Yikes! It’s hot outside. We are expecting record high temperatures this summer. Who wants to go outside into the heat and humidity when there is an air conditioner on the inside?

Don’t let these high temperatures keep you from volunteering in your community during the summer. The summer is a great time to get into some indoor volunteer opportunities. What can you do? Check out our volunteer opportunities below!

1. Plan your fall service project! There is nothing wrong with planning for service a little bit early. Service planning can actually take quite a bit of time. How can you plan your service project so early you may be asking yourself?
   • Decide on a service project location.
   • Check out their website. Find out whether or not you need to go through an orientation before you serve, get necessary certifications, etc.
   • Service project fill up quick, sign up early!
   • Recruit friends by calling them or sharing your project through social media channels
   • Make a list of supplies that you may need
2. Gather gently used belongings that you can donate or sell at a garage sale to raise donations for your favorite charity! These are both great ways to volunteer without leaving the air conditioner because you not only get some cleaning done, but you can also largely help your community.
   • Go through your gently used goods and decide what you can give away and what you cannot possibly live without.
   • Sort these things into boxes or bags so that you know what you have
   • Locate your nearest shelter or donation center to bring your things too. Some organizations, such as the American Kidney Foundation, will even come and pick up your items!
   • If you are planning a yard sale get the word out by putting signs out around your neighborhood.
   • Decide what organization or causes you would most like to donate your proceeds to (maybe one that will benefit your local community?)
   • Let your neighbors know about your fundraising event and recruit their participation! It can be a great way to bring a community together in a beneficial way.
3. Try micro-volunteering! Micro-volunteering is a form of virtual volunteering allowing people to serve nonprofits in an indirect way. A nonprofit may ask for a task to be completed online and a volunteer will respond to the task at hand. Service projects can take anywhere from 5 minutes to 2 hours. Websites such as sparked.com are great resources to find micro-volunteering opportunities!
4. Assemble care packages or food baskets. Contact your local meals on wheels organization, church, or food bank and see what kinds of foods they are looking for. You can assemble meals for those who use their services and deliver them to be used for their community members. You can also check out veteran services to see how you can get involved in having an overseas pen pal!
5. Bring out your inner artist! Turn your hobby into a service project!
   • Make pictures for a retirement center
   • Knit scarves, mittens, or hats for a local shelter
   • Make baby blankets for a women and children’s home
   • Make jewelry for a women’s shelter
   • Design dog or cat collars for an animal shelter or make toys

The summer is a great time to volunteer from home. Stay cool and help your community!

Do you have something to add to the list? Add it to the comments section below!

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