How to Start Volunteering: Step by Step

The phases and time filters come from Points of Light, and the onboarding detail from Rosterfy’s volunteering guide.

Here is how to start volunteering: pick a cause, find a local nonprofit project that fits your schedule, complete its onboarding, and log your hours after your first shift. Start with a short project and extend only if it suits you.

If you later want to run something yourself rather than join someone else’s project, the next step is learning how to start a donation drive. Once you are part of a team, volunteer appreciation ideas show how organizations recognize the people who give their time.

Choose a cause and set your limits

A beginner volunteer does best by deciding three things before opening a listing: the cause, the format and the time limit. Settling these first stops a long list of options from turning into indecision.

1. Name the cause. Think about which local need you would be glad to spend a morning on, such as feeding people, cleaning public spaces or supporting troops and veterans. Your interest will carry you through the less exciting parts of any shift.
2. Pick a format. In-person projects suit people who want to meet others and see the result. Virtual volunteering, which means volunteering for a nonprofit, event or cause by using technology to complete a task remotely, suits people with an unpredictable schedule or limited travel options.
3. Set a ceiling on your time. Decide the longest stretch you can give without resentment. A modest limit you keep is worth more to an organization than a big promise you drop.

How many hours should a beginner give?

There is no single correct number of weekly or monthly hours for a beginner. The practical guide is the menu of project lengths that Points of Light offers: its search filters projects by time commitment of 1, 2, 3, 6 or 12 hours. Those are options, not targets. If you have never volunteered, the 1 to 3 hour range is a sensible place to begin, because a short project lets you test the work, the people and the travel before you commit more. Move to the 6 or 12 hour projects once you know you enjoy the task.

Find an opportunity that fits your schedule

The most reliable way to find a fitting opportunity is to search listings for projects run by local organizations and to filter them by the time you actually have. Points of Light says that people can search volunteer opportunities through its Engage platform to find projects hosted by local organizations, and its project ideas are sorted for kids, teens, adults and families so they fit your schedule.

Work through the listings

1. Open a local volunteer listing and apply the shortest time filter that interests you.
2. Write down the organization, the task and the length of each candidate project.
3. Rule out anything that clashes with your existing commitments before you look at how appealing it sounds.
4. Shortlist two or three projects so you have a fallback if a place is full.

Make contact before you turn up

Points of Light advises that before you begin a project, you connect with a nonprofit or a community leader. That advice matters most for beginners: a short message to the organization confirms that your help is wanted, tells you where and when to arrive and gives you a named person to ask for on the day.

Onboarding and orientation

Onboarding is how a nonprofit prepares a new volunteer, and volunteer orientation is the part where you learn what the work involves. Programs differ, so expect to complete whatever the organization asks of you before your first shift rather than assuming a standard process.

Many organizations use volunteer management software to engage, onboard, train and reward their virtual volunteers, according to Rosterfy. If you volunteer remotely, expect sign-up and training to happen online. For an in-person role, your coordinator will tell you what to complete in advance.

Use the orientation to settle practical questions. These are worth asking early:

• Your task. Ask exactly what you will be doing, so you can judge whether it matches the cause you chose.
• Your contact. Find out who supervises the shift and how to reach them if you are running late.
• Your hours. Ask how the organization records service hours, because you will want that record afterward.
• Your next step. Ask how to sign up for further shifts if you decide to continue.

Your first shift

A first shift is a trial run for both you and the organization. Arrive on time, follow the coordinator’s instructions and treat questions as normal; no one expects a new volunteer to know the routine.

A community service project is a defined piece of work, such as a cleanup, a sorting day or a packing session, that a group completes for a local benefit. Because the task is usually clear and time-limited, a beginner can contribute from the first minute.

After the shift, take a few minutes to judge it honestly. Did the task hold your interest? Was the travel manageable? Were the people welcoming? Your answers tell you whether to return, try a longer project or look for a different cause. Rosterfy describes volunteering as a two-way street that benefits both the organization and the volunteer, so a mismatch is not a failure. It is information for choosing a better fit.

Log your service hours

Service hours are the time you give to an organization, and keeping your own record protects you if a school, employer or program later asks for proof. Record the date, the organization, the task and the hours straight after each shift, while the details are fresh.

1. Write the date, start and finish times and the nature of the task as soon as you finish.
2. Ask the coordinator to confirm or sign the entry if the organization keeps its own sheet.
3. Store the record somewhere safe, either as a paper log or a simple note on your phone.
4. Review it after a few shifts to see whether your time matches what you intended to give.

That review turns your log into a decision tool. If you have been giving less time than you planned, pick shorter projects. If you have been giving more and enjoying it, a longer commitment is a reasonable next step.

Why volunteer in your community, and how common it is

Volunteering in your community helps the organization that receives your time and helps you in return. Rosterfy puts it as a benefit to both sides, and a local project also lets you see where your effort goes.

You are also joining a large group. Giving Compass analyzed data collected from 2002 to 2015 by the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. It reports that the US volunteer rate reached its historical peak of 28.8% for three straight years between 2003 and 2005, then fell to a 15-year low of 24.9% in 2015. Those figures describe the national share of adults who volunteered in those years, not what you must do. They do show that volunteering is common and that organizations depend on newcomers to keep their numbers up.

Troubleshooting a slow start

• No suitable listings nearby. Widen your search to remote tasks, or contact a community leader directly, as Points of Light suggests, and ask what local help is needed.
• No reply from an organization. Move to the next project on your shortlist rather than waiting; this is the reason to shortlist more than one.
• A shift that did not suit you. Change the task or the cause, not your willingness to volunteer. Return to your first-shift notes and pick a project that fixes the problem you named.
• Not enough time for regular shifts. Choose the shortest project length and book it for a single day rather than a recurring slot.
• Wanting to do more. If you enjoy the work and want to organize something yourself, read about how to organize a community drive.

Frequently asked questions