Volunteer Global

Yesterday I talked about connecting host groups with their volunteer alumni. How about prospective, current, and former volunteers who would like to connect with one another?

Social media
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know what this is. Join groups and fan pages on Facebook; send out messages and follow people on Twitter; find groups on LinkedIn; follow nonprofits and forge friendships on Ammado – all of these sites are great ways to connect with other volunteers and like-minded individuals.

Forums
I’m separating this out from social media, as some forums are a bit more private and the participation is a little different from other outlets like Facebook and Twitter. You can find a forum for just about any topic, whether it’s volunteering, human rights, animal rights, education, or more. Forum members can become quick friends, and even arrange meet-ups for members in a certain geographic location.

Clubs
If you’re in school, it should be easy to find a club – or to create one. You can find general volunteerism ones, and many schools even have their own office of community service. If you’d like to create one, a good way to start is to set up a meeting time one night and post leaflets on public bulletin boards around campus.

If you’re out of school, a good place to start may be your local Rotary, Lions, or Kiwanis clubs. You might also be interested in attending cultural events – many communities offer public calendars online. Look for yours and see where you can go!

Host organizations
Some host groups offer listservs and other chances to connect with volunteers. Some post their information online and others will be willing to send you contact information for alumni if you ask.

Career fairs, grad school fairs, and open houses
Not only might you meet recruiters (who often are former volunteers themselves), but you’ll also have the chance to connect with attendees.

And here's a shameless plug...check out the "Membership" tab above. Volunteering Global offers free accounts for users who would like to post in the forums and create blog entries here :-)

Have more ideas? Leave a comment!