As a virtual volunteer you can identify new solar systems, watch and report on owl nesting activity, translate for refugees, put the world’s vulnerable people on the map, or transcribe oral history of the Grand Canyon! Each of these and hundreds more volunteer opportunities are ways you can support a cause virtually. In short, you can volunteer virtually, using a smartphone, tablet, or computer, for as little or as much time as you would like. Becoming a virtual volunteer is easy! Here’s how!
Looking for Local Opportunities to Volunteer Virtually?
- Indy.gov COVID-19 Donations and Volunteer Opportunitie Information for Indy residents looking to support their community.
- Indiana Historical Society Documenting COVID-19 in Indiana The Society has collected items that document Indiana’s past since 1830. You can share your stories, photos and other items documenting your life during this time so future generations can understand what this experience was like for Hoosiers.
Volunteer Opportunities from All Over:
- Be a Citizen Scientist! Visit Zooniverse to discover projects organized by interest area: arts, biology, climate, history, language, literature, medicine, nature, physics and social science. Activities range from quick counting tasks, like counting how many sea lions you see in a picture, identifying kelp forests, or more in-depth activities like transcribing documents such as anti-slavery manuscripts from the 19th century or translating Hebrew or Arabic documents from the middle ages. Projects change as they are completed and added. Learn how to satisfy academic community service with Zooniverse here.
- Share Career Advice! CareerVillage is a community where students can get free personalized career advice from real-life professionals. Answer questions about education and career choices from students from around the world. Signup is quick and easy. Pop on when you have time to quickly answer questions posted through the Career Village webpage.
- Help Map Underserved Areas on Missingmaps.org. Help map areas where humanitarian organizations are trying to meet the needs of vulnerable people. In three easy steps, you can provide information for disaster relief organizations.
Didn’t find what interests you? Check out these resources for more ideas:
- VolunteerMatch.org Search over thousands of virtual volunteer opportunities. Find the one that sparks your interest.
- Catchafire.org Use your professional skills to make an impact on a mission driven organization – one hour call or full-length projects.
- Project Gutenberg Proofread public domain books page-by-page to have them converted to digital format.
- Grandcanyonhitory.org Transcribe oral history of people living and working in and around the Grand Canyon.
- Oldweather.org Document old weather patterns from the 1880’s ship logs to predict future climate.
- Tarjim.ly Provide on-demand language translation for refugees in need of humanitarian assistance.
- Learningally.org Create audiobooks for students with learning differences and college students who are blind or visually impaired.
A note about community service hours:
If you need proof of service for school, court, or service organization, virtual volunteering may not be the best option. Check with the opportunity organizer to verify that they can confirm your hours.
Whatever you choose, know that you are supporting the efforts of an organization to move their mission forward. For that, thank you!
Would you like to learn about more volunteering opportunities?
If you are interested in learning more about volunteer opportunities for you or a group, please contact us or call the Library’s Volunteer Resources Office at 317-275-4046. Learn more about volunteering opportunities at The Library.