10 Websites to Help You Find Volunteer Opportunities Near You

Wednesday, February 14, 2018

Did you realize many countries in a developing stage might need you to succeed? Volunteering may be the right answer to the question or the solution to some problems many communities are facing on a daily basis.

We’re living in a global world where the Internet is available to almost 4 billion people worldwide regarding the latest statistics. It means that you can easily research on actual world’s problems and easily find the right projects that are working towards solving these problems.

Finding the right volunteer opportunities that match your preferences may be a tricky process, but with more reliable volunteering platforms, the task of finding and enrolling in exciting projects has never been easier. Think about your skills and what can you offer to improve the lives of communities around the world. Check out the available projects and reach out the organizations who are hosting the project. In short, that’s the process of finding your next volunteering project.

We did comprehensive research on volunteering websites and available projects, and we guarantee there are many volunteer opportunities around you. Times have changed, today you can travel the world and make a difference in local communities wherever you go. How to do it and how to find an appropriate volunteering project for yourself? Well, check out these 10 platforms that will make the whole process of finding a volunteering project much easier.

1) Catchafire - Skill-Based Volunteering

Catchafire is a skill based volunteer platform

Have you ever heard about pro-bono consulting? That’s the term for professionals with matching skills who are volunteering for social impact organizations. Professionals around the world with the skills in marketing, human resources, finance and IT are giving their time and energy to non-profit organizations to achieve their noble goals for free.

Catchafire is a massive community of volunteers and social organizations who’re working together in making the world a better place. It’s relatively easy to set-up an account on the platform and search or even post a volunteering project. Such an efficient way to improve your skills, connect with like-minded people and make a lasting impact on communities around the world.

If you support the idea and you’d like to participate in social impact projects, we recommend you to read a Catchafire platform review that will cover all the details.

Type: Skill-based

Budget: Giving away your time and skills for a more significant cause (without compensation)

Numbers: 180 remote projects and counting

2) Taproot Foundation - Pro Bono Consulting Platform

Help non-profit organizations with your professional skills

Taproot is a similar platform like Catchafire, and it serves as a middleman between social impact organizations and professionals with the right skills. If you’re interested in investing your professional skills and time in volunteering projects, then you’ll be more than happy as Taproot has many different options.

People who have an idea that could make a positive impact on communities around the world can create a project and search for professionals with the right skills. Once you posted a project, the platform connects you with motivated pro-bono consultants. There are many interesting projects available that will definitely help you and communities at the same time.

Don’t forget to read a detailed Taproot foundation platform review before applying for the projects!

Type: Skill-based

Budget: Giving away your time and skills for a bigger cause (without compensation)

Numbers: 42 organizations in 30 countries (remote work)

3) HelpStay - Innovative Volunteering Network

HelpStay - improve the quality of life in local communities around the world

Are you a traveler who prefers mindful traveling over visiting tourist attractions? To dip more into the culture, traditions, and people of the country you’re visiting; the best way is to live with locals simply. Sometimes it could be a tough task as you probably have a limited time of traveling.

Here’s one interesting concept HelpStay volunteering platform provides you with. You can stay and live with local people which means you get a free accommodation in exchange for work. Naturally, you’re giving your time and energy to make their dreams come true or improve the life of communities you’re in. How does that sound to you?

HelpStay is a very intuitive platform with a great design and creative projects. You can basically travel the world on a budget, living with locals and learn about the world around you. All that while giving back to communities you’re traveling to.

Don’t forget to read a detailed HelpStay platform review before applying to projects!

Type: Volunteering

Budget: Depending on the project ($0 - $100/day)

Numbers: Around 1000 projects in 100+ countries

4) AfricanImpact - Make Africainfo-icon a Better Place

You can literally change hundred of lives in African communities with your energy and time

Volunteering in Africa sounds interesting to you, but you were always skeptical about the reliability of projects and platforms? Well, AfricanImpact might be the solution for that problem!

The platform is very intuitive, and volunteers can enroll in the projects that cover 11 African countries. There are different types of volunteering projects you can participate including internships, group volunteering, and community volunteering. No matter on the project type you choose, you will have an authentic experience while helping the African communities grow.

The programs are organized to place you with other volunteers in local communities which means you will live with African people. That way, you can really learn about their culture and feel their struggle. What could be a better way to develop empathy and understanding than living with African family for a certain amount of time?

Don’t forget to read a detailed AfricanImpact review before applying for volunteering projects!

Type: Volunteering/Internship

Budget: $1000 - $5000 for 2 - 12 weeks

Numbers: 4 types of projects through 11 African countries

5) Idealist - Make Innovative Ideas Happen

Pro bono consulting - use your skills to make a lasting impact in the world

Do you have an idea that could possibly change the world or would love to participate in the project that will have a positive impact on the world? Awesome! Idealist could be the right platform for you!

The platform has around 150,000 volunteering projects, and the number is growing with each day. It serves as a project listing platform and non-profit organizations are posting their details on the projects on the platform. It’s easy to create a profile and start applying to 56 project categories.

If you don’t find the right project, but you have an idea that could solve a problem that certain community faces, then you’re free to post your idea. Who knows, maybe you will attract the team of professionals who will work on same goals as you?

Start searching for the right volunteer opportunities after reading a comprehensive Idealist volunteer platform review! Good luck in changing the world!

Type: Skill-based

Budget: Giving away your time and skills for a bigger cause (without compensation)

Numbers: Around 150,000 projects around the world

6) DoSomething - Spread Awareness Around the World

Simply increase the awareness of problems local communities around the world face on daily basis

DoSomething is an amazing volunteering platform that spreads the word about problems communities around the world are facing on a daily basis. Many people know about global problems like poverty, pollution, health issues, racial problems and so on, but still, many people are simply ignorant to these.

This innovative platform solely focuses on creative volunteering projects that boost awareness about social problems some communities are facing. For instance, numerous projects concentrate on spreading the word about education in third-world countries or extreme poverty that more than a billion people are facing. You can enroll in these projects, and with the right team of people, you can spread the message through different channels like social media, creating flyers, leading social campaigns and similar.

DoSomething regularly provides with scholarships for people who're enrolled in their internship opportunities which basically gives you the opportunity to travel the world for free!

If you’d love to increase the awareness of those problems people are facing on a daily basis, then DoSomething may offer interesting projects to you. Don’t forget to read a detailed review of DoSomething platform before applying for the projects!

Type: Volunteering/Increasing the awareness

Budget: Free

Numbers: 6 categories of projects in 131 countries around the world

7) Plan My Gap Year - Take a Break Like a Boss

Take a break froom your current career or schooling and improve the world around you.

Many young people take a break from schooling or their job and simply experience life. It’s an awesome way to learn about yourself and the world around you. A number of people taking a volunteer project during their gap year to give their time and energy to communities that are in desperate need of any help are continually growing.

Plan My Gap Year is an innovative volunteering platform that offers you volunteering projects around the world. There are 15 available countries that the platform covers and all of these are facing serious social problems. The majority of countries are located in Africa, South Americainfo-icon or Asiainfo-icon, so if you’re a passionate traveler who’d like to learn more about the culture, traditions, and people in these communities, then it may be the right platform for you.

The projects vary from 2 - 24 weeks and the program cost starts from $300 and the costs go up depending on the length of your stay and country you’re visiting. It’s easy to find the right project and apply to it as the platform is very intuitive to use.

Don’t forget to read PlanMyGapYear Review before deciding to use this platform for finding the best gap year programs!

Type: Volunteering

Budget: $300 - $2500 for 2 - 24 weeks

Numbers: 6 volunteer project categories in 17 countries around the world

8) Volunteer Match - Connect with Like-Minded People

Volunteer Match is the platform that connect you with like-minded people

Each day, more people realize the world’s problems some communities struggle with. It’s not an odd thing to see volunteering platforms popping up every day with innovative and creative solutions. Volunteer Match is one of the platforms that effectively connects volunteers and organizations to make the world a better place.

There are two types of opportunities available through the platform - local volunteering or pro-bono consulting. If you’re traveling to some communities and you’d like to have a positive impact on the community, then you should definitely check the local projects on the platform. What could be a better way to learn about the culture or people than connect with locals and try to solve their problems?

There are many project categories including community, animals, education, environment or homeless that are effectively solving the problems and raising the awareness of the existence of these problems around the world. It’s relatively easy to use the platform and search for innovative projects. There are two profile options available - a premium that will cost you $9.95 or free. With a premium account, you get more options on the platform like giving constructive feedback or donating funds.

Anyway, before dipping into Volunteer Match, read the comprehensive review on the platform!

Type: Volunteering/Skill-based

Budget: Solely depends on the project

Numbers: 30 project types in all countries around the world

9) GoOverseas - Make a Positive Impact Wherever You Go

Are you a mindful traveler? Check out GoOversears volunteer platform and make difference

We’re huge fans of mindful traveling or making the impact on the local communities wherever you go. That way, you can learn a lot about the world and cultures as well as get new perspectives that will make you a better person. GoOverseas is a gracious volunteer platform that focuses on providing travelers with creative projects around the world that act as cultural exchanges.

There are many types of projects available on the platform including English teaching, kids mentoring, summer camps, environmental projects and much more. It’s entirely in your control to choose the right program that will help you in further personal development.

There are more than 50 countries to choose from, so when you find a suiting volunteering project, you should contact the organization and make the arrangement. It’s relatively easy to organize everything as the platform is run by passionate travelers who wish you to have amazing traveling experience wherever you go.

Don’t forget to read out comprehensive GoOverseas Review to know everything about the platform in details!

Type: Volunteering/Internship

Budget: Solely depends on the project and organization

Numbers: 9 volunteering programs in more than 50 countries around the world

10) VolunteerHQ - Become a Responsible Traveler

Become a mindful traveler and leave a lasting impact wherever you go

What do you think about traveling to third-world countries and living with local families helping them in their daily lives? If that sounds like an amazing traveling opportunity, then you should definitely check VolunteerHQ, a platform that specializes in organizing the international volunteer programs.

It’s one of the biggest volunteering platforms today, and it’s founded by a former volunteer from Australiainfo-icon. You can pick the interesting projects around 40 countries and can choose between 12 volunteer project categories.

The VolunteerHQ will help you in applying for a visa, and they will find you the accommodation with local family. The costs of the projects hugely vary, but it starts from $180 for a week of stay. The platform is very intuitive, so creating the profile and applying for the projects is a straightforward task.

Read our international VolunteerHQ review for more details before applying to any project!

Type: Volunteering

Budget: Starting from $180 for one-week stay

Numbers: 200+ project in 40+ destinations around the world


Starting with volunteering can be a tough decision and even tougher process of finding and applying to the right and reliable project. These platforms serve as a medium between non-profit organizations who have amazing projects and volunteers who’d love to try something new while making a lasting impact on communities.

It has never been so easy to find a fantastic volunteer project that makes a difference. It doesn’t matter if you’re a professional with skills or simply a person who’d like to help with their own time and energy, each project will enrich the lives of people around you.

Check out these platforms, pick up the project and start making a difference wherever you plan to go next.

If you want to become more knowledgeable about volunteering, check out this article that covers all the aspects.

Antonio Gabric a freelance content writer for aSabbatical.com
Traveling is the best way to learn about the world and cultures. It changes your mindset and you see possibilities everywhere.