It is no secret that in today’s digital age, more and more is done online. But did you know that you can volunteer simply by going on the Internet, without ever even having to set foot out your door? And it looks great to potential employers. Here are some fun and easy ways to start giving back:
Give advice: Are you the one your friends always go to when they need to vent? Do you feel that you have acquired a lot of wisdom from life, or just have a general interest in helping people mentally or emotionally? Put your skills to the test!
- TeenCentral.Net allows teens to anonymously write in about anything that is bothering them. After only a 2-3 hour video training online, you can get started with guiding these teens in the right direction and asking them thought-provoking questions so that they can figure out how to solve some of their problems on their own. The organization asks that volunteers commit to just two days a week for two hours at a time, to be completed whenever you get the chance to go online.
- Spill Now offers peer support specifically by college students, for college students. With only a quick 20-minute training, you will be ready to respond to student “spillers” who will write in with their problems. This differs from TeenCentral.Net because it is somewhat more personal than professional; you can write about some of your own life experiences, showing empathy to them in the same way that you would a friend.
Give food: Are you looking for a way to volunteer that is fun or instant rather than time-consuming? Wish you could do something to help the hungry. These are the sites for you!
- Free Rice is a non-profit website that strives to end world hunger by providing rice to people for free. You will be asked to answer quiz questions based on simple vocabulary, math, science, geography, or foreign languages. For every question you get right, 20 grains of rice will be donated. It’s an easy way to make a big impact; these grains add up!
- Even simpler, The Hunger Site will donate food when you press the “Click Here to Give- it’s FREE” button to aid people in over 74 countries. It is an effective way to address the urgent need of the hungry.
Interested in finding out more about online volunteer opportunities? Get matched to the specific causes that you care about with Sparked or Volunteer Match.
Have you ever heard about any of these sites? Do you find it hard to commit time to volunteering due to time constraints? Do any of these ideas sound like something you would be interested in trying?
