Help me find the right volunteering opportunity

July 8, 2015 8:29 AM

For a few reasons including networking and the desire to contribute, I've been thinking about volunteering for quite some time. Trouble is, I'm not sure where to direct my energy. Maybe you have some ideas?

I'd like something...
social
physical, not sitting around
important
where I'd be highly effective
with other volunteers my age (late 20s - early 30s)
that works around my schedule (weekday evenings past 7pm)
something not completely out of the way (so somewhere nearish to BART in SF or inner East Bay)


A little about me:
I live in the Bay Area.
I'm an electrical engineer with a background in physics.
I like all kinds of people. Kids, old folks, everyone in between.
I like building stuff, and I can build almost anything. Wood, metal, electronics, food...
I have a regular 9-6 type job.

I tried volunteering at the Exploratorium when I was consulting and had way more free time and really liked the idea of building and maintaining the exhibits, but they made it seem like I had to fight my way through to get any kind of opportunity to help. I've thought about Habitat for Humanity but they're booked way out, so they couldn't possibly need anyone that bad. I looked into helping some of my teacher friends at their schools but the scheduling just doesn't work.

Thoughts? Am I too picky?

posted by cman to Grab Bag (7 answers total)

I should add that weekends are open but would require flexibility
posted by cman at 8:41 AM on July 8, 2015

Maybe a FIRST robotics program in an area school?
posted by chazlarson at 8:42 AM on July 8, 2015

There are sites which help match volunteers to positions.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 8:53 AM on July 8, 2015

This may be too far out of your way (since it involves a mile walk from a BART station in San Leandro...) but MedShare could probably really use someone with electrical engineering skills to test, troubleshoot and refurb donated medical equipment before they send it on to hospitals in developing countries. If that's of interest, I would email their volunteer coordinator directly so that you can talk to someone involved in processing complex electronics as opposed to the syringes and surgical kits that they put the usual drop-in volunteers on. (Although that's enjoyable work too, at least if you like sorting esoteric random medical objects.)
posted by deludingmyself at 9:12 AM on July 8, 2015

Not sure if they overlap with your interests, but I've had the best luck finding fellow volunteers in the 20s-30s range at:
- bike repair clinics
-local music and art festivals
-nonprofit theater/music venues
-trail cleanups

Basically, look at opportunities that overlap with interests and skills that younger folks typically have. For example, I think the 826 creative writing literacy project (affiliated with Dave Eggers & McSweeney's) tends to draw a younger volunteer pool, and it looks like they've got a chapter right in the Mission District. Another idea given your talents might be the local makerspace?
posted by veery at 9:15 AM on July 8, 2015

By the way -- just an anecdote that I have found multiple workplaces to be quite supportive (and even impressed) of my arranging my schedule around a regular volunteer shift, so I wouldn't necessarily rule out something you're excited about that doesn't quite line up with your schedule.
posted by veery at 9:27 AM on July 8, 2015

Hands On Bay Area keeps a monthly calendar of volunteer opportunities. No long-term commitment required for most projects.
posted by Sweetie Darling at 5:18 PM on July 8, 2015