New York is widely considered one of the busiest cities on the planet. While many may feel like it is only for big business and the rich and famous, there are many opportunities for someone who likes to volunteer and travel to come to the Big Apple and support a good cause.
New Yorkers have many reasons to love their city, but for a person that is traveling there for the first time, they may be unfamiliar with everything the city has to offer. This includes the numerous charities and organizations that could use the helping hand of a volunteer. Especially since the Coronavirus pandemic.
In this guide, we’ll list some tips for volunteering in an ultra metropolitan city like New York.
Tip #1: Pick Your Area of Service
Many volunteers have a cause that they are most passionate about. In a city as large as New York, there is likely to be an organization that supports a cause that you are passionate about.
You can start your search by checking a local volunteer directory to get affiliated with some of the many opportunities available throughout the city. Most of these organizations will be glad for any help you can give them, even in the short term. By using a directory you can narrow down your search to those causes you’re most passionate about. After all, things we care about give us more energy and that extra burst of enjoyment from the work we do.
A directory can also help you network with other volunteers and help to find resources throughout the city. This can be very beneficial if you decide to stay a while. Even if you don’t plan to stay long, the connections you make in a city like New York may help elsewhere in your travels. Society is becoming more global by the day and helping one community can help many communities.
Tip #2: Work Towards Your Strengths
Volunteering is something that takes all types. No matter if you’re a gardener, a babysitter, a writer, or a steelworker, there are ways to help. That’s why it’s a good idea once you’ve found a cause you’d like to support to find a role that you are well suited towards.
There are placement agencies and organizations dedicated to finding volunteers for many different trades. This means you don’t have to let that hard-earned degree or well-honed craft go to waste just to volunteer in a city like New York. You may even find that your specific talents are just what is needed in a given situation. The important thing is to never discount the abilities you possess.
Tip #3: Don’t Be Afraid to Branch Out
New York is called a melting pot for a reason. As one of the most culturally diverse cities in America, there are plenty of opportunities to serve a community that is different from your own or to become part of a new community through volunteer work.
Volunteering shouldn’t be all about serving one group or the other. There are more ways than you can count to serve a new community and broaden your horizons in the process. Half the joy of travel and volunteering is seeing and learning new things.
Final Thoughts
We hope this guide has given you just a glimpse into the joy of volunteering in New York City. Being in such an urban environment can be frightening to some volunteers, but there is no end to ways that volunteers can be of help to the people of such a great city.