According to a recent survey conducted by National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), most employers expect college graduates to have experience—but how do you get that experience? Volunteering is a way to obtain valuable working experience, especially early in your college career (freshman and sophomore years), and some programs provide gap year credits. Listed below are some ideas for finding a volunteer opportunity in your local area as well as opportunities nationally and abroad.

Bakersfield
Fresno
Merced
Visalia
National Volunteer Opportunities
Volunteer Abroad
Find nonprofits by geographical location

Bakersfield

• Bakersfield Volunteer Match – matches inspired people with inspiring causes
• Bakersfield Great Nonprofits – find possible volunteer opportunities with top nonprofits in the area
• United Way of Kern County – work to improve lives in your community
• Kern County Volunteer Center – opportunities that focus on community, civic and social issues in the area
• Catholic Charities – various volunteer opportunities
• Ronald McDonald House – help with cooking meals, baking, events, collecting wish-list items, cleaning, data entry and more
• Bakersfield Homeless Center – help serve meals, pack lunches, work the Easter event or collect warehouse donations
• Community Reading Project – become a reading coach for local second grade students
• Kern County Homeless Collaborative – help to prevent and end homelessness
• Vita Tax Preparation – help people in lower-mid-range income brackets prepare their taxes

Fresno

• Art of life Cancer Foundation - provides an opportunity to give back to your community and bring hope to cancer survivors and their families.
• Fresno Volunteer Match – matches inspired people with inspiring causes
• Fresno Great Nonprofits – find possible volunteer opportunities with top nonprofits in the area
• Fresno VA – lists numerous volunteer opportunities for VA Central California Health Care System.
• American Red Cross – provides students with meaningful opportunities for education, training, and volunteering to prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies.
• United Way Fresno-Madera – locate various community resource providers for possible volunteer opportunities
• Hands-On Central California – help elementary students with letter recognition and sounds, vocabulary development, fluency and reading comprehension in the classroom
• Tree Fresno – tree and greenway care, tree planting, community engagement and tribute tree team opportunities
• Hinds Hospice – help with patients, events/fund development, thrift stores, community awareness and more
• Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) – advocate and speak for the best interests of abused and neglected children
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Fresno – work directly with youth as homework helpers and tutors, activities assistants and college preparation support
• Catholic Charities – various volunteer opportunities
• American Lung Association
• Animal Compassion Team
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central California
• Boys 2 Men Girls 2 Women
• Care Fresno
• Central California Blood Center
• Central California SPCA
• City of Clovis - Serve Clovis
• City of Fresno Parks, Recreation & Community Services
• Fresno Bully Rescue
• Fresno Chaffee Zoo
• Fresno County Public Library Volunteer Program
• Fresno Rescue Mission
• Girl Scouts of Central California South
• Habitat for Humanity Fresno County
• The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Central California
• Poverello House
• Reading and Beyond
• Ronald McDonald House Charities Central Valley
• Saint Agnes Medical Center Volunteer Services
• San Joaquin River Parkway & Conservation Trust
• Serve Fresno
• Shinzen Japanese Garden
• Valley Animal Center
• Valley Teen Ranch

Merced

• Merced Volunteer Match – matches inspired people with inspiring causes
• Merced Great Nonprofits – find possible volunteer opportunities with top nonprofits in the area
• Merced United Way – become a volunteer reader, tutor or mentor and encourage others to do the same
• Merced County Food Bank – sort and bag food, provide general cleanup and participate in special projects
• Salvation Army – volunteer for breakfast service, Saturday evening dinner and monthly food giveaway
• Habitat for Humanity – help to build a house once a year or help in the ReStore
• Boys & Girls Club – work directly with youth as homework helpers, tutors, activities assistants and college preparation support
• Catholic Charities – various volunteer opportunities
• Merced County Community Action Agency – opportunities in child care, nutritional support, homeless services, energy-saving programs and advocacy
• Ombudsman Volunteers – receive and investigate complaints on behalf of residents, including allegations of abuse and neglect about residents in nursing homes and residential care facilities for the elderly. Must complete 36 hours of classroom training and 10 hours of field work. Contact: Maria Nava Program Manager/Certified LTC Ombudsman 209-385-7550 Ext. 7468.

Visalia

• Visalia Volunteer Match – matches inspired people with inspiring causes
• Visalia Great Nonprofits – find possible volunteer opportunities with top nonprofits in the area
• United Way of Tulare County – help provide for the health, education and/or financial stability of community members
• Tulare County Family Services – train to become a volunteer crisis counselor or pitch in with administrative support, special projects, donation drives, facility maintenance or fundraising events
• Visalia Rescue Mission – opportunities to sort in the warehouse, stock thrift store shelves, provide mentoring, work events, data entry, lead worship and serve in the kitchen
• CASA of Tulare County – advocate and speak for the best interests of abused and neglected children or be a non-advocate volunteer (great for communications and marketing majors)
• Charity Vault – find a variety of volunteer opportunities in Visalia
• Food Link Tulare County – volunteer to sort and pack food, pick/harvest food; work in the community distribution center; help with communications, events and outreach; work in the garden; provide nutritional education; or volunteer as a food runner
• Boys & Girls Club of the Sequoias – provide valuable mentorship to club members
• Kaweah Delta Hospice – become a respite/companionship volunteer or other helper
• Sequoia Riverlands Trust

National Volunteer Opportunities

• Volunteer.gov – America’s natural and cultural resources volunteer portal
• Public Service & Volunteer Opportunities – find volunteer opportunities with various federal organizations
• Corporation for National & Community Service – improve the lives of fellow citizens through service
• U.S. Forestry Volunteer Opportunities – Improve forests/grasslands and learn about natural/cultural conservation
• National Park Service – volunteer in national parks
• AmeriCorps – help increase academic achievement, mentor youth, fight poverty, sustain national parks or prepare for disasters

Volunteer Abroad

• International Volunteer HQ – the world’s leading volunteer travel organization, providing impactful and affordable volunteer abroad programs
• Plan My Gap Year – safe, meaningful, affordable childcare volunteer abroad projects
• Volunteering & Internships Abroad – provides information on volunteer and internships abroad
• Maximo Nivel – feet-on-the-street volunteer opportunities in Costa Rica, Guatemala and Peru
• Love Volunteers– volunteer and internship opportunities in developing countries around the world
• Global Vision International – volunteer abroad on critical community development and environmental conservation projects
• Projects Abroad – offers overseas voluntary work placements including teaching, care, conservation and environment, medicine and healthcare, journalism, law and human rights, international development, business and more
• Volunteering Solutions – medical, womens’ empowerment, childcare, language, wildlife and conservation, sports coaching, disabled care, community development and teaching opportunities.
• Cross-cultural Solutions – public health, medical, womens’ empowerment, childcare, community development, teaching and more
• Go Eco – contribute to the community, wildlife and environment
• African Impact – community and conservation volunteer opportunities
• Khaya Volunteer Projects – for volunteers who have a passion for learning about the bush and conservation or those considering a career in conservation or wildlife tourism
• SAVE Volunteering – educate, feed and play with children
• Camp Thailand – a three-week volunteer teaching trip
• Globalteer – opportunities that focus on children and communities living in poverty as well as projects supporting animal welfare and conservation
• Fronteering – opportunities to volunteer with wildlife, care for huskies and dog sleds or help save the Amazon Amerindian way of life
• Raleigh International – Work on remote community and environmental projects and face adventure and challenges in some of the most incredible areas of the world
• Global Nomadic – environmental, medical, media, human rights, business and teaching abroad opportunities
• Naturally Africa Volunteers – medical services and English teaching opportunities
• Frontier – teaching and marine/wildlife conservation
• Volunteering Journeys – opportunities in teaching, conservation, social work, medical services and animal care
• Reach Out Volunteers – elephant, wildlife, community, orphanage and teaching projects
• Connect 123 – matches your interests to a wide variety of volunteer opportunities and countries
• Global Volunteers – provides a variety of opportunities in various countries
• Rustic Pathways – Leader Corps, elephants, Steve Irwin Wildlife Preserve, Golden Lands & World Heritage and Spanish immersion and service program opportunities available