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Board Service & Volunteering

Sometimes giving of our time and talents is even more important than making a financial contribution to charity. As a volunteer or a board member with a charity, you can have a direct and personal impact on causes you care about. The following resources can help you find opportunities to get involved in your local community, and abroad.



Resources for Travel Philanthropy

 
The 100 Best Vacations to Enrich Your Life
by Pam Grout
National Geographic Society, 2007
In addition to 75 artsy and educational getaways, this book offers 25 fun ideas for volunteer vacations, including detailed contact information for organizations offering life-enriching retreats.

How To Live Your Dream of Volunteering Overseas
by Joseph Collins, Stefano Zeerega, and Zahara Heckscher
Penguin, 2001
This book can be very helpful to someone who wishes to volunteer abroad but is overwhelmed by the different options.  It contains practical advice, case studies and critical reviews of many of the largest overseas volunteer placement organizations.

Volunteer Vacations (9th edition)
by Bill McMillion, Doug Cutchins, Anne Geissinger and Ed Asner
Chicago Review Press, 2006< Volunteer vacationers may find this book to be a useful resource for culturally-sensitive, service-oriented travel.  Journals provided by past volunteers offer insight into the unexpected impact a volunteer vacation can have on one’s life.

Volunteer: A Traveler’s Guide to Making a Difference Around the World
by Charlotte Hindle, Nate Cavalieri, Rachel Collinson, and Korina Miller
Lonely Planet, 2007
Lonely Planet’s new guide provides suggestions for short- and long-term international volunteer vacations in Lonely Planet’s signature, user-friendly format.
International Voluntary Work
by Victoria Pybus
Vacation Work: Oxford, 2003
This book is a directory of international paid and volunteer opportunities.  Many of the jobs listed provide room and board or a stipend, even though travel is normally, though not always, the volunteer’s obligation.

“Preservation Rescue Corps" House & Garden, September 2007
by Alex Lemann
This inspirational article discusses government shortcomings in addressing the needs of New Orleans’ residents in the wake of Katrina while acknowledging the help provided by numerous volunteers, who are still coming in droves.

"Go//Getaways with Heart," Met Home, September 2007
by Sarah Belk King 
This short piece highlights four volunteer organizations that organize vacations with a purpose.



Organizations Focused On Volunteering

 

Action Without Borders
Find volunteer opportunities in the U.S. and worldwide. The Idealist is a global clearinghouse for nonprofit and volunteering resources.

City Cares of America
City Cares promotes community service opportunities across the country. Dozens of local organizations comprise the Cares Network. Find a City Cares affiliate in your area in order to volunteer your time towards a community project. Many projects are after work hours or on weekends.

Habitat for Humanity International
Since 1976, Habitat has built simple, decent houses in all 50 of the United States and in more than 50 other countries. Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter is Habitat's most famous supporter. Use the search engine on this site to find a volunteer project near you.

Impact Online
Do you want to volunteer, but don't have the time to show up in person? Well, now it's possible. With VirtualVolunteering you can volunteer from anywhere using your computer. This program allows you to contribute your time and expertise without leaving your office or home. To volunteer in person, visit VolunteerMatch, their database of opportunities for volunteers in 10 cities.

Peace Corps
As a Peace Corps volunteer, you may travel overseas. Most Peace Corps volunteers will say that while serving abroad, they received much more than they gave and they learned much more than they taught.

Points of Light Foundation
The Foundation's mission is to engage people more effectively in volunteer community service to help solve serious social problems. You can search their site for the volunteer center nearest you.

SERVEnet
As a program of Youth Service America, this site helps you to locate volunteer opportunities near your home or work. Just enter your zip code, and a list of opportunities is provided.

America's Second Harvest
Second Harvest is the largest charitable hunger relief organization in the United States. Their network of food banks and food rescue organizations serve all 50 states and distribute more than one billion pounds of donated food and grocery product annually. Visitors to this site can search for volunteer opportunities by zip code. There are over 200 affiliates in all 50 states and Puerto Rico; they have a variety of positions for those who would like to get involved.


Organizations Focused On Board Service

 

Alliance for Nonprofit Management
The Alliance is a professional association of individuals and organizations devoted to improving the management and governance capacity of nonprofits in order to assist those nonprofits in fulfilling their missions.

BoardSource
BoardSource, formerly known as the National Center for Nonprofit Boards, is a resource for practical information, tools, best practices, training, and leadership development for board members of nonprofit organizations worldwide. Offers a comprehensive selection of materials on nonprofit governance, including books, videos, and audiotapes.

The Center for Effective Philanthropy
The Center for Effective Philanthropy is a nonprofit research center focused on creating comparative data and insight to enable higher-performing foundations. The Center’s goal is to define, assess, and improve overall foundation performance.