Global Volunteer Month is a time to celebrate volunteers as well as inspire volunteerism around the globe. Volunteers, you are the heartbeat of strengthening communities, and we’re celebrating you all month long as well as calling on people everywhere to take action, because we know that every act of service builds a more connected world. Throughout April, lend your time, talent and passion to making a real difference in your own backyard and cause a ripple effect around the world.

Learn

To be a great volunteer, we must deeply understand the history that informs our current circumstance, the existing need, and the landscape of our community. As you consider volunteer service, please use these resources to reflect on your motivations for volunteerism and how to apply an antiracist lens to your service.

Volunteer

There are thousands of ways to take action during Global Volunteer Month! Explore a variety of options to uncover an opportunity that aligns with your passions, talents, and availability. This section also features environmental opportunities for Earth Day (Monday, April 22, 2024).

Recognize

Millions of people act on their power to do good every day, using their hearts, hands and minds to help strengthen communities and solve persistent problems. We recognize their individual stories, and lift them up to inspire others so we may each, in our own way, answer the call to make a difference.

More ways to get involved

Member Highlight:

  • Celebrate Good Deed Day by sharing a book and a kind note in a Little Free Library near you! This is a great activity for families and friends to do together. Learn more about this opportunity.

  • Spring into Love is Ruff Start Rescue’s mega-adoption event. Join them on Sunday, April 14, from 11:00 am- 3:00 pm in the Mall of Ameria Rotunda. This is an amazing opportunity for the rescue to find more volunteers, fosters, donors, and ADOPTERS! They are looking for volunteers to represent the organization, set up, and teardown. Feel free to sign up for multiple timeslots. Learn more about this opportunity.

  • Feed My Starving Children have multiple shifts available for packing at Chanhassen, Coon Rapids, and Eagan locations on April 17-23. View all April shifts.

  • FamilyWise schedules cleaning days in the spring for two of their onsite programs, Supervised Parenting, and First Step Childcare Center. These days allow for their facility to provide clean spaces in order for children and families to feel comfortable while utilizing their services.

    First Step Cleaning Day: Monday, April 22nd in the morning.

    Supervised Parenting Cleaning Day: Friday, April 19th in the morning, potentially in the afternoon as well.

    Sign up here.

  • You are invited to attend a free card-making class from April 21. Greeting cards will be made to benefit Help At Your Door, a local non-profit helping seniors maintain their independence and continue living at home.

    For every card you make for Help At Your Door, you can make a card for yourself. Please bring your own coloring tools (crayons, markers, colored pencils) - all other supplies will be provided. Sign up here!

  • Help 5th and 6th grade students explore STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) careers at SparkPath’s annual STEMLink event at Hennepin Technical College, Brooklyn Park!

    As a Team Leader, you will work in pairs to guide a group of students for the day. You will escort them to the breakout sessions taught by Hennepin Technical College faculty and other STEM professionals. Then, stay in the breakout sessions to assist presenters and students with the hands-on activities. You are guaranteed to learn something new!

    Learn how you can sign up here.

  • On April 27, join Great River Greening in partnership with the Hamline Midway Environmental Committee to prepare their tree gravel beds for this season's bare root trees as part of the Free Trees Program.

  • Volunteers are needed to help keep Mother Earth beautiful. When you volunteer at Arc's Value Village in Richfield, Bloomington, and New Hope, you are doing just that by keeping wonderful items out of landfills. Volunteers help unpack, sort, and price great donations like clothing, household items, sports equipment, media, etc. Volunteers also stock the sales floor and help colorize/organize wonderful items. When Arc's Value Village upcycles these great items, we are protecting the earth and keeping it clean.

    Volunteer shifts are available 7 days a week and are only 2 hours. Youth aged 8-15 can also volunteer but must do so with an adult.

    Arc's Value Village offers direct volunteer sign-up through our Online Volunteer Calendar! Interested volunteers can visit our website at arcsvaluevillage.org/volunteer