Volunteer

“"The spirit of democracy cannot be superimposed from the outside. It must come from within."

—Mahatma Gandhi

Do you agree? What does this quote mean to you? What does democracy mean to you?
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Why should I volunteer?

Voting isn’t the only way to participate in a democracy—you can make a big impact in your own community by contributing your time and energy towards the issues you care most about. Help strengthen your local public schools. Protect an environmental resource in your neighborhood. Find out what you can do to support health care for the uninsured. Whatever your interest, there is a volunteer program that could use your courage, skills and dedication.

I only have a limited amount of time. What can I do?

Before committing yourself to a volunteer opportunity, take stock of your values, abilities and time constraints. From there, determine how you can best contribute your time and energy to your chosen causes. Read Ten Tips on Volunteering Wisely >>

How can I get started?

Use the VolunteerMatch tool below to find opportunities in your community:

ZIP Code
Distance
Interest Area
Keyword
Skills
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City
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What if no organizations in your community are working on the issues you care about? Consider recruiting like-minded people to start a project or a community action group. Idealist.org’s Community Action Center provides tools to help you move from ideas to action to impact.