For Individuals
Volunteering can improve your health, increase your odds of landing a job, and lead you to new friends and networks. Volunteering benefits individuals, communities, and Iowa.
Whether you’re interested in education, health services, affordable housing, environmental restoration, veteran support, or all of the above, there are volunteer opportunities in your community. We want to connect you with your ideal volunteer experience.
Check out Get Connected, our online system that makes connecting willing volunteers with rewarding opportunities quick and easy.
- Read more about the general benefits of volunteering
- Read more about volunteering as a pathway to employment
- Read more about volunteers with disabilities
- FAQs about volunteering
You may also be interested in AmeriCorps, AmeriCorps Seniors, or volunteering with us at Volunteer Iowa. Whatever your interest, give us a call at 1.800.308.5987 or send us an e-mail so we can get you involved and volunteering!
Volunteer with Us!
Thank you for your interest in volunteering directly with Volunteer Iowa! Our current volunteer opportunities and internships are posted on the statewide portal:
If you are interested in volunteering with other organizations, please visit our Search Page.
Our Volunteer Program
Volunteer Iowa accepts and promotes the involvement of volunteers at all levels of the agency to build capacity, fuel growth, and inspire our work. It is our goal to have volunteers and staff work in true partnership with shared responsibility and accountability in the delivery and support of our mission and programs.
Our engaged volunteers have a tremendous impact on helping achieve the Volunteer Iowa mission and complement the work of our staff by:
- contributing more than $335,000 worth of service each year
- multiplying the reach and effects of the services, initiatives, and programs we offer
- allowing the commission to utilize taxpayer investments in a much more effective and impactful way by decreasing program and administrative costs
- assisting in developing and increasing innovative ways to engage volunteers and improve the volunteer management infrastructure across Iowa
- bringing new insights and energies to the work of the commission
Volunteering as a Pathway to Employment
New, ground-breaking research from AmeriCorps provides evidence of a relationship between volunteering and finding employment.
Key Findings
- Volunteers have a 27 percent higher likelihood of finding a job after being out of work than non-volunteers
- Volunteers without a high school diploma have a 51 percent higher likelihood of finding employment
- Volunteers living in rural areas have a 55 percent higher likelihood of finding employment
AmeriCorps also found that volunteering is associated with an increased likelihood of finding employment for all volunteers regardless of a person’s gender, age, ethnicity, geographical area, or the job market conditions.