If you’re looking to make a difference in the world around you, you probably already know that volunteering is a great place to start. When you volunteer, you’re not just helping a cause. You may also meet new people, strengthen your community and even boost your mental and physical health.

Of course, deciding you want to volunteer is the easy part. The hard part? Finding the right opportunity that matches your interests, skills and energy levels. The possibilities are almost endless. You might spend time with children, help older adults, work with animals, protect the environment, lend your professional skills or support causes you care about through virtual volunteering from home.

To help you narrow down what you’re looking for, we’ve outlined some different activities to consider. We’ve also included resources that can help direct you to Alabama organizations in need. The rest is up to you!

What are some ideas for volunteering?

Support children and families

  • Tutor students
  • Mentor young people
  • Conduct practice job interviews with high school and college students
  • Collect and donate school supplies
  • Donate your hair to an organization that creates wigs for people experiencing hair loss
  • Provide foster care to children
  • Help out in your child’s classroom
  • Sign up to help the PTA
  • Coach a youth sports team

Support older adults

  • Deliver meals
  • Assemble care packages for senior centers
  • Drive seniors to appointments and help them run errands
  • Participate in in-home visits

Support animals

  • Foster a pet
  • Train a service animal
  • Help transport shelter animals to veterinary appointments, foster homes and adoption events
  • Help out at an animal shelter

Support your community

  • Participate in a park clean-up or pick up trash around your neighborhood
  • Organize a neighborhood block party
  • Plant a community garden
  • Answer calls at a crisis hotline
  • Participate in a charity run or walk
  • Sort and distribute food at a food pantry
  • Pack backpacks with meals and snacks for food-insecure neighbors
  • Serve meals at a community kitchen

Share your skills and resources

  • Translate text to/from other languages
  • Fundraise
  • Donate blood
  • Write letters to service members
  • Volunteer at a local hospital or medical center
  • Offer professional help to a non-profit, such as writing, web design, coding, tax preparation, legal aid and health care assistance
  • Provide disaster relief

How do I find volunteer opportunities in Alabama?

If you already know the kind of volunteering you’d like to do, a quick online search may lead you to the right organizations in your area. Alternatively, if you’d like to respond to the specific needs of organizations in your community, here are three sites to visit:

Volunteer.gov: These virtual and in-person volunteer opportunities are at federal agencies that need help carrying out their work. Some examples include assisting at the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Alabama’s Governor’s Office of Volunteer Services: This state office shares listings for opportunities at non-profits across the state. It also lists information on local volunteer centers, agencies, events, AmeriCorps and disaster services.

United Way: This global organization works with an extensive network of nonprofits to address and solve needs in local communities. Look up your local United Way to see what opportunities are available in your own backyard.

Idealist: This site is tapped into more than 200,000 organizations in 180 countries. It allows you to search by your interests and your zip code to find the right opportunity for you.

As you start your volunteer journey, don’t feel as though you have to commit to one organization or cause. Follow your heart and give when and where you can. Whether you volunteer once a year or once a week, every contribution makes a difference.