The first place to look for volunteer opportunities is in your own community. Explore local initiatives and community groups and find out about the hidden issues and projects that could benefit from your enthusiasm and an extra pair of hands.

Find out what local organizations or if a local volunteer service centre exist in your community, and find out how and where you can volunteer some of your time to assist individuals or organizations in need.
If you would like to share your skills and knowledge with people in another country, research the organizations in your home country that recruit volunteers for assignments abroad. Volunteer programmes abroad are diverse in type, length, qualifications and purpose.

There might be a range of volunteering opportunities available. Your resourcefulness, persistence and curiosity will aid you in finding the one that suits you best.

Another source of information about opportunities to volunteer is the World Volunteer Web at www.worldvolunteerweb.org.  It is a global clearinghouse for information and resources linked to volunteerism that can be used for campaigning, advocacy and networking. This website is also the global focal point for International Volunteer Day (IVD), celebrated around the world every 5th December.

The UNV Online Volunteering service is a platform that puts volunteers into contact with organizations around the world. Hundreds of volunteer opportunities are available on www.onlinevolunteering.org for volunteers to engage in development activities over the Internet and to provide online support to the work of grassroots organizations, international NGOs, governments and United Nations agencies. Note that online volunteers are not UN Volunteers.