Join a local community Find a church, synagogue, mosque, temple, or community center to make friends, develop your religion or spirituality, and get involved with any charitable events. Most religious organizations are welcoming to all (regardless of religious or spiritual identity). Clean up your neighborhood Seek out organizations that focus on cleaning up the community. You can even start your own neighborhood clean-up group with friends and neighbors as a way to meet people, help the environment, and get some outdoor exercise. Start a community garden If you have a large outdoor yard space, consider opening it up to others. This is a great way to get to know people in your community, spend quality time outdoors, and grow your own food (or donate it to the local food bank). Serve meals Contact local nonprofits and ask how you can help at the next food drive. This might involve serving meals, organizing donations and holiday meal packs, or asking local community centers and grocery stores for donations. Fundraising Most nonprofits rely on fundraisers to function. Find a nonprofit that shares your same values and interests and contact the program director or volunteer coordinator to find out how you can get involved. You can even start your own fundraising campaign if you have a charity in mind that you’d like to support. Volunteer your skills Many homeless centers, correctional facilities, and community centers are looking for volunteers to share their knowledge. You could teach a course in english, arts, music, yoga, web skills, or anything that might be helpful. Contact local facilities to find out if they’re accepting volunteer teachers. Note: some of these places may require an application and background check. Volunteer online If you live far away from local organizations or prefer to volunteer from home, consider writing or doing web work for nonprofit organizations. This could involve writing newsletters, website content, website design, photo-editing, and other necessary tasks. Visit these sites to find volunteer opportunities: 1. Volunteermatch.org 2. Idealist.org 3. Createthegood.org