Volunteer, service, or community engagement are activities that address social issues and needs identified by community partners, helping students become engaged, productive, and responsible members of society.
What is service?
Ongoing volunteer opportunities can include regularly scheduled shifts with a nonprofit you care about; fundraising for a cause; or even working remotely, supporting social media for a nonprofit organization. Examples include serving at a food pantry, canning for IU’s Dance Marathon, or supporting a local agency, such as Middleway House, with website updates and event planning.
Service can mean helping a friend or neighbor, volunteering for an organization you are passionate about, or advocating for a cause or agency you support. Working behind the scenes of an organization can help non-profit agencies reach their goals while developing your skills through practical experience. Your talents and interests are the perfect fit for some project or agency. Maybe you’re great at social media and can offer communications and marketing support for a nonprofit, or you love art and can run after school programs or summer camps for kids. Whatever you choose, you’ll develop your leadership skills while supporting the community around you.
Volunteer service is available anywhere and everywhere. There are opportunities for service all over the world through study abroad programs and alternative spring breaks focused on service. Teaching a language in another country is a good way to improve your civic engagement in a global setting. Organizations such as the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, or United Nations Volunteers offer service opportunities that help make a positive difference worldwide.
BENEFITS TO STUDENTS
Broaden Your Horizons!
Homes of Hope
Through volunteering, this IU student made unexpected and exciting discoveries about building relationships with others, different cultures and beliefs and the positive effects taking a chance can have on herself and others. Volunteering, she said, gives you a new perspective and new passions.
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Learn New Skills!
From Sushi to Coat Drives
Volunteering doesn’t just benefit others — it often benefits the volunteer, too. Volunteering is an opportunity to learn new skills, interact with the community and put together a project that culminates your ideas and learning.
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Personal Growth!
New Years Service Resolutions Guide
There are lots of ways to start building new habits and opportunities to take advantage of no matter the time of year. Volunteering can be a way to help others while you help yourself.
Read More Here!WAYS TO SERVE
With hundreds of organizations on campus, you're likely to find a group that is working in an area you’re passionate about or want to explore. IU is home to organizations, clubs, schools and programs that do volunteer work, and there are many organizations completely dedicated only to volunteering. Joining a campus organiztion is a great way to meet new people and explore new opportunities.
Get connected with a non-profit organization to meet new people, develop valuable skills and knowledge, and explore future job possibilities. With more than 1.5 million nonproft organizations located in the U.S., the options are endless. Explore our Find an Opportunity page for a list of organizations.
Attending advocacy and awareness events are great ways to educate yourself and help others. It can also be a more flexible way to serve.
Take a look at what's happening worldwide and in your own community. Identify some of the most pressing issues or causes you're most interested in, and brainstorm ways you could contribute to helping them.
Volunteer Central
Explore 270+ volunteer opportunities ranging from short-term, one-time opportunities to ongoing, long-term opportunities.
MAP
Use the interactive map below to search for Bloomington and Monroe County agencies, sorted by organization type. You will also see Bloomington bus routes layered onto the map. To search for a specific organization, click the fullscreen button.