FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

We've made several improvements to our service over the past few months to make it easier for you to find a rewarding volunteer opportunity. If you still need a little help navigating through our site, however, read our FAQs below.

How do I find a volunteer opportunity?
How do I search for a specific nonprofit organization?
How do I find a volunteer opportunity for kids or teenagers?
How do I find a group or family volunteer opportunity?
What is a virtual volunteer opportunity and how do I find one?
Why do I need an email account to refer myself to an opportunity?
Why do I have to register as a member before I can refer myself to a volunteer opportunity?

How do I find a volunteer opportunity?

To find a volunteer opportunity in the VolunteerMatch network, go to our Search page, enter your ZIP code, and click on 'Search.' The results will be sorted by newness, but you can resort the list by distance, duration or date using the drop-down menu at the top of the form. Once you have found an opportunity that interests you, click on 'I Like This Volunteer Opportunity,' complete the required information, and an automatic email will be sent to the organization notifying them of your interest. The organization will contact you about their volunteer opportunity after receiving your referral.

How do I search for a specific nonprofit organization?

To find a particular nonprofit organization or to search through all of the organizations in your area, go to the Organization Search page. Enter your ZIP code or city, and any other information you choose, and click on 'Search.' Once you find the organization you are looking for, click on the organization name and you will be connected to their mission statement, contact information and volunteer opportunities.

How do I find a volunteer opportunity for kids or teenagers?

VolunteerMatch has thousands of volunteer opportunities for people of all ages. To find an opportunity for kids or teenagers, go to the Search page, enter your ZIP code, select 'Great for Kids' or 'Great for Teens,' and click on 'Search.'

How do I find a group or family volunteer opportunity?

VolunteerMatch has thousands of volunteer opportunities for groups of various sizes. To find an opportunity for your family or a group of employees, go to the Search page, enter your ZIP code, select 'Great for Groups' and click on 'Search.'

What is a virtual volunteer opportunity and how do I find one?

Virtual volunteer opportunities can be completed from a remote location, virtually anywhere, usually with a computer, Internet connection, phone, and/or fax. Virtual opportunities do not require the volunteer to be physically present at a specific location.

To find a virtual volunteer opportunity, go to the Virtual Search page and click on a category of interest. Once you have found an opportunity that interests you, click on 'I Like This Volunteer Opportunity,' complete the required information, and an automatic email will be sent to the organization notifying them of your interest. The organization will contact you about their volunteer opportunity after receiving your referral.

Why do I need an email account to refer myself to an opportunity?

VolunteerMatch requires verification of your email address before you can refer yourself to an opportunity to ensure that a nonprofit is able to contact you after you have referred yourself to an opportunity. If you don't have an email account, sign up for a free one through Yahoo! or Hotmail.

Why do I have to register as a member before I can refer myself to a volunteer opportunity?

As part of our ongoing commitment to quality service, and in an effort to improve the VolunteerMatch experience for both volunteers and nonprofits, we now ask volunteers to register with VolunteerMatch in order to express interest in a volunteer opportunity.

This new change helps ensure that accurate and reliable information is exchanged between volunteers and nonprofits, preserves the integrity and functionality of the VolunteerMatch service, and results in stronger volunteer connections.

Volunteer registration allows us to verify the validity of a volunteer's email address, ensuring that nonprofits can successfully follow-up with the volunteers using VolunteerMatch. Registration also offers volunteers access to a number of excellent tools and resources available on VolunteerMatch, all designed to save time and improve functionality.

As always, the privacy and safeguarding of your personal information is of primary concern to us. Your registration information will never be shared, and will only be used to communicate with you and the nonprofit organizations of your choosing.