Why Volunteer?
Volunteering isn't just about helping others, it's about making the world a better place and building a stronger community. Imagine your school – it's better when everyone helps out, right? Volunteering is like that, but on a bigger scale.
When we volunteer, we're not just doing chores; we're showing that we care about our community and the people in it. We're learning valuable skills like teamwork and problem-solving while making a real difference.
Think about it: if everyone in your neighborhood volunteered a little bit of their time, wouldn't it be an amazing place to live? That's the power of volunteering – it brings people together, makes our community stronger, and helps us all thrive.
Search for Organizations by Name
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- AmeriCorps
AmeriCorps is the federal agency for national service and volunteerism. From mentoring students to supporting disaster recovery, helping older adults age with dignity, and tackling other pressing needs, AmeriCorps helps communities across the country.
Every year, we enroll more than 200,000 individuals to serve organizations making a difference in communities across America.
- AmeriCorps NCCC Southwest
If you are 18-26, you can gain experience while supporting environmental stewardship, building affordable housing, disaster response, and more. You will travel the country, all expenses paid, and earn money for college while serving on a team full-time.
Program Options Include: Traditional Corps, FEMA Corps, Summer of Service, and Forest Corps.
- AmeriCorps Seniors
AmeriCorps Seniors is open to individuals 55 and older. Every year, we match over 143,000 AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers with service opportunities offered by our partner organizations.
When you join AmeriCorps Seniors, you choose how you want to give back. Help a struggling child to learn to read. Deliver groceries to an elderly neighbor. Support a family impacted by natural disaster. These are just a few of the service opportunities available to you through AmeriCorps Seniors.
- AmeriCorps VISTA
Join over 7,000 AmeriCorps members in the VISTA program who serve annually to alleviate poverty by helping local organizations expand capacity to make change. You can serve in any U.S. state or territory.
As an AmeriCorps member in the VISTA program, you will support an organization to make sustainable change in areas that effect poverty, including education, public health, climate, access to benefits, and more. Through activities such as fundraising, grant writing, research, and volunteer recruitment, you will gain professional experience and leadership skills. This opportunity prepares you for a life of service in the public, private, or nonprofit sector.
Join thousands of members in the AmeriCorps VISTA program who are united in our mission to lift people and communities out of poverty.
- AR Kids Read
As an AKR tutor, you will support teachers and parents while serving as a caring mentor and friend to children in our community.
We equip our tutors with the necessary training and resources to ensure their success, without requiring a background in education. Our tutors utilize a curriculum that aligns with school standards and is grounded in best practice studies. You will provide students with consistent reading practice to help them reach their academic goals and catch up to their peers. AKR Tutors make a commitment to serve for one school year (from October to April), meeting weekly with the same two students in individualized sessions.
- Arkansas Cinema Society
We're building a film community in Arkansas where film lovers can watch films, share ideas, connect with each other, and nurture the new and existing film talent within our state through increased exposure to filmmakers and their art.
ACS depends on volunteers to support a variety of departments and activities, from assisting guests, working as ushers during screening, assisting in set up and clean up, selling tickets, to being a welcome greeter.
Volunteers...
*Receive a complimentary ticket to the screening and its after party
*Students can have volunteer hours verified for honor societies and school credit
*Have the opportunity to meet local and national filmmakers
*Work with an exciting, diverse team who loves film
*Experience behind the scenes of an ACS event
- Arkansas Foodbank - Feeding America
By donating a few hours of your time, you'll help us provide food for the 1 in 5 Arkansans who face food insecurity each month.
Arkansas Foodbank offers opportunities for individuals to volunteer and fulfill court-ordered community service hours. Court-ordered volunteers, please select the "Court-Ordered Community Service" project option and complete an application to join our volunteer team.
- Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance
Without volunteers working hand-in-hand with Alliance staff and members, reaching our goals would be much harder or even impossible. Non-profits, such as the Alliance, rely on the selflessness of volunteers who give so generously of their time and resources. We welcome your assistance, strengths and dedication in our fight against hunger.
- Arkansas Local Food Network
IT'S EASY TO EAT LOCAL WITH ALFN. ALFN is a 501c3 non-profit organization supporting farm viability through direct marketing since 2007. We also partner with the Christ Church Green Groceries program, a food pantry that provides families in need with access to local food.
Volunteers earn $5 in market credit or a month of membership ($7.50 value) for each shift. Visit our signup.com to sign up for a shift!
- Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts
The Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts offers an inspiring array of visual, performing arts, and educational experiences. The Museum is committed to creating an inclusive cultural space for the community to engage with diverse artistic perspectives through the AMFA Foundation’s 14,000 object permanent collection, compelling temporary exhibitions, lively theatre, and enriching courses. The mission of the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts is to create an inclusive cultural space that inspires and builds community through the visual and performing arts. Serving the state of Arkansas and beyond, AMFA provides enriching experiences in the arts for all.
Welcoming the community to the art and architecture of the new AMFA with informative tours and lively discussions, our Docent Program is designed to increase the public’s appreciation, understanding, and engagement with art and the Museum. Through an innovative training program and curriculum, AMFA docents will learn how to orient and engage visitors with the temporary exhibitions, site-specific commissions, and rotations of works of art from the AMFA Foundation’s permanent collection in the newly expanded 20,000-square-feet gallery wing.
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- Best Buddies - Arkansas
We are the world's largest organization dedicated to ending the social, physical, economic isolation of the of the 200 million people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).
Best Buddies is currently working to increase our programmatic impact in Arkansas! We are excited to work with you and the many other volunteers and donors in your area to develop and execute a sustainable fundraising strategy that will ensure that Best Buddies programs are available to everyone who wants to participate.
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arkansas
Mentors level the playing field to ensure Central Arkansas can fulfill its promise to develop, educate, graduate, and build world-ready young people.
The young people we serve want to be great too and one person can be the green light to be great. At Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arkansas, we understand that every person can benefit from having a champion who sees the best in them. That's why we partner with parents and educators to match 6 to 16 years old with mentors to do life with them.
- Break the Silence Against Domestic Violence
BTSADV is an organization made for survivors by survivors that is almost 100% comprised of volunteers and their efforts and unique abilities.
As a volunteer, you’ll be placed on a team where you can grow. You will effectively utilize your skills to advocate for survivors, victims, and their families while actively working to end domestic violence. We’re happy to welcome you and expand our volunteer-based support system to survivors and legacy families in need.
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- Central Arkansas Harm Reduction Project
Central Arkansas Harm Reduction Project is a grassroots organization based in Little Rock, Arkansas created by and for people impacted by the War on Drugs. We stand side-by-side with people in our community to offer love and support.
We are always looking for volunteers to pack Naloxone kits, support us at events, create graphics for social media, perform at fundraisers, help with community outreach, and otherwise utilize your talents to help us with our mission of providing lifesaving resources to our community and ending the War on Drugs.
- Central Arkansas Library System
Join us! Become a Friends of CALS volunteer today and begin using your local library to raise money for education programs in Central Arkansas. Volunteers provide system-wide support for branches, book sales, the Six Bridges Book Festival, CALS Ron Robinson Theater, and other outreach efforts. By using your local library as a volunteer opportunity, you can help CALS continue to provide programs like these.
- Central Arkansas PRIDE!
It's a vibrant and inclusive celebration that honors the LGBTQIA+ community, their history, achievements, and ongoing struggle for equality. PRIDE serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of acceptance, diversity, and love. It brings together individuals, organizations, and communities to advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights and celebrate the progress made towards a more inclusive society.
- City of Little Rock
We have tons of opportunities for you to build the community you envision. You, your group, family or business can create a more vibrant park system or Little Rock Zoo, litter free streets, friendlier neighborhood, or love on our fur babies.
- City Year Little Rock
City Year was founded in 1988 as a national service program to unite young adults for a demanding year of full-time community service. City Year has grown from 50 corps members in Boston to more than 2,000 members serving in 29 US cities, as well as in South Africa and the UK. At City Year, we believe that all students can succeed and that developing the skills and talents of young people contributes to strong, vibrant communities—positive outcomes that benefit all of us.
Little Rock is home to a close-knit and welcoming community known for its commitment to improving education. City Year Little Rock works alongside teachers and community partners to support students across the city.
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- Engage Arkansas - AmeriCorps
AmeriCorps connects individuals and organizations to help communities tackle their toughest challenges. National service opportunities impact Arkansas workforce development, giving participants relevant experience and on-the-job training.
There are many ways to get involved with AmeriCorps through various streams of service. AmeriCorps streams of service include AmeriCorps National and State, AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America), AmeriCorps NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps), and AmeriCorps Seniors. Key focus areas include education, economic opportunity, disaster services, environmental stewardship, healthy futures, and veterans & military families.
- Engaging Arkansas Communities
Engaging Arkansas Communities (EAC) is dedicated to improving the lives of people living with HIV/AIDS in Arkansas. We believe in providing comprehensive care that addresses not only physical health but also mental, emotional, and social well-being. EAC emphasizes the importance of community involvement and empowers individuals to lead healthy, fulfilling lives. We advocate for policies that reduce stigma and increase access to care for all individuals, regardless of their background. EAC has achieved significant recognition for its work, including being named the first HIV Community Champion Organization of the Year by the Arkansas HIV Planning Group.
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- Firehouse Museum & Hostel of Arkansas
Greetings from the South’s hidden gem, Little Rock, Arkansas! We are looking for guest volunteers to join us for three weeks to three months in Arkansas’ new and only hostel. We are looking for enthusiastic, outgoing individuals who are interested in the ins and outs of operating a social boutique for travelers. Our ratings and reviews are high, and we are well-regarded in the hosteling community. We are looking to maintain this standard.
In exchange for a bed in our co-ed volunteer room (breakfast, coffee/tea, wifi access, laundry and kitchen facilities are also included), volunteers are required to work about 25 to 30 hours per week. We want you to have ample time to interact with locals (through tours of our museum and community events) and travelers who are staying at the hostel. Cross-cultural understanding is extremely important to us.
Volunteer opportunities include:
*Cooking and Shopping
*General Housekeeping
*Helping with Tourists
*Language Practice
*Help with Social Media
*Community Events
- FoodCorps Arkansas
As a FoodCorps member, you’ll teach kids to grow, cook, and love the nourishing foods that celebrate their cultures and communities—and help schools serve more of those foods, too. FoodCorps recruits talented leaders into full-time, paid public service, where they grow healthy school food environments in communities across the country through hands-on, experiential food education.
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- Habitat for Humanity of Central Arkansas
You don’t have to be part of a group or team to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity of Central Arkansas. Each individual volunteer plays an essential role in achieving our mission of building homes, communities and hope.
Join our team of more than 10,000 volunteers that help us build and repair homes, strengthen and revitalize communities, and support a more sustainable environment. Due to safety concerns and child labor laws, children under 16 are not allowed on active construction sites.
- Heifer International
At Heifer, we believe everyone deserves an opportunity to achieve dignity and self-reliance. We work to provide sustainable gifts of livestock, agricultural training and other resources to those in need around the world. But we can’t do it alone. We work with others who share our vision of a world free of hunger and poverty. That’s where you come in. We work with volunteers each year who make our work possible.
- Helping Hand of Greater Little Rock
The Helping Hand of Greater Little Rock is a food pantry, thrift shop, and provider of limited financial assistance to thousands of families in Central Arkansas. Volunteers may choose from a variety of days/times/means of serving and donating.
- Humane Society of Pulaski County
There are many volunteer opportunities both in-shelter working directly with the animals and in other supportive roles both in- and off-shelter. Practically any talent you may have can help the animals in some way.
Hands-on programs include walking, grooming, socializing, adoption and fundraising events. If you choose not to work directly with the animals, other volunteer positions are available such as ongoing fundraising efforts and special projects that arise during the year.
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- immerse Arkansas
Volunteers play a vital role in surrounding each youth from crisis at Immerse with an unconditional circle of support. We believe that when we surround youth from crisis with unconditional relationships, a vision for their restored future, and tools that anticipate their needs and dreams, we create a climate for healing, growth, and transformation.
If you have a passion for serving youth who have experienced some of the worst life has to offer, Immerse has a place for you.
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- Junior Achievement of Arkansas
At Junior Achievement we believe in "possible." Each day, we work to help young people discover what's possible in their lives. We do this by helping them connect what they learn in school with life outside the classroom. We let them know it's possible to invest in their future, to gain a better understanding of how the world works, and to pursue their dreams. We show them that it's possible for tomorrow to be a better day.
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- Literacy Action of Central Arkansas
Our volunteer tutors help us serve hundreds of students each year. Our tutoring program matches one adult tutor with one adult student. Volunteers may choose to work either with an adult who needs literacy instruction or with adults are learning English as their second language. The different needs and objectives of individual students are carefully matched with the strengths and experience of particular tutors.
- Little Rock Compassion Center
The Little Rock Compassion Center, Inc. is an inner-city mission focused on a ministry of hope to those experiencing homelessness, hunger, and those who are displaced and under-resourced in the Little Rock area.
One of the most valuable resources we have at the Little Rock Compassion Center is our volunteers. On a daily basis, our volunteers help make a difference not only in the lives of others but in their own lives as well. Through our staff and volunteers, we are making a difference for the poor in Little Rock.
We have a diverse volunteer program providing numerous opportunities to contribute your time. Typical volunteers help serve meals, mentor through testimony and prayer, assist in the Thrift Store, participate in one time and special events, etc.
- Little Rock Zoo
The Little Rock Zoo's mission is to inspire people to value and conserve our natural world.
Interested Volunteers should explore our various programs, including:
*Generation Zoo
*Docent Program
*Adult Volunteers
*Landscaping Volunteers
*Special Events Volunteers
*Teen Volunteers (Ages 13-17)
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- Miracle League of Arkansas
Creating the opportunity for special needs families to find communities of inclusion through the accessibility of America’s favorite pastime, baseball.
As a volunteer, you’ll be more than just a coach or a buddy; you’ll be a superhero in cleats, spreading smiles and creating memories that last a lifetime. Whether you’re teaching the perfect swing or simply cheering players along, every moment counts.
- Mosaic Templars Cultural Center Museum
The museum is dedicated to telling the story of the African American experience in Arkansas. The Center’s name is taken from the Mosaic Templars of America, a black fraternal organization founded in Little Rock in 1883 whose headquarters sat on the prominent West Ninth and Broadway location. Like many businesses throughout the United States, the Mosaic Templars of America organization was forced out of business during the Great Depression. Originally, the Center planned to restore the 1913 Mosaic Templars of America National Grand Temple, but the original building was destroyed by fire in March 2005. The new 35,000-square-foot interior is a state-of-the-art museum complex with exhibits, classroom, staff offices and an auditorium that seats 400 people. The façade of the new structure is a facsimile of the 1913 building complete with the Annex building façade, which burned in 1984.
- Museum of Discovery
The Museum of Discovery is Little Rock’s premier science and technology center, and our mission is to ignite and fuel a passion for science, technology, engineering, arts and math through dynamic, interactive experiences.
We're looking for volunteers, ages 14 +, to help us ignite a passion for science, technology, engineering, arts and math! Shifts are two hours or more. Schedules are individualized to suit volunteers’ schedules, though we ask volunteers to commit to a minimum of four hours monthly. Museum hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday (and Monday when school isn’t in session) and 1-5 p.m. Sunday. We need volunteers all hours the museum is open, particularly weekday mornings in the spring.
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- Peace Corps
When you serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer, you’ll travel to a different country and collaborate with members of your new community to create a positive impact on people’s lives—now and for generations to come. As a Volunteer, you will live and work side-by-side with community members on locally prioritized projects, receiving a living allowance and other support as you immerse yourself in a new experience.
Recent college graduates, working professionals, and retirees are all welcome to apply to the Peace Corps —you just need to be a U.S. citizen who is least 18 years old. Service assignments last for 2 years plus 3 months of training. Choose from opportunities in six sectors and more than 60 countries.
- Public Health AmeriCorps
AmeriCorps, the federal agency for national service and volunteerism, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention awarded more than $76 million to continue building the capacity of the public health workforce. The 89 Public Health AmeriCorps grant recipients will use this federal funding to support more than 4,000 AmeriCorps members across almost all states, Washington, DC, Guam and Puerto Rico.
To join the Public Health AmeriCorps program, check out the states at the link for opportunities with different organizations. You can click on the organization names to find more details, like the job board or application link, and contact the recruitment lead using the email or phone number provided in the listing for more information.
- Pulaski County CASA
Pulaski County CASA works with children that are victims of child abuse and neglect and have been placed in the foster care system. CASA advocates become the voice in court for these children in order to find a safe, permanent home as quickly as possible. Hopefully, that means the children can return home, but many times, that is not the outcome and an alternative placement has to be found. Those placement options can include placement with a fit and willing relative. CASA advocates are appointed by judges to advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children in the courtroom and other settings.
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- Ronald McDonald House Charities
There are many ways to help at Ronald McDonald House Charities of Arkansas & North Louisiana! We know your time is valuable and appreciate every hour you spend with us! Whether it’s a group of friends, coworkers, or just you, we have plenty of ways to get involved.
In 2023, we had over 1,700 volunteers donate 9,100 hours of their time to do everything from work events to organizing donations to ensure families can continue to stay together and have everything they need while their child undergoes treatment in a local hospital. You can volunteer in the House, Family Room, events, cooking meals, and so much more!
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- Senior Health Insurance Assistance Program - SHIP Arkansas
The State Health Insurance Assistance Programs (SHIPs) provide local, in-depth, and objective insurance counseling and assistance to Medicare-eligible individuals, their families, and caregivers. SHIP counselors offer unbiased support to Medicare beneficiaries and families, helping them navigate complex Medicare decisions through personalized guidance. Volunteers are trained and certified as Medicare experts to assist with enrollment, plan reviews, and troubleshoot problems, so you don’t need a background in health insurance to get involved. SHIP can find a role that’s just right for you.
- Service Year
Service Year Alliance is working to make a year of paid, full-time service — a service year — a common expectation and opportunity for all young Americans.
Service Year Alliance envisions a future where service years are an integral part of growing up in America. We envision a future where 1 million young people are serving every year - solving our nation’s most pressing challenges, while transforming their own lives.
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- the rep
The Arkansas Repertory Theatre creates vibrant, engaging, and accessible theatrical experiences to make the lives of all Central Arkansans more full, more connected, and more joyful. The Rep embraces the myriad, multi-faceted backgrounds of our community, and prioritizes inclusion on and off our stages. We seek to represent diverse perspectives, using art to explore our world through the lens of others’ experiences. We want our work to be enjoyed by all, regardless of one’s familiarity with the artform, and regardless of one’s ability to pay.
Every experience at The Rep is enhanced by the work, dedication, and enthusiasm contributed by our volunteers. We depend on volunteers’ initiative and service every day, in and out of production. We provide a wide range of volunteer opportunities, such as ushering at performances, general administrative work, distributing show posters and flyers around town, attending community events, and everything in between!
- The Safe Place
The mission of The Safe Place, Inc., is to provide immediate safe shelter, thereby saving lives. We are dedicated to educating both victims and society about domestic violence and abuse jointly empowering victims and their child(ren) to live free of violence and abuse and to desire and achieve a quality filled life, thus breaking the cycle of domestic violence and abuse.
At The Safe Place, we recognize that volunteers are a valuable resource and an integral part of our work, dedicating their time to help families in crisis; volunteers make the choice to help. Volunteer projects include fundraising events, special projects, landscaping, general and special shelter maintenance, non-perishable food drives and much more.
- The Van - The One Inc.
The One, Inc.’s mission is simply to locate and love our unsheltered homeless neighbors, wherever they may be.
We primarily serve these needs by going to the people. We visit current homeless camps, search for new camps, comb alleyways, check under bridges, and seek out people deep in the woods, etc. We take supplies such as food, water, clothing and hygiene products to people where they are. The One, Inc. seeks to build relationships with members of the homeless community so that we may then identify barriers to obtaining income and housing, and help our friends move beyond their homelessness. We are dedicated to be relational, as opposed to programmatic.
Groups of volunteers are utilized to collect, sort, organize and distribute in-kind donations. This is done almost every day of the week, as our volunteers’ schedules permit. Volunteers from many geographic areas work together to make this successful.
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- Winrock International
Winrock International is a recognized leader in U.S. and international development, providing solutions to some of the world’s most complex social, agricultural and environmental challenges. Winrock International’s mission is to empower the disadvantaged, increase economic opportunity and sustain natural resources. It is central not only to what we do, but how we do it.
Winrock’s West Africa F2F Program leverages the expertise of skilled volunteers to strengthen agricultural institutions in West Africa, thus equipping a new generation of agriculture educators, technicians, farmers, and agribusinesses to address evolving agricultural sector challenges. Volunteer assignments will contribute towards addressing critical needs – such as reducing poverty, providing essential services and technologies to smallholders, and educating young women and men for meaningful and productive work. Overseas assignments last from two to six weeks. Volunteers must meet basic qualifications for the assignment.
- World Services for the Blind
Volunteers are an integral part of providing services to people who are blind or visually impaired. They take a personal interest that resonates in a spirit of kindness. Their energy and inspiration are the reason we are able to serve so many people who need our services. Without volunteers it would be nearly impossible to maintain the number and scope of classes, programs and services that we offer.
WSB can work with you to provide rewarding experiences, opportunities to help you use your talents or provide training to help you serve people who are blind or visually impaired.