Volunteer work for retirees: Tips for finding opportunities

Dear Savvy Senior: Can you recommend some good organizations or websites for locating interesting volunteer opportunities? I’ve been doing some volunteer work since I retired last year, but most of the jobs I’ve tried haven’t been very fun or satisfying. — Retired Volunteer

Dear Retired Volunteer: For many retirees, finding a volunteer opportunity that meets your interests, utilizes your talents and fits your availability can be challenging. Here are some tips and online tools to help you find some interesting and satisfying options:

Volunteering is a great way for retirees to make a positive contribution to their community and stay actively engaged. It’s also good for your health. But how can you find the right opportunity? Start by asking yourself some basic questions such as: What types of organizations or activities are you interested in? What kind of skills can you offer? How much time are you willing to give? What do you want to gain from your experience (for example, meet new people, learn new skills, help those in need, exposure to a particular issue)?

Once you get a general idea of what you’d like to do, there are dozens of volunteer websites that can help you search for different opportunities in your area and virtually.

Most sites work like search engines that let you choose an area of interest and type in your ZIP code or city and state. The sites will give you a list of opportunities that you can check into. Here are some top websites to help you get started:

General volunteer sites: To find a wide variety of volunteer opportunities in your community, check out sites such as VolunteerMatch.org, Engage.PointsofLight.org, IdeaList.org and UnitedWay.org.

Retired volunteer sites: If you’re interested in opportunities targeting older adults and retirees, some good options include AARP’s CreateTheGood.org and AmeriCorps Seniors (AmeriCorps.gov/serve/americorps-seniors), which matches retirees with community projects and organizations that need experienced volunteer help.

Niche volunteer sites: There are also a number of niche websites to help you look for specific types of volunteer opportunities in your area. For example, to find natural and cultural volunteer opportunities in places such as national and state parks, see Volunteer.gov. If you’re interested in emergency preparedness and disaster response volunteer services, try Ready.gov or RedCross.org. If you have a knack for construction or have an interest in learning about interior design, see Habitat.org. Or if you’re interested in longer-term volunteer opportunities, check out AmeriCorps.gov and PeaceCorps.gov/50plus, which offers three-month to two-year programs in the United States and abroad.

Professional volunteer sites: If you have expertise in areas such as business planning and development, marketing, communications, finance, fundraising, web and graphic design, or writing and editing there are sites such as Catchafire.org and TaprootPlus.org that can link you to volunteer opportunities with nonprofit organizations in need. Or you can help entrepreneurs and small-business owners through the SCORE.org volunteer mentoring program.

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org.