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Best Volunteering Opportunities In Columbia Sc | 2024 Full List

Do you reside in Columbia Sc and wish to give back to your community?

Are you thinking about exploring Volunteering Opportunities in Columbia Sc?

Volunteering is a time and energy contribution made for the good of society and culture, the environment, or people other than one’s immediate family, and is done freely and without regard for financial benefit.

Volunteering allows you to try new things, gain experience, learn skills, boost your job opportunities, gain trust, and meet new people.

Meanwhile, here is a table to show all we will discuss in this post.

Table of contents

Interesting Stats About Volunteering

Here are some interesting facts about volunteering that could further pique your curiosity and confirm your desire to volunteer to be a good decision

60% of hiring managers see the act of volunteerism as a valuable asset when making recruitment decisions, according to a study performed by Career Builder.

According to a report from Blackbaud, #GivingTuesday, 2017, processed more than $60.9 million from over 7,200 organizations (not bad for a single day).

Volunteers under the age of 24 account for 22.6% of all volunteers.

Benjamin Franklin started The Union Fire Company, in 1736, the first volunteer-run firehouse worldwide.

4% of college graduates, 25 years or older, volunteer each year.

Volunteers, on average, spend 50 hours per year donating their time to the greater good.

Over 71% of volunteers work with only one organization each year.

67% of people found volunteer opportunities online in 2014 vs 34% in 2006.

A study by Deloitte found that 61% of millennials who rarely or never volunteer still consider a company’s commitment to the community when making a decision on a potential job.

92% of human resource executives agree that contributing to a nonprofit can improve an employee’s leadership skills.

In 2014, 39% of 12th-grade students reported that they volunteered at least once per month according to findings from Child Trends.

There are more than 1.8 million active nonprofits in the United States alone (the ability to volunteer is endless).

Women currently volunteer more than men (by about 6% more) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Volunteers are 66% more likely to donate financially to the organization they support than those who do not volunteer their time.

Food preparation and distribution was the most reported volunteer activity representing 11.3% in 2015.

Why volunteer in Columbia?

Here are several reasons why you should volunteer in Columbia Sc

1 Getting experience and personal development

When you volunteer, you gain a range of skills without even realizing it.

Depending on where you volunteer, you can gain skills such as public speaking, time management, efficient communication, leadership, problem-solving on the spot, and so on.

These skills can be useful in many aspects of your life, so practicing them while volunteering can be extremely beneficial.

2 Meeting new people

Volunteering can be an excellent way to meet new people in Columbia.

If you volunteer in an area about which you are knowledgeable, you will meet people who share your interests.

However, if you’ve wanted to do something different and volunteer somewhere you’re unfamiliar with, you’ll meet and learn from people outside of your community and by this broaden your horizons.

3 Sense of self-worth

Volunteering is an excellent way to alleviate anxiety and boost self-esteem.

We get a break from our self-centered lives when we volunteer and genuinely put effort into supporting others and their needs. Again, we feel a sense of pride and purpose.

This is one of the reasons to grab one of the volunteering opportunities In Columbia Sc.

4 Making an impact within the community

If you volunteer for a particular cause, in other words, something you really believe in, you can do so with zeal and commitment.

This can have a major effect on the target you’re aiming for. For example, if you have a strong affinity for animals, working at an animal shelter will help to ensure the welfare of the animals in Columbia.

Read: Ultimate Guide To Volunteering Abroad Under 18 In 2024

Are there paid volunteering opportunities in Columbia?

Yes, there are paid volunteering opportunities in Columbia Sc. To find these opportunities, you can check on VolunteerMatch. This article also lists the best volunteering opportunities in Columbia.

How can you become a volunteer at Columbia Sc?

#1 CONCEPTUALISATION STAGE

The need to volunteer must be thoroughly thought through; it is advisable to prod your thoughts and determine if you are fit enough to volunteer.

Here are some queries you can use

Why are you doing it?

If you know why you want to volunteer, you will be more likely to know what you want to do.

To some extent, the desire to do something good for their society inspires all volunteers, but there is also more to it than that. You are more likely to give more to your volunteering role and get more out of it if you are doing work that interests you.

What do you want to do?

Think about the type of activity that interests you or something that you would enjoy doing.

How much time can you give me?

Can you commit daily, or do you want to take part in a limited time?

Time commitments can range from a single event or project to multiple hours per week or month to a full-time commitment.

Be honest about how much time you can afford and how long it will take. Don’t overextend yourself.

What skills do you have to offer?

You may have specific skills or abilities that you would like to put to use when volunteering, such as financial skills, musical ability, or IT skills, or you may be a good listener or enjoy caring for people.

When deciding what position you want to play, keep these skills in mind. There are many volunteer opportunities in Columbia Sc that do not cause any special abilities or talents.

After you must have provided answers to these questions, you can move on to..

#2 IMPLEMENTATION STAGE

Here, you can then begin to make your choice on organizations based on your concepts and ideologies as regards to volunteering.

How can one find volunteering opportunities in Columbia Sc?

There are many organisations that can help you find a way to volunteer that suits you.

Colatoday is a database of Columbia volunteering opportunities. You can search various volunteering opportunities by interest, activity or location and then apply in person or online.

You can also contact Sciway, greatnonprofits, LinkedIn, VolunteerMatch, or Volunteering Matters to find opportunities within Columbia Sc. and in your area.

What Are the Top 15 Volunteering opportunities in Columbia Sc in 2024?

  • Pawmetto Lifeline, 1275 Bower Pkwy., Columbia
  • Final Victory Rescue, 2136 Sumter St., Columbia
  • Ronald McDonald House, 2901 Colonial Drive, Columbia
  • Epworth Children’s Home, 2900 Millwood Ave., Columbia
  • Sistercare
  • The Free Medical Clinic, 1875 Harden St., Columbia
  • Prisma Health vaccination sites
  • Ron Howell Foundation
  • Harvest Hope Food Bank, 2220 Shop Road, Columbia
  • United Way of the Midlands, 1818 Blanding St., Columbia
  • The Salvation Army, 3024 Farrow Road, Columbia
  • Feed My Sheep Movement and Ministry, 1224 Pickens St., Suite 110 and 120, Columbia
  • West Side Campaign Against Hunger
  • Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
  • Girls on the Run (GOTR)

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES FOR ANIMAL-LOVERS

1. Pawmetto Lifeline, 1275 Bower Pkwy., Columbia

The animal shelter’s most pressing needs are for dog walkers (they are specifically searching for individuals who are comfortable handling bigger, heavier dogs for walks), data entry, adoptions, and customer service help.

Monday through Saturday, from 7 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., Pawmetto Lifeline needs front desk volunteers. (Valium)

If you’re interested in volunteering, fill out an online application and choose an online orientation date on the application.

Keep in mind, volunteers are required to serve at least two hours per month, with exceptions for college students for summer and winter breaks.

2. Final Victory Rescue, 2136 Sumter St., Columbia

The organization posted on social media that it needs dog walkers, dry dog food, and laundry detergent to help take care of its rescue dogs and puppies.

You must be 18 or minors accompanied by an adult to volunteer and can fill out an application on Final Victory’s website to apply.

Dog walking is usually seven days a week from 8am – 12 pm and 2:30 pm – 5 pm.

This is one of the good volunteering opportunities in Columbia Sc.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES TO HELP CHILDREN

3. Ronald McDonald House, 2901 Colonial Drive, Columbia

Volunteers entirely staff the Ronald McDonald Family Room, located inside Prisma Health Children’s Hospital.

They expect volunteers to work shifts at the Family Room Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., 12 p.m. to 3 p.m., or 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., and 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday. According to the Ronald McDonald House website, volunteers must commit to three to six months of service.

To volunteer, you must fill out a Ronald McDonald House application and a Prisma Health application online.

For kids or those who can’t volunteer in person, another way to serve the Ronald McDonald House is to collect pop-tabs from cans and deliver them to the house.

4. Epworth Children’s Home, 2900 Millwood Ave., Columbia

Throughout the year, volunteers at Epworth Children’s Home are required to tutor children, assist with campus tasks such as landscaping and renovations, work activities, and lead mission trips or day projects.

To become an Epworth volunteer, extensive background checks, references, and interviews are needed.

Those interested can contact Beth Robinson, volunteer coordinator, at brobinson@epworthsc.org to attend a quarterly information meeting and sign up.

The 125-year-old organization on a 32-acre campus has an average of 20 sibling groups living there at any given time.

Epworth offers foster care, counseling services, early intervention programs, recreational activities, and more, all with a faith-based approach to help children placed there by family members or social services.

Read: 10 Best Child Volunteering Opportunities Abroad In 2024

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES FOR SPANISH SPEAKERS

5. Sistercare

Sistercare is looking for bilingual volunteers who are fluent in both Spanish and English to provide language interpretation services for non-English speaking clients and others with limited English proficiency.

They basically include training and shadowing opportunities for experienced workers.

In addition, they provide shelter and other services to about 7,000 survivors of domestic abuse and their children in the Midlands annually.

During the pandemic, reports from the American Journal of Emergency Medicine have shown that domestic violence around the country increased with stay-at-home orders and increased isolation.

The organization has other volunteering opportunities in Columbia Scon its volunteer brochure for those who do not speak Spanish. All volunteers must be 18 or older, submit two background checks, submit three references, and undergo training.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES FOR MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS

6. The Free Medical Clinic, 1875 Harden St., Columbia

Volunteer doctors, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, pharmacists, and pharmacist technicians help staff the Columbia Free Medical Clinic. South Carolina needs providers to be approved.

The clinic will also train clinical and administrative volunteers to assist in the hospital’s operation, with no medical expertise needed. Clinical volunteers are required to attend a medical skills class.

Volunteer orientation is held once a month, and you can apply to volunteer on the clinic’s website.

Clinic officials ask that you do not apply if you’re currently a student or looking for a short-term opportunity.

Read: 10 Best Volunteering Opportunities in South America

7. Prisma Health vaccination sites

According to United Way of the Midlands, volunteers are still needed at Prisma Health’s vaccination sites.

Volunteers may be clinical volunteers or medical practitioners who can either vaccinate or study patients following vaccination.

Non-clinical or general volunteers are also required to welcome, screen, and direct patients through the vaccination process.

To sign up and learn more about the required training to volunteer at a vaccination site, visit Prisma’s volunteer portal.

This is one of the best volunteering opportunities in Columbia Sc for medical practitioners.

8. Ron Howell Foundation

Via mentorships, grants, and workshops, this company assists young people who want to work in IT fields.

They require volunteers to fill the following positions at the foundation: chief financial officer, bookkeeper, administrative assistant, social media assistant, virtual information technology mentor, and middle school STEM grant coordinator.

Contact can be made through Website: http://ronhowellfoundation.org or P.O. Box 292151Columbia, SC 29229United States

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES TO FIGHT POVERTY AND HUNGER

9. Harvest Hope Food Bank, 2220 Shop Road, Columbia

Harvest Hope posts weekly volunteer opportunities on its website for easy sign-ups.

Volunteer opportunities usually involve loading groceries into clients’ cars, “shopping” for clients inside the facility, or sorting products to be handed out, according to Volunteer Coordinator Kara Pippin.

Volunteers sort items got from food drives at Harvest Hope’s 1117 Bluff Industrial Blvd. site.

Harvest Hope will sometimes post volunteer opportunities to pack boxes for the Mobile Food Pantry, the Senior Feeding Program, or to work events.

You can fill out an application, watch an orientation video, and sign a safety waiver once you have found a shift to work.

10. United Way of the Midlands, 1818 Blanding St., Columbia

United Way shares volunteer opportunities year-round at uway.org/volunteer. Any local 501(c)(3) can register with the site and post its volunteer needs as well as any in-kind needs it may have.

Individuals can search for opportunities, after registering, sign up for a volunteer project, and sign up to receive updates when potential projects that are important to their interests become available.

Some volunteer opportunities listed this week for National Volunteer Week include gardening with Communities in Schools, virtual reading for the Boys and Girls Club in Newberry, and painting an administrative office at Palmetto Place Children & Youth Services. The organization has gathered more than 200 volunteers for the week.

11. The Salvation Army, 3024 Farrow Road, Columbia

At this time, volunteers are needed to help serve meals to the homeless and serve at our Family Stores, according to Lisa Huffman, a volunteer coordinator with The Salvation Army.

Four volunteers are needed to serve meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) to the homeless at Transitions Homeless Shelter in Columbia.

This is another great volunteering opportunity for Columbia residents.

They need volunteers to sort, organize, and sign donated products at the Salvation Army Family Stores at 1312 North Millwood Ave. and 1341 Dutch Fork Road.

Individuals or groups of up to 15 people may sign up to volunteer by contacting Huffman at Lisa.Huffman@uss.salvationarmy.org.

12. Feed My Sheep Movement and Ministry, 1224 Pickens St., Suite 110 and 120, Columbia

Feed My Sheep Movement and Ministry is a local non-profit created in 2019 that provides meals, “blessing bags”, professional clothing closets, and technology services for those in need.

The company needs two to four weekly volunteers to work in the main and operations departments, as well as the storage facilities.

Volunteers from the office will help organize the clothing closets and provide an online shopping experience for the homeless and others who have suffered loss because of traumatic events.

Volunteers in the storage room will organize overflow contributions.

After a year without the opportunity to do in-person service projects that were usually held every weekend, Feed My Sheep is only resuming its monthly volunteer opportunities on April 24.

To volunteer, email athonywhitley@feedmysheepmovementandministry.com or visit their website.

13. West Side Campaign Against Hunger

Help purchase healthy food for low-income people living in Northern Manhattan and the Bronx.  WSCAH is currently offering volunteer opportunities in Columbia Sc at 86th Street Market only.

If you are interested in serving as a WSCAH volunteer, please call or email Steven Yee, Volunteer and Development Coordinator, at syee@wscah.org or (646) 484-0371.

14. Leukamia and Lymphomia Society

From raising critical funds to driving forward policies that benefit patients to providing support to families,  volunteers in the LLS are changing the future of blood cancer treatment and care.

When you give your time and talent to LLS, you become part of a diverse, vibrant community of supporters from all walks of life who are helping us cure blood cancers.

They operate 6 volunteer programs, viz; MISSION VOLUNTEERS, CAMPAIGN VOLUNTEERS, LEADERSHIP VOLUNTEERS, COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERS, LLS INTERNSHIP PROGRAM VOLUNTEERS, BECOME AN ADVOCATE. To reach LLS staff for assistance, please call (803) 731-4060.

This is another best volunteering opportunity in Columbia Sc.

15. Girls on the Run (GOTR)

At Girls on the Run ALL girls are inspired to build confidence and make intentional decisions, while fostering care and compassion for self and others.

Trained coaches use physical activity and dynamic discussions to build social, emotional and physical skills in every girl while encouraging healthy habits for life.

GIRLS ON THE RUN COLUMBIA

WEST COLUMBIA, SC 29169

MAILING ADDRESS:

PO BOX 5167

WEST COLUMBIA, SC 29171

(803) 381-0482

GENERAL INFO:

INFO@GOTRCOLUMBIA.ORG

COUNCIL DIRECTOR

SHANNON.FOUNTAIN@GIRLSONTHERUN.ORG

Also read: 15 Volunteering Opportunities in San Francisco in 2023

FINAL THOUGHTS

Volunteers may provide ancillary services that a business or agency may be unable to afford, either financially or in terms of time.

Businesses cannot always be relied on to meet every human being’s needs, and people eager to support and serve out of the goodness of their hearts fill those holes.

For the volunteer, the profit comes from feeling needed and respected for their unique abilities, as well as delivering a service that the company would not have without them.

Being in the right position at the right time to assist those in distress lifts both those in need and those willing to assist.

Therefore, carefully go through our best volunteering opportunities in Columbia Sc and join the volunteer world.

REFERENCES

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