Idealists in Action | January 2026
Jennifer Bennett
Hi there,
The first month of the year always feels like a wash to me. It’s exciting to have an opportunity to start something new, but I’m usually too busy recovering from the end of last year to actually get started. And while resolutions might inspire others to start working toward their goals, there’s too much pressure on January to make it the month I “change my life.”
So instead of giving you one more thing to do, one more goal to work toward, I want to use the first Idealists in Action newsletter of 2026 to inspire you through the actions of others.
I’m sharing three stories of Idealists who saw a gap in the world and decided to take action. They wanted to solve a local problem, support others in their community, or add meaning to their personal lives. I hope their ideas and actions motivate you to join an existing organization or launch your own project. When you're ready to get started, check out some of our featured volunteer opportunities below.
How Dori From New York Hosted a Sock Drive
Many community organizations and religious associations say that socks are some of the most requested items by individuals who are unhoused. Socks are crucial for keeping people warm, clean, and comfortable, so hosting a sock drive is a great way to get involved with local nonprofits that need help sourcing supplies. Find inspiration from Dori from New York who shares steps, tips, and more in this month’s featured Recipe for Action.
How Tasha From Canada Built a Community for Social-Impact Professionals
After working in the social-impact sector for ten years, Tasha from Canada kept hearing the same refrain from nonprofit professionals: Our work is meaningful, but isolating. Too many people felt like traditional networking and professional development opportunities kept them from building genuine connections with their peers.
Tasha’s story of launching a free community for social-impact professionals is live on our blog now, and is the perfect reminder that you can build the things you want to see in the world.
How Volunteering Changed the Life of Rose From North Carolina
Rose from North Carolina was working at a bank when she found an opportunity to volunteer at a nonprofit in Peru. After just one week, she decided to go back to school and make volunteering a larger part of her career—and the rest, as they say, is history. Check our Rose’s inspiring story today.
Check Out These Volunteer Opportunities
Do you want to jump into a new project, or try a volunteer opportunity? Check out one of the featured volunteer opportunities below, and find others on idealist.org here.
- Go Global as a Virtual Volunteer English Teacher, Outreach360, Remote Opportunity Based Anywhere in the World
- Volunteer at the Floorball Competition as a Competition Assistant, Special Olympics Southern California, Glendale, CA
- Volunteer at the Annual Craft Lake City DIY Fest, Craft Lake City, Salt Lake City, UT
- Volunteer Workshop Facilitator, Girls in the Know, St. Louis, MO
- Farm-to-School Programming Assistant, Great Kids Farm of Baltimore City Schools, Catonsville, MD
And finally, join us in making a big deal out of something small to celebrate our community!
- Liss in West Michigan completed training to become a volunteer Court Appointed Special Advocate for youth
- Olabode from Nigeria was promoted to a Team Lead at their job
- Hope from North Carolina has officially invested 1,000 hours of pro-bono communications support to over 40 organizations
- Rebecca from Virginia is celebrating her children’s decision to donate their holiday money to causes they care about
- Thato from South Africa recently started a job at a social-impact organizations
- Joan from Connecticut started volunteering with ENGin and was inspired to tutor more immigrants and refugees online
- Hannah from Missouri is starting her own nonprofit to scale up the street outreach work she's been doing with unhoused neighbors
- Liza from Iceland launched a new social platform where individuals are rewarded for interacting with the world
Do you know someone who's done something worth celebrating? Or have you done something cool we should know about? (It's absolutely ok to brag a little!) We want to hear about it and help you celebrate.
Fill out this quick form to let us know so we can shout out your small win on social media or right here in our newsletter.
By the way, our friends at Points of Light are conducting a national study to learn more about how people experience volunteering today, and what might encourage greater involvement in the future. If you're located in the U.S., you can share your experiences via their survey. It takes about 10 minutes to complete.
Best,
Jennifer
Jennifer Bennett
Jennifer Bennett, CVA is the Director of Education & Training at VolunteerMatch. Jennifer joined VolunteerMatch to formalize and manage the organization’s volunteer engagement program. With her breadth of experience, she is well qualified to help VolunteerMatch’s community of nonprofits better recruit and engage volunteers.