Idealist.org
Idealist provides some truly interesting opportunities. As to this website’s mission, it’s “All about connecting idealists – people who want to do good – with opportunities for action and collaboration. Idealist helps people move from intention to action all over the world.”
They also claim to list a huge number of opportunities — more than 120,000 — but not all of these are volunteer positions. Some are non-paying intern posts and some are actually jobs. In reality, only about 13,000 are for volunteering, but still that’s a sizable number. This is a great place to search out positions in foreign countries, such as teaching English, Health, and Ecology in Bali, working at a wildlife center in Uganda, or performing at Friedman Place in Chicago, which is a supportive Living Community for blind and visually impaired adults. However, for the last of these, it would be a good idea if you could actually perform, i.e., can sing or play a musical instrument, etc.
As a note of caution, some of their volunteer positions are very short-term, and some you have to pay for the privilege. In other words, you have to think about them as an alternative way to spend a vacation (or maybe as a reverse job — you pay them to work.)
To learn more, go to idealist.org
Hands on Network
This organization is the volunteer segment of the Points of Light Institute, which is a large nonprofit inspired by President Bush’s Daily Point of Light Award for people who have made a difference. Hands On Network is similar to VolunteerMatch.org and Idealist.org in that you can find opportunities across a range of fields and locations.
Within their own organization, they don’t list as many positions as the other two. However, they have a network of affiliate organizations located in more than 250 cities across 37 countries, as well as “Action Centers” you can contact to find local opportunities. The kinds of opportunities they offer are also wide-ranging, including health, business consulting and mentoring, education, civil and human rights causes, and environmental issues.
To learn more, go to pointsoflight.org