Lend A Helping Hand - Try something new. Learn new skills and meet new people.

What We Do Here

The purpose of this website is to provide information about volunteer opportunities in the San Francisco Bay Area. Hopefully, volunteerism will be stimulated and facilitated by letting potential volunteers know about the wide range of opportunities open to them and by giving Bay Area non-profit organizations a means of publishing their goals and needs.

If you are considering volunteering, we hope this site helps you find the opportunity you are looking for. Volunteers are needed to do just about anything from repairing computers to picking fruit to making sandwiches. Time commitments can range from a few hours for a single project to as much time as you have available. Try something new. Learn new skills and meet new people.

We provide the most comprehensive searchable database of Bay Area nonprofits with continuing volunteer needs. We do not list individual opportunities. You may search for nonprofits geographically (above), by area of interest (search box above), or by other categories (links in yellow background to the right) to find organizations with the most appropriate opportunities for you.

How to Use This Website to Find Great Volunteer Opportunities Particularly Suitable for You

For example, if you are interested in working with children, type 'children' in the search box below and you will be presented with several pages of appropriate organizations and their websites for you to review and make contact with.

If you wanted to know about organizations only in Alameda County, you could type in 'Alameda' or click on 'Alameda' in the yellow box to the right, or click on 'East Bay' above to get organizations and their websites.

Then go to the listed websites to get more information and make contact through that organization's website to learn more and to set up the opportunity most suitable just for you. Hope this helps!

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Recent Volunteer Opportunities

Reading Partners

Yes Reading - Reading Partners

Reading Partners is a local nonprofit organization that works to expand life opportunities for elementary school children in low-­‐income communities by empowering them with strong literacy skills. At each of its school sites, Reading Partners transforms a dedicated space within …
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Yerba Buena Center for the Arts

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts

It’s not about sound bites and who can shout loudest and who wins and who loses. It’s not about voracious consumption, bling, status or prestige. It’s not about possession and greed, fear and loathing or anger and violence as a …
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Year Up

Year Up

Year Up is a one-year, intensive training program that provides urban young adults 18-24, with a unique combination of technical and professional skills, college credits, an educational stipend and corporate internship. Our success is our graduates — enabling them to …
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YEAH – Youth Engagement, Advocacy, and Housing

YEAH - Youth Engagement, Advocacy, and Housing

Our mission is to support young adults (18-25) in Berkeley who are currently homeless. We provide basic necessities, offer case management and counseling, linkages to education, employment and housing, and opportunities for meaningful community involvement. YEAH! assists homeless young people …
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Island Cat Resources and Adoption

Island Cat Resources and Adoption

Island Cat Resources and Adoption (ICRA) is an all volunteer non-profit organization dedicated to reducing the suffering of abandoned and feral (wild) cats and to educating and empowering the local community to relieve them from their plight. We provide low-cost …
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ISF – Idriss Stelley Foundation

ISF - Idriss Stelley Foundation

The primary focus of ISF, justified by casualty statistics is: To serve the Bay Area African American community and families of color, although no one will be turned down. Home visits can be scheduled if needed. We are seeking volunteers …
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Intersection for the Arts

Intersection for the Arts

Intersection for the Arts is San Francisco’s oldest alternative non-profit art space (est. 1965) and has a long history of presenting new and experimental work in the fields of literature, theater, music and the visual arts, and also in nurturing …
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International Bird Rescue Research Center

International Bird Rescue Research Center

International Bird Rescue was formed to provide the expertise and capacity needed to save oiled aquatic birds in emergency situations. Our highly trained staff and dedicated volunteers ensure that each bird receives expert and compassionate care. Every bird matters. We …
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International Art Museum of America

International Art Museum of America

Located at the heart of downtown San Francisco, on 1025 Market Street near Sixth Street, the International American Art Museum is a permanent, non-profit museum open to the public. The Museum’s goal is to utilize the exhibition forum to pass …
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Institute on Aging

Institute on Aging

Institute on Aging (IOA) is a community-based, non-profit organization that touches the lives of thousands of seniors in San Francisco, Marin, and the Peninsula. IOA’s service mission is to enhance the quality of life for our diverse community of adults …
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