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Your 15 Minutes of...Making a Difference

I don't know about you, but I am busy. So when I think of volunteering somewhere, the first thing that comes to mind is the mental version of my calendar and to-do list. Or, I think about perhaps taking a trip somewhere to appease my philanthropic soul. I get overwhelmed, and a little panicky. Eventually, I end up just telling myself that I'll volunteer when I have enough time to do so. You know, someday.


By Flickr user Rockers Generation Enter Charity Guide, a non-profit organization whose mission is to "inspire and facilitate flexible volunteerism" by providing ideas and volunteer opportunities that only take up 15 minutes of your time.

From the environment to combating poverty to animal welfare, you can contribute the cause of your choice, from doing simple things like donating your ponytail to Locks of Love to drinking shade-grown coffee. Charity Guide provides the idea and helpful instructions, minimizing the extra time and effort it would take for you to otherwise do the brainstorming and research.

If you feel like you have more than 15 minutes to spare for volunteering, you can also utilize the site's other search engines, finding opportunities that require from a few hours to entire volunteer vacations.


This entry is by Alison, who most recently blogged about gentrification and guilt on the Idealist in NYC blog.