opportunity to give back through community service.

AmeriCorps
www.americorps.gov
AmeriCorps is a network of local, state, and national service programs that connects more than 70,000 Americans each year in intensive service to meet our country’s critical needs in education, public safety, health, and the environment. AmeriCorps members serve with more than 3,000 nonprofits, public agencies, and faith-based and community organizations. Since 1994, more than 400,000 men and women have provided needed assistance to millions of Americans across the nation through their AmeriCorps service.

Elderhostel
www.elderhostel.org
Elderhostel is a nonprofit organization providing educational adventures all over the world to adults aged 55 and over. Elderhostel experiences include educational trips, university- and college-based Institutes for Learning in Retirement, and Elderhostel Service Programs, engaging teams of hostelers in short-term volunteer projects in the United States and around the world.

The Executive Service Corps
www.escus.org
The Executive Service Corps (ESC) is an association of retired business executives who volunteer their time to consult with nonprofit and public service agencies. ESC consultants provide advisory services in a variety of areas such as accounting, budgeting and finance, planning, marketing, public relations, personnel administration, board development and governance, organizational systems, and facilities management. There is a network of more than 40 ESC organizations across the country.

Experience Corps
www.experiencecorps.org
Experience Corps® is the groundbreaking program that engages Americans 55-plus in vital public and community service. Today more than 1,000 Experience Corps members serve as tutors and mentors to children in urban public schools in a dozen cities across the country. Experience Corps members help teach children to read and develop the confidence and skills to succeed in school and in life.

Generations United
www.gu.org
Generations United is a national organization focused on promoting intergenerational strategies, programs, and policies. It includes more than 185 national, state, and local organizations representing more than 70 million Americans and serves as an advocate for the mutual well-being of children, youth, and older adults. Generations United also works to educate policymakers and the public about the economic, social, and personal imperatives of intergenerational cooperation.

Habitat for Humanity
www.habitat.org
Founded in 1976, Habitat for Humanity International is a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing ministry dedicated to eliminating substandard housing and homelessness worldwide and to making adequate, affordable shelter a matter of conscience and action. Habitat invites people from all faiths and walks of life to work together in partnership, building houses with families in need.

MENTOR
www.mentoring.org
MENTOR is an advocate for the expansion of mentoring and a resource for mentors and mentoring initiatives nationwide. Dedicated to the expansion of quality mentoring, MENTOR works to help:

• Entire communities and states work together to sustain and expand mentoring opportunities for young people.
• Schools, businesses, civic associations, faith communities and youth-serving organizations build or strengthen their mentoring programs.
• Educators and work force preparation leaders integrate mentoring into programs.
• Individuals learn about mentoring opportunities and become the mentors young people want and need.

National Retiree Volunteer Coalition
www.nrvc.org
The National Retiree Volunteer Coalition (NRVC) is a nonprofit consulting organization dedicated to creating a national movement of corporate retiree volunteer leadership and service. NRVC's unique method for mobilizing retirees to lives of community leadership and service is the Corporate Retiree Volunteer Program. Under the banner of their former employer, retirees with diverse backgrounds and interests combine their skills and experience to tackle pressing community needs, such as education, youth-at-risk, community revitalization, environmental concerns, and public health.

Peace Corps
www.peacecorps.gov
In 1964, only 2 percent of Peace Corps volunteers were people over the age of 50. Today, almost 7 percent are over 50 years old with more than 400 seniors currently serving overseas as Peace Corps volunteers. Twenty percent of all senior volunteers are serving as married couples, compared to 7 percent for volunteers under the age of 50. Senior volunteers work in all skill sectors but are most concentrated in education and business. There are 11 regional recruiting offices around the country.

Points of Light Foundation & Volunteer Center National Network
www.pointsoflight.org
The Points of Light Foundation is based in Washington, D.C., and works in communities throughout the United States through a network of more than 500 Volunteer Centers. The Foundation believes that at the core of most social problems lies disconnection and alienation. That is why the Foundation launched an initiative called Connect America. At the heart of this initiative is the idea that bringing people together through volunteer service is a powerful way of combating disconnection and alleviating social problems. To reach the Volunteer Center nearest you, visit their web site or call 1-800-VOLUNTEER.

SCORE
www.score.org
The SCORE Association (Service Corps of Retired Executives) is dedicated to entrepreneur education and the formation, growth, and success of small business nationwide. SCORE is a resource partner with the Small Business Association (SBA). SCORE Association volunteers serve as "Counselors to America's Small Business." Working and retired executives and business owners donate their time and expertise as volunteer business counselors and provide confidential counseling and mentoring free of charge. Local chapters provide free counseling and low-cost workshops in their communities.

Senior Corps
www.seniorcorps.org
National Senior Service Corps (NSSC) has a 30-year history of leadership in volunteer service and includes nearly half a million Americans age 55 and older in more than 1,200 local projects. The Senior Corps includes the Foster Grandparent and Senior Companion Programs, and the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP). Senior Corps Programs operate in local communities throughout the United States and offer a variety of options to meet volunteer needs and interests.

United Way of America
www.unitedway.org
United Way of America is the national organization dedicated to leading the United Way movement in making a measurable impact in every community in America. The United Way movement includes approximately 1,400 community-based United Way organizations. Each is independent, separately incorporated and governed by local volunteers.

USA Freedom Corps
www.usafreedomcorps.gov
The USA Freedom Corps Volunteer Network is the largest clearinghouse of volunteer opportunities ever created. Searching the Volunteer Network is a great and easy way to find existing volunteer opportunities in your community.

Volunteer Match
www.volunteermatch.org
Volunteer Match is a nonprofit, online service that helps interested volunteers get involved with community service organizations throughout the United States. Volunteers enter their ZIP code on the VolunteerMatch web site to find local volunteer opportunities matching individual interests and schedules.

Volunteers in Medicine
www.vimi.org
The Volunteers In Medicine (VIM) Clinics provide free medical and dental services to families and individuals who otherwise have no access to health care. The clinics are fully staffed by retired medical professionals, currently practicing volunteers, community volunteers, and a small number of paid staff. Founded in Hilton Head, South Carolina, clinics are now operating in many communities.

Volunteers of America
www.volunteersofamerica.org
For more than 108 years, Volunteers of America has been assessing the needs of communities and developing services to address those needs. Across the country, Volunteers of America provides services for homeless families, the frail elderly, abused and neglected children, the developmentally disabled, and many other at-risk people.