25 Unique Volunteering Ideas for Every Schedule

When it comes to volunteering, sometimes the desire to do something is there, but it’s hard to figure out just what to do and when to find the time for it. Here’s the good news: the fact that you even want to take action is the most important part -- the rest can follow.

If you’re looking for those next steps, we’ve got you covered. Here’s a collection of unique volunteering ideas that you can get done in anywhere from five minutes to a week. Plus, you’ll find next steps for each one to make volunteering as accessible as possible. So get inspired, carve out some time in your calendar, and make an impact.

5 Minutes to Volunteer

• Flag ivory items on Craigslist to stop elephant poaching.
• Make a 5-minute playlist to help friends take shorter showers and save water.
• Share a selfie to help friends to battle school stress.
• Use social media to demand equal payment for women athletes
• Email your representatives about gun violence prevention

30 Minutes to Volunteer

• Collect and recycle five aluminum cans.
• Post a surprise positive message to boost others’ self-esteem.
• Share resources with survivors of sexual assault.
• Help YouTubers make better captions for the deaf and hard of hearing community.
• Donate board games to a local family shelter.

1 Hour to Volunteer

• Make campfire safety plaques with tips for campers.
• Start a petition to demand accessible spaces on your campus.
• Show friends how climate change affects the settings of their fav books.
• Write human trafficking hotline info inside clothes you donate.
• Collect food outside your supermarket for a local food bank.

1 Day to Volunteer

• Volunteer with friends at a local soup kitchen.
• Go door-to-door to collect backpacks for low-income students.
• Save sea turtles by picking up trash before it reaches the ocean.
• Complete a seed-bombing mission to beautify your favorite places.
• Flyer truck stop bathrooms with sex trafficking hotline info.

1 Week to Volunteer

• Run a voter registration booth at your school.
• Collect jeans for local youth experiencing homelessness.
• Host a dog wash to collect donated supplies for animal shelters.
• Run a competitive drive to collect books for low-income areas.
• Compile messages of support for students experiencing mental illness.