Volunteering, sometimes referred to as civic engagement, is not only a gift to your community but can also be a gift to yourself.  Involvement in your community satisfies a basic desire to do purposeful work and to work for the greater good of our society.  

Many mature workers want to leave a social legacy and want their volunteering time to be aligned with their experience, skill-sets, organizational vision, mission and goals in a very purposeful way.   Mature workers are looking to build on their work experience and are seeking out volunteer opportunities where they will be able to contribute in a responsible and challenging way.  

With many mature workers re-designing the concept of volunteering and what they can bring to an organization, some characteristics of the volunteer opportunities available in our communities have changed. More organizations are interested in forming a partnership-type of experience with mature workers who are volunteering, as those organizations recognize the benefits of engaging experienced mature workers. 

The top 5 reasons to volunteer are:
1.  Meet interesting people - Working in different environments is a great way to meet new people and learn new ideas!

2.  Alternative work experience - Non-paid work can be as valuable as paid work when changing careers or re-entering the workplace.  And volunteer work can help boost your "work experience" on your resume!

3.  Gain new skills - Trying something different is an excellent way to build new skill sets.  As a volunteer, you may have the opportunity to do a variety of jobs, thereby increasing your skill set and translating existing skills into new venues.

4.  Explore new work environments - If you've worked in an office most of your life, perhaps you'd like to volunteer in a museum or park?  Volunteering gives you the opportunity to try it all!

5.  Helping your community - volunteers are a critical aspect of many organizations and services.  By volunteering in your community, you help ensure these important services continue, and have the satisfaction of knowing you are  part of something bigger than yourself!

For Volunteer Opportunities available in every county of the state, click on the "Statewide" button below. 

For Volunteer Opportunities in particular counties of Arizona, click on the 'buttons' or map below for information on those counties: