How to Gain Volunteer Experience for a Social Work Career

If you're planning for a degree in social work, psychology or a related field, volunteer experience can greatly impact the type of job you land post-graduation. Plus, volunteer experience is a great way to help others and make a difference in someone's life!

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Phone
• Computer
• Resume (In some cases)
• References

1. Decide to volunteer. Think about what population (children, elderly, homeless, mentally challenged etc.) you'd like to help the most.
2. Gather the names and contact information of at least 3 personal or employment references. You might or might not need them.
3. Some cities have a volunteer center. Google your city name and "volunteer center" to see what comes up - such as "Dallas Volunteer Center." If you find one, contact them and they will assist you.
4. Another option is to contact your local united way and ask what agencies are needing volunteers the most.
5. Visit volunteermatch.org and search for opportunities. Keep in mind that not all agencies & jobs are listed.
6. If you enjoy helping children, one of the most beneficial volunteer jobs you can have is to be a Big Sister/Big Brother. This involves mentoring a child from a disadvantaged background - usually a single parent family. For more information visit http://www.bbbs.org.
7. If you think you could advocate for children who have been abused/neglected, consider becoming a CASA. CASA stands for Court Appointed Special Advocate and involves visiting a child in foster care, attending monitored family visits, gathering info, going to CPS meetings, and (in some cases) testifying at court hearings. This is a great way to get experience if you would like to become a CPS worker.
8. If you think you could help someone who is terminally ill, consider becoming a hospice volunteer. Visit www.hospicenet.org and click on "find a local hospice", or look in your phone book.
9. Another great volunteer opportunity that will give you valuable experience, is to help out at a homeless shelter or domestic violence safe home. To locate one near you, you might try calling your local united way, or look in the phone book. Or visit www.artistshelpingchildren.org and search their list of homeless shelters.
10. If you think you'd like to help someone who has been raped, many rape crisis centers desperately need volunteers. Visit www.rainn.org and click on "Get Involved" and "Volunteer for RAINN."
11. If you are a good listener, another excellent opportunity is to volunteer for a crisis/suicide hotline. To find the nearest one, call the United Way or look online/in the phone book.
12. Hospitals usually need volunteers. You could help children, or adults with no family or support. Some even have a program for volunteer "baby rockers" who rock babies in the NICU. Call your local hospital for more information.
13. A local children's home or group home for abused/neglected children would probably love to have you as a volunteer. Search online or in the phone book to find one near you.
14. If you enjoy helping the elderly, many nursing homes for low-income patients would be thrilled to have some extra help. You could plan activities and more. Just look in your phone book for the nearest one.
15. Meals on Wheels always needs more volunteers. Call your local office and they'd be happy to have you as a volunteer. Visit http://www.mowaa.org/.
16. There might be other volunteer opportunities in your community. You could ask a social work professor for their recommendations, or simply look in the phone book under "social services."
17. After getting a volunteer job, treat it as you would treat a real job. Although you might not be getting any financial compensation from it, the resume experience and joy that you will bring to someone else is priceless.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't overdo yourself. Offering to volunteer a few hours a week, or even a month is great.
• Do not let agencies take advantage of you, if you feel that they are, please talk about it with a director and if it doesn't change, feel free to move onto another position.
• Be sure to obtain reference information from your volunteer positions so you can put it on your resume.