Can I get information on volunteer opportunities online?

Summary:

Discussion of some sites on the WWW that link to many volunteer opportunities.

Answer:

Action Without Borders (the publisher of this FAQ) operates the website at http://www.idealist.org, where nonprofit organizations from every part of the world post announcements of volunteer opportunities.

Idealist.org also lists other services that help volunteers and organizations find each other: http://www.idealist.org/volunteer/vol_sites.html

---

Writing about the service that has become VolunteerMatch, Sam Tucker said on WebActive on August 26, 1996:
Impact Online is an Internet-based organization devoted to increasing
people's involvement with socially-oriented non-profits.

It believes the one of the keys to curing social ills is volunteerism.
Rather than turning to the Internet as one of many fora, the Internet is Impact Online's only one. Telephone lines and computers give Impact's staff of three a nearly limitless reach, one that must be the envy of every large community-service organization shouldering payrolls and overhead.

Impact Online's site defines practicality. It is tastefully designed, and
easily navigated. Most importantly, its simple facade houses endless valuable data. And data is Impact Online's lifeblood.

The visitor to Impact Online does not seek rhetoric. The visitor is simply
interested to volunteer some time for a good cause.

(ImpactOnline is now VolunteerMatch at http://www.volunteermatch.org/)

---

Reposted with additions 8/22/98; substantially revised 3/24/05 -- PB