If you’ve been wanting to pay it forward but need to stay socially distant, consider volunteering virtually!  Small acts of service and kindness have always added up to enormous changes in the lives of others and there are many ways to volunteer from the comfort of your home while remaining socially distant.

Opportunities are almost endless, but we’ve highlighted a few of our favorites for you to explore.

Literacy, Education and Mentorship

• Project Gutenberg needs translators, transcribers and proofreaders to help increase the size of their digital library of over 60,000 public domain books.
• StoriiTime allows seniors to read to children through video technology, and allows children to practice their reading skills to seniors. Seniors can help children pronounce words, practice fluency or just be there as a reading companion.
• Translators Without Borders need those who can speak multiple languages. These volunteers translate text so that non profit organizations can aid in different countries with projects such as health care needs, education or humanitarian assistance.
• Upchieve matches volunteers with low income students to tutor, encourage and help these children increase their chances of attending college.

Support Veterans

• Hire Heroes USA  needs volunteers to give practice interviews to veterans and their spouses, aid in filling out job applications or even give career counseling as they enter into the civilian workforce.
• Soldier’s Angels are looking for donations of cards and letters, baked goods, no sew blankets and face masks to deployed soldiers.

Human Rights & Wellbeing

• Be My Eyes connects those who can see with those who cannot through a phone app. You might be needed to read instructions, letters, expiration dates or other simple things to help someone who can’t do it for themselves.
• Amnesty Decoders needs help sifting through pictures and documents as they search for human rights violations across the globe. You can help to protect citizens throughout the world from abuse and environmental threats such as deliberate oil spills and chemical attacks.
• Crisis Text Line is looking for active listeners to provide an empathetic ear and help those in need of advice or support.
• United Nations is in need of many different types of volunteers for their services. Writers, artists, researchers and others are asked to lend their skills to make a difference.

Research

• Ancestry.com and the Carnamah Historical Society Virtual Volunteering Initiative  need help preserving history! Volunteers are needed to transcribe photos and documents such as old journals and letters to make them easily searchable for others doing research.
• Zooniverse has over fifty online projects in science and humanities needing volunteers to contribute to real research discoveries.
• Smithsonian Archives of American Gardens needs help to identify pictures with plants, buildings, people and objects for professional cataloguers.

For anyone looking to give back during these challenging times, there are a wide variety of opportunities just waiting for someone to log on and start helping. You aren’t just giving your time, you might also be helping further research or change someone’s future.