Are you thinking about increasing the amount of time your volunteer? That’s not only great news for your community—it’s also great news for your health! Studies show that volunteering can help you feel more connected to other people, an ward off loneliness and depression. When you’re looking for a volunteer opportunity in New Mexico, you may wonder how you’ll find the right one for your talents and your schedule.

If you’re searching for volunteer opportunities in New Mexico, ShareNM.org can help. We are a FREE resource that you can use to find volunteer opportunities in Albuquerque, Santa Fe and throughout the state with the click of a mouse. To find volunteer opportunity near you, visit our Classifieds now!

Tips to Find the Right Volunteer Work in New Mexico

When you’re searching for the volunteer opportunity that’s right for you, you’ll want to:

• Consider Your Personality Type. Do your friends call you a people person? Then you’ll probably want to find work where you’ll have plenty of interaction with others, such as feeding the homeless at a soup kitchen. If you’re the quiet type, volunteer opportunities could include administrative work, writing newsletters or perhaps even one-on-one tutoring. Whether you’re introverted or extroverted, you’ll want to find a volunteer opportunity that complements your personality type.
• Consider Your Skills. Are you an accountant? Have a knack for writing successful grant proposals? If you have a skill, try to find a volunteer opportunity that utilizes it in some way. A good example of this is men and women with carpentry skills working for organizations like Habitat for Humanity. They make a change in someone’s life and increase their skills at the same time. You will make a difference in your community, and you’ll also challenge yourself to use your skill in a new way, inspired by your nonprofit and the people it supports.
• Consider Your Passion. Do you have a passion for reading? Try sharing your passion by tutoring children. Love animals? You could volunteer at an animal shelter. One of the wonderful things about volunteer work is that you can bring whatever you’re passionate about to others in your New Mexico community.
• Consider Your Schedule. Time is an important factor in choosing the right volunteer work. Depending on the volunteer work, your time commitment could range from one-time or intermittent help to ongoing assistance. Decide how much time you can give and find a volunteer opportunity in New Mexico that matches your commitment. You don’t want to stretch yourself too thin!

Once you’ve found several volunteer opportunities in New Mexico, narrow down your list to about 3 opportunities. Next, contact these organizations and ask to speak with the volunteer coordinator. Ask to take a tour, and on the tour, introduce yourself to volunteers. If you have a good rapport with the volunteers, you’re sure to have a rich and rewarding experience. If not, don’t feel bad about moving on to the next opportunity. When you’re passionate about your volunteer work, it’s great for everyone, including the nonprofit organization you select.

How to Use ShareNM.org to Find Volunteer Work in NM

If you’re seeking volunteer opportunities in New Mexico, you can use ShareNM.org to help you narrow down your search. You can use our Classifieds to find the right volunteer work by:

1. Searching volunteer opportunities in our Classifieds. Here, you’ll find one-time, intermittent and reoccurring volunteer opportunities in New Mexico, including the cities of Albuquerque and Santa Fe. You’ll find a wide variety of volunteer opportunities to match your skills and passion, such as working fundraising events, providing childcare, becoming an ESL instructor and much more.
2. Create a volunteer profile. Under our Service listings, you can create a volunteer profile to let local nonprofit organizations know your skills, passions and how much time you can give. To do this, first click “Sign Up” in the right hand corner of your screen. Once you’ve created a profile for ShareNM.org, go to our Classified and click “Add New Posting” on the right side of the screen. Select that you are posting as a “Service” in the drop-down menu and you can create your volunteer profile from there. Once it’s posted, hundred of nonprofits can find you!

Are you aware of any new volunteer opportunities in New Mexico? Let us know in the comments!