7 ways to find volunteer opportunities in Minnesota

Maybe you recently retired or you just want to make a difference by volunteering your time, but you don’t know where to start.

Here are seven ways to find formal volunteer opportunities across Minnesota and beyond:

“One of our most common ways to engage volunteers is word of mouth,” said Carolyn Scherer, a program director for Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota, one of the state’s largest nonprofit social service organizations. She recommends talking to your family, friends, colleagues and neighbors who volunteer about what they do and why they like it.

Retired accountant Sharon Wolfe of Roseville began volunteering at Cafesjian’s Carousel at Como Park Zoo in St. Paul after a woman she met at Weight Watchers mentioned it. She makes sure riders are secure, takes tickets or works the concessions. Wolfe also began volunteering for Meals on Wheels after a friend from a jazzercize class said she volunteered there.

These large databases are the volunteer world’s equivalent of a dating app. They help you narrow down options based on criteria including location and type of activity. And they’re free to use.

At VolunteerMatch, you simply type in a city or ZIP code, a keyword or select preset causes, such as “animals” or “environment,” to find nonprofit opportunities across Minnesota and nationwide.

The AmeriCorps Seniors Pathfinder tool lets you search volunteer opportunities by state and provides contact information for each listing. AmeriCorps has three volunteer programs specific to seniors: Seniors Foster Grandparent, Senior Companion and Seniors RSVP.

Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota also has a searchable database of volunteer opportunities.

Go to a search engine like Google, type something like “volunteer opportunities in Duluth, Minnesota,” and see what pops up. To fine-tune your search, add the type of volunteering you’re interested in, such as “politics and volunteer opportunities in Duluth, Minnesota.”

The beauty of the internet is you’re not limited by geographic boundaries. Snowbirds who spend the winter in Florida can search for opportunities there, too. If you plan to visit family in another country for an extended time, see if there’s a fun event, such as a marathon, that needs volunteers when you’re there.

Many cities and senior centers statewide offer volunteer opportunities to help residents and enhance communities.

The city of Plymouth’s volunteer opportunities range from removing invasive species from its parks to greeting visitors at its art gallery to responding to children’s letters to Santa Claus. Last year, 2,166 people volunteered 23,307 hours of service to the city, including helping to collect 22,500 pounds of shredded paper and transcribing 2,000 pages of historic records and art for an exhibit. You can apply online, call 763-509-5230 or email volunteer@plymouthmn.gov.

If you know where and how you would like to volunteer, go directly to the source. Perhaps you want to donate your time with the American Lung Association because a relative had lung cancer.

Many national organizations, such as the American Red Cross and Make-A-Wish Minnesota, label a section of their website as “Volunteer” or “Get Involved” to tell you everything you need to know about helping out. Other organizations, like the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, also do this. If it’s not obvious, use the site’s search bar to type keywords like “volunteer” or “volunteer opportunities.”

If you want to volunteer your time in a way that aligns with your faith or values, there are plenty of options for that, too.

Many faith-based organizations, such as Catholic Charities of Southern Minnesota, Lutheran Social Service and Jewish Family Service of St. Paul, seek volunteers. Or you can inquire at your place of worship or one in your neighborhood.

Check your local newspaper and neighborhood newsletters — print or digital — for volunteer opportunities in your community.