Volunteer Opportunities
Due to COVID-19 concerns, we are not able to volunteer in person as a group like we typically do at BCTC. But, that doesn't mean you can't still give back to your community!
Below you will find a list of different organizations looking for virtual volunteers. There are a wide variety of opportunities and organizations looking for people just like you to accomplish their goals. Know of another organization that could use the help of BCTC students? Please reach out to Christina Robinson, Director of Student Engagement and Leadership, at Christina.robinson@kctcs.edu
We would love to hear about your experiences volunteering virtually! Email Christina Robinson at Christina.robinson@kctcs.edu with any updates on the service you are providing these organization.
| Organization Name | Opportunities | Link |
|---|---|---|
| All For Good | Variety of online volunteering projects | https://www.allforgood.org/search?getRemote=true |
| Idealist | There are multiple remote volunteering opportunities | https://www.idealist.org/en/actions?actionType=VOLOP&isVirtual=YES&q=&searchMode=true |
| Operation Gratitude | Every Operation Gratitude Care Package includes a bundle of letters from the American Heroes, thanking Veterans, Troops, New Recruits, or Wounded Heroes and their Caregivers for their service to our country. Care Package recipients tell us these letters, notes, and drawings are among the most cherished items in their box. | https://www.operationgratitude.com/express-your-thanks-group/write-letters/?fbclid=IwAR2MeO3VI-DnHqG3m_msXOz1Zl5c1kdGQsGibfn9CZ9svwpea7uzQPLBEA4 |
| UN Volunteers | If you're looking to take your online volunteering worldwide, this is the place to start. UNV connects you with organizations working for peace and development in need of skills like research, writing, art, and design. There are already over 12,000 volunteers from 187 countries lending their talents to organizations around the globe. | https://www.onlinevolunteering.org/en |
| Catchafire | This volunteer search tool is exclusively for online volunteer projects. Each one has a timeline that can range anywhere from an hour to a few weeks. So whether you have an afternoon or several, you can help not-for-profit with tasks like writing thank you letters or editing photos. | https://www.catchafire.org/ |
| Smithsonian Digital Volunteers | The Smithsonian Institution is the world's largest museum, education, and research complex, but even they could use a little help sometimes. Help make their collections more accessible by volunteering online to transcribe historical documents or edit Wikipedia articles related to their artifacts and research. | https://www.si.edu/volunteer/DigitalVolunteers |
| Amnesty Decoders | Operated by Amnesty International, this network of digital volunteers helps conduct research into global human rights violations. Volunteers have used their phones and computers to verify the location of oil spills, find evidence of drone strikes, and flag abusive tweets to women politicians in India. | https://decoders.amnesty.org/ |
| Translators Without Borders | For those fluent in more than one language, check out this nonprofit that combines language skills with humanitarian aid. Volunteers provide translations (10 million words a year!) to international organizations that focus on crisis relief, health and education. | https://translatorswithoutborders.org/volunteer/ |
| Crisis Text Line | Here's a perfect example of technology being used for good. Become a volunteer to help the Crisis Text Line continue to offer free, 24/7 support for those in crisis. If you're at least 18 and can commit to volunteering four hours each week, you can apply to be trained for free. | https://www.crisistextline.org/volunteer/ |
| Zooniverse | Zooniverse is a platform for people-powered research that literally wouldn't be possible (or practical) without the help of online volunteers. Spend as much or as little time as you'd like identifying endangered animals, classifying galaxy systems, or transcribing Shakespearean manuscripts. | https://www.zooniverse.org/ |
| Project Gutenberg | Founded in 1971, this may just be the virtual volunteering effort that started it all. The goal is to create the largest digital library, and so far they've amassed 59,000 free eBooks. Volunteer by donating eligible materials, transcribing books into a digital form, or proofreading others' work. | https://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Gutenberg:Volunteering_for_Project_Gutenberg |
| DoSomething.org | DoSomething empowers young people to enact social change both online or off. Volunteer online through one of our campaigns to help solve real-world problems. DoSomething members have used the internet to successfully urge Apple to diversify their emojis, change the dictionary definition of "Black/black", and create the largest crowdsourced anti-bullying guide. | https://www.dosomething.org/us |
| Missing Maps with Doctors Without Borders | Takes about 30-60 minutes on your own watching videos and doing the tutorials to learn how to do this, then you can map for any projects currently in their system! Can do from your own computer or even by phone with the App Mapswipe. | https://www.missingmaps.org/learn/ |
| Free Minds Book Club & Writing Workshop | Leave poetry feedback on the Free Minds Book Club blog for youth incarcerated as adults who are participating in book and writing clubs. Watch these videos to learn more about how to comment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdWV9sHGw7U&t=17s. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fw_-DpcX8Y0 (this one is about hosting your own event, but it gives you an idea of what kinds of feedback to provide and how to be a virtual volunteer) | https://freemindsbookclub.org/poetry-blog |
| Be My Eyes | Volunteer to help people who are blind or visually impaired with Be My Eyes. Note that calls can be infrequent. | https://www.bemyeyes.com/ |
| 7 Cups | Become a volunteer listener to help make sure nobody has to face their problems alone. | https://www.7cups.com/listener/become-a-volunteer-listener.php?fbclid=IwAR1xWEWaKlsEIB0zpsrTKYN1_YHu7vZ_szA29b7uujsOnHO1SnfxW6wQXQI |
| National Park Service | Assist the NPS web team with the testing and evaluation of web products. Your feedback will be used to enhance and improve the online offerings of the National Park Service. Past tasks have included: suggesting logical organization for park website navigation; determining the appropriate name for a new site on NPS.gov; testing a new element that creates species lists for individual parks; reviewing new designs and functionality after the soft launch of the NPS.gov 2016 centennial design project. | https://www.nps.gov/subjects/digital/getinvolved.htm |
| Learn To Be | Help K-12 underserved youth in math, science, reading and writing from wherever is most convenient and whenever is most convenient. | https://learntobe.org/apply |
| UpAchieve | UPchieve is a free, online platform that connects low-income high school students in the US with live, volunteer coaches (that's you!) any time they need it. | https://upchieve.org/volunteer |
