There is a misconception that
only people of faith in the supernatural -- Christians,
Jews, Muslims, Hindus, etc. -- engage in acts of charity,
donate to humanitarian causes, and volunteer. But the
reality is that many people who are not religious, and people
who do not believe in God, engage in acts of charity,
donate to humanitarian causes, and volunteer to help
the environment, help children, promote the arts, help the
elderly, etc.
Just look at the number one donating group on Kiva: it's the "Atheists, Agnostics, Skeptics, Freethinkers, Secular Humanists and the Non-Religious" group. There are a growing number of atheist and secular groups that engage in volunteering. Some groups are focused specifically on volunteering, like the SECULAR Center or the Secular Service Club - PhillyCoR: Greater Philadelphia Coalition. Most atheist and secular group volunteering is done through local atheist, secular and ethical societies, coalitions, associations, etc. These are terrific groups to join if you want to volunteer in a group and want to do so with like-minded people who won't try to convert you to any religion. How do you find a local group? Go to Google.com and type in the name of your city, or the nearest large city, and type in any of these words
freethinkers freethought secularists secular society atheists secular alliance Center for Inquiry humanist rationalists Atheist and Humanist-Supported Charities Many Atheists and Humanists prefer to support nonprofits, NGOs and charities that are not faith-based, that help anyone who needs their services, and do not use any faith in a deity, or several deities, to justify or deliver their work. There are oh-so-many nonprofit organizations that help the homeless, help people in need of food, help people in need of medical care, train people to re-enter the workforce, work with kids, etc., that are NOT faith-based. To know if an organization is faith-based or not, simply go to the organization's web site and look at the organization's mission statement, which can be found on the "About" or "History" page. For instance, the Salvation Army is a Christian organization; Goodwill is not. The Boy Scouts of America is a faith-based organization and requires a belief in a god and a heterosexual preference to be involved as a member or volunteer; by contrast, the Girl Scouts of the USA are inclusive, and do not require any belief in god or a particular sexual preference in order to participate. Not all faith-based organizations discriminate among clients or proselytize as a part of their work - you will only know how they use their faith in their work, if at all, if you ask. There are some charities that were started or are supported primarily by Atheists and Secularists. For instance, Foundation Beyond Belief is a 501(c)(3) charitable foundation created to focus, encourage and demonstrate the generosity and compassion of atheists and humanists. The foundation selects and features 10 charitable organizations per quarter, one in each of the following cause areas: health, education, poverty, environment, child welfare, human rights, animals, peace, the "Big Bang" Fund (small charity, big impact), Foundation Beyond Belief itself. Want to help at summer camp? Camp
Quest offers residential summer camps in
various locations in the USA aimed at the children of
Atheists (Freethinkers, Humanists, Brights, or whatever
other terms might be applied to those who hold to a
scientific, not supernatural, world view), to provide
those children with a fun camping experience that
teaches about improving the human condition through
rational inquiry, critical and creative thinking,
scientific method, self-respect, ethics, competency,
democracy, free speech, and the separation of religion
and government. Camps offer a mix of traditional summer
camp activities - like archery, canoeing/kayaking,
crafts, field trips, games, climbing, hiking, horseback
riding, swimming, etc. - and educational activities
related to the Camp Quest mission. More about
Camp Quest volunteering opportunities. There are groups like Atheists Helping
the Homeless DC in various parts of the USA. A secular-based international charity is Responsible Charity, dedicated to educating children in the slums of Calcutta, India and empowering women and men there to overcome poverty. It was founded by a backpacker who was disgusted by "the abuse and horrible conditions which men and woman were subjected to under a worldwide famous charity that collects millions of dollars from its donors... Unlike some religious-based organizations which have no progressive plans in effect to educate and empower the children, women and men out of poverty, Responsible Charity would like to make advances in areas of education, planned parenthood and self employment." For excellent updates about the organization's work in India, subscribe to the Responsible Charity Facebook page. They do accept visitor's from abroad, so if you want to fund your own trip to India and do some onsite work with them, contact them BEFORE your trip (remember - YOU must pay ALL of your expenses if you choose to go!). There's also The Uganda Humanist Schools Trust, which has founded three schools in Uganda and is looking to create even more. "We are determined to protect students from any form of indoctrination, instead they will be exposed to various world views. They will be encouraged to think freely, to be rational and skeptical, to value and respect humanity and be tolerant towards others." Foundation Beyond Belief (FBB) is sponsoring the Pathfinders Project, a year-long volunteer journey, taking four humanist volunteers across the world to work in education, clean water, human rights and construction projects, and to evaluate programs for inclusion in a future Humanist Service Corps (HSC). "The HSC will serve their fellowman in the cause of peace by living and working in developing countries, but with more focus on encouraging and demonstrating the generosity and compassion of secular humanists." In addition to these organizations which were founded specifically as secular, most nonprofits, NGOs, charities and organizations meant to improve the lives of people or to create a better environment have no religious affiliation. If you want to make sure you are never supporting a religion through volunteering or donating, simply ask the organization that is doing something you are interested in if it has any religious affiliation. Are You A Secular/Atheist Group Looking for Group Volunteering? Do you represent one of these groups and you are looking for volunteering activities your members can do together? This resource on group volunteering can help. You could even get ambitious and start your own community initiative, creating a group volunteering activity that has much bigger impact than just a beach cleanup. You could also go to the Girl Scouts of the USA national web site and find the council office that serves your area. There is probably a way on that local council web site for you to register as a volunteer (each member of your group will have to register separately). Then look around on the web site and see if there is a Girl Scout day camp or single event in your area that your group could help with as volunteers. You need to volunteer at least two months in advance for many events. Day camps need people to lead hikes, lead craft-making (the crafts are usually already defined, but your recommendations would also be welcomed), lead singing, cook, make posters for the event (with song lyrics, directing girls to craft tables, telling them how to clean up after the event, etc.) and staff the registration table at the start of the event, among many other activities. Events like cookie-kick offs and badge days need volunteers for similar activities. Keep Track & Promote What You Do! Keep track of your group's volunteering activities. Keep track of the organization's you assist, the number of hours your group contributes, and on which dates your group helps. Talk about your group's volunteering online, on your organization's web page and blog, on your group's Facebook page or Twitter account, etc., to help get recognition for your efforts and to help change minds about who volunteers and why. If your group does engage in a high-impact community initiative, consider nominating your group for local or state volunteering awards. Even if you don't win, you are still getting recognition for your efforts and changing minds about who volunteers and why. For instance, Texas, Oregon, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine and various other states have annual Governor's Volunteer Awards (in California, it's called the Governor and First Lady's Service Award), recognizing group and individual volunteer efforts. Are You An Organization Looking to be More-Welcoming of Secular/Atheist Volunteers? One of the best places to start is learning about what
Atheists really are. If you have been raised in a
religious culture, you probably have a lot of
misconceptions about what an atheist is. A good place to
start educating yourself about atheists, secularists and
free thinkers is via this: Also see How to find volunteering opportunities, a resource for adults who want to volunteer. Detailed information on for teens that want or need to find community service or volunteering tasks. You are NOT too young to volunteer! Ways you can volunteer, no matter how young you are. Advice for family
volunteering - volunteering by families with
children and, related, advice for teaching children compassion
& understanding instead of pity with regard to
poverty. Group
volunteering: how to find volunteer activities a
group can do all at once, together. If you are seeking volunteering in order to fulfill a community service obligation from a court or for a school graduation requirement, see this resource. How to find or create volunteering opportunities to help seniors / elders / the elderly. Advice for finding volunteer activities during the holidays (spoiler alert: start looking in as early as August - not even kidding). Online Volunteering / Virtual Volunteering: finding volunteering tasks you can do from wherever you are in the world. Also called remote volunteering, crowdsourcing for good, online microvolunteering, digital volunteering, etc. Home-Based (in your own home) Volunteering Where Your Service is NOT via a Computer or the Internet (at least not to actually DO the volunteering service, but you may need to report your work online). Volunteering to help after major disasters - if you have ever wanted to help people affected by a sudden event like an earthquake, flood, tornado, hurricane, fire or human-caused event, this resource details what you need to do NOW. Volunteering to address your own mental health - This resource is designed to help you have realistic expectations for volunteering to address your loneliness, depression, anxiety, etc., and to avoid an experience that will make you feel worse instead of better. Volunteering with ETHICAL organizations that help animals and wildlife. There are opportunities much closer to you than you might think. Volunteering on public
lands in the USA (national parks, national
forests, national monuments, federally-managed
historic sites, Bureau of Land Management land, state
parks, wetlands, etc.) Ideas for Leadership
Volunteering Activities Ideas for creating your own volunteering activity. If you haven't been able to find the volunteering opportunity you want to do with an existing nonprofit, why not create your own project? You can do so without forming your own nonprofit. Volunteering
to
help refugees in your own country. There is
NO need to go to another country if you want to help
refugees - it's very likely they are right there in
your country, now, even right there in your own
community. Using your business skills for good - volunteering your business management skills, to help people start, expand or improve small businesses / micro enterprises, to help people building businesses in high-poverty areas, and to help people entering or re-entering the work force. Dos & don'ts for
technical assistance volunteers / volunteers
donating expertise Volunteering in pursuit of a medical, veterinary or social work degree / career - volunteering that will help build your skills and give you experience applying skills to work in these fields. 14 Reasons Not to
Volunteer Abroad If you want to stay as safe as possible from the novel coronavirus / COVID-19, or other respiratory illnesses, but still want to volunteer, please see Volunteering in the time of the novel coronavirus/COVID-19. © 2010-2025 by Jayne Cravens, all rights reserved. No part of this material can be reproduced in print or in electronic form without express written permission by Jayne Cravens.
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