50 Community Service Ideas for Teen Volunteers

Updated December 2024

Teenage community service is more than something your mom insists will look good on your high school resume. It can point you to new interests, new friends, and, if you’re really lucky, maybe even a lifelong career. And yeah, okay, it’ll also look good on your resume.

But beyond that, community service instills a lifelong habit of helping others. It encourages you to look to the needs of your community and use your resources to pass on good to those who need it the most. Volunteering can carry some prestige — especially if you partner with a well-known organization — but it can start simply with clearing trash from your favorite hiking trail or shoveling the sidewalks of your elderly neighbors. At its most basic, community service distills to serving your community, however that service may look.

But where to start? “Volunteering” is a big word. How can you be sure you’re finding the best opportunities for you? You can start with the easy entry points, like your high school's service clubs or religious organizations. But if those aren't options, where do you go next?

TeenLife is here to help! Here are 50 tips to help set you on the path to community service superstardom. Once you’ve browsed this list, check out our full listing of teen volunteer opportunities to find something near you.

Community Service at Home: Be a Self-Starter

Is your schedule maxed out? Having trouble finding organizations that fit your needs? Here are 10 easy ways to volunteer without making any long-term commitments.

1. Donate clothes that you no longer wear. Search your closet to find items in good condition that you’ve outgrown or don’t wear anymore. In the era of fast fashion, you can do your part by ensuring those who need clothes will benefit from clothing you've culled from your closet. In addition to local shelters, you can donate to places that benefit veterans or victims of domestic violence.
2. Donate food. Pick up some non-perishables to donate to your local food bank.
3. Donate toys. Certain shelters, fire departments, and foster parent organizations welcome new or slightly used toys and stuffed animals. If you can't find anything local, you can use organizations like Pickup Please.
4. Neighborhood cleanup. Make a difference in your community by cleaning up your neighborhood, park, or local nature reserve. Start a group and meet up weekly to make a lasting change!
5. Pass on birthday gifts for the benefit of others. For your next birthday, start a fundraiser through an organization like OneCause and ask for donations to be made in lieu of presents.
6. Give back to the troops. You can make a difference to soldiers at home and overseas by participating in programs that support them in various ways, like mailing a care package.
7. Find others to join a shared cause. Create or join a campaign through DoSomething.org. You can choose the cause, the amount of time you have available and the type of service you want to provide (donations, face-to-face, events, taking a stand, etc.).
8. Donate books. Collect children’s books and other reading materials for shelters, libraries and schools, then ask if they need volunteer readers. You can also check out this list of the top book charities in the U.S. for ideas.
9. Let your voice be heard in politics. You know how everyone always says, “Write a letter to your senator?” Why not follow through?! Learn when your senators or representatives are holding public meetings and attend them. Use your social media presence to share posts and interact with your local government officials to make sure your voice is heard.
10. Help those close to home. During the summer, intense heat can make it difficult for your older neighbors to maintain their homes and yards. During winter, the snow can block paths, sidewalks become icy, and the heat could even fail, leaving the most vulnerable members of society at risk. Checking in on neighbors, creating a meal train, or helping out regularly can make all the difference. Love starts at home.

Community Service Starts With You: Share Your Gifts, Time, and Passions with Others

Believe it or not, you’re probably harboring a treasure trove of helpful skills you take for granted daily. Here are some tips to help you turn your hidden abilities into fulfilling service!

1. Help the Internet be a tool for everyone. Growing up in the information age puts you at a huge advantage, and it’s pretty easy to spread your knowledge by doing something like teaching computer skills and how to navigate the latest technology.
2. Teach your favorite subjects to those who struggle. Do you love science? History? Literature? Volunteer to tutor! If you excel in a particular subject, share your knowledge with other students in your school who may be struggling or work with a service group to tutor underserved children.
3. Help spread knowledge at your local museum. Do you love the wonders of natural history and the great stories of the past? You can help keep these institutions alive by donating your time and energy to your local museum. While you might not be excavating a dig site, every little bit helps them keep the love of science and history alive.
4. Help at your local library. You can volunteer to read to senior citizens and children and help out with local literacy programs. Whether it's shelving books or helping out with computer questions, you can make a difference.
5. Help future athletes find their feet. Spend most of your free time on the field? Volunteer to coach or referee with a youth team. Your town recreation department, Boys and Girls Club or YMCA is probably looking for volunteers, and they should be so lucky that someone with your expertise.
6. Create and donate warm clothing for those in need. Are you a wizard at knitting or crochet? Maybe you want to learn? Either way, get your creations to the right people. Whether you make blankets or sweaters or knit hats for infants in the NICU, there are many ways to give back. Operation Gratitude gives volunteer hours to those who donate hand-made items.
7. A simple word game can go a long way. Got a big vocabulary and a little time to kill? Test your skills on freerice.com. The organization will donate 10 grains of rice through the World Food Programme for every answer you get right. Once you’ve made Webster proud, think of ways to collect donations for other food-relief organizations near you.
8. Help a small non-profit become a social media star. Believe it or not, the hours spent on Instagram are good for more than grandparent-complaint-fuel. Many nonprofits don’t have the bandwidth to run their social media accounts, and just by being a teenager, you’re in a great position to help! This article offers tips to get started.
9. Back to basics: food. Many unhoused individuals living in cars or on the streets struggle to eat. Food pantries can have limited options, and lacking a kitchen makes it even harder to cook. You can make brown bag lunches and hand them out to those in your community — or connect with a local organization that provides food and donate your bagged lunches to them for distribution.
10. Share the music you create and love. Do you sing or play a musical instrument? Volunteer to give music lessons to people in your community or perform at local shelters or senior organizations.

Community Service Can Start Small: Volunteer at an Event

Not ready to commit to a regular gig? Volunteer for an event. Nonprofits usually recruit a ton of one-off volunteers for big events like festivals or block parties. Working one of these events allows you to interact with people who are already involved and get a feel for how an organization works before you sign away many hours of your time.

1. Help a walk-a-thon. Volunteer to run/walk/ride for an event, like Race for the Cure or Relay for Life.
2. Make a difference in a child’s life. Events like “World Foster Day” always need support, as they aim to help children in foster care feel loved, cared for, and special no matter the circumstances.
3. Help your local community center. Community centers throw local events, aimed towards families, students, and senior citizens in the area. They could always use help to run events, decorate, and more.
4. Share the fun with those who cannot participate. Have you heard that you’re “too old” to trick-or-treat because you’re in high school? Never fear. Dust off that old Jedi costume, put on your walking shoes, and collect candy for UNICEF this Halloween.
5. Be a part of those who make Dr. King’s dream a reality. Join other people in your community for an event associated with the National Day of Service in honor of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. This annual day happens in January around the MLK holiday, but the website has ideas on how to stay involved with causes year-round.
6. Join one of the many ways to celebrate Earth Day. Mark your calendar! Earth Day happens every April 22, and a whole slew of nonprofits host planting or cleanup events to give the planet a well-deserved pat on the back. You can also check to see if there are any festivals in your area.
7. Exercise your civil rights and let your voice be heard. Passionate about a local, national, or global issue? Spurred by all those letters you wrote to your senators after reading the first part of this list? See if there are marches in your area that align with your beliefs, or—better yet—start your own!
8. Help bring awareness to the invisible community that lives among us. Organize or participate in a sleep-out to connect with organizations that support unhoused individuals. One organization, Covenant House in Pennsylvania, holds two sleep-outs each year. See whether your community has something similar.
9. Put food on the table for those who don’t have any. Thanksgiving is another rallying point for service organizations. Invite your whole family to volunteer with you at a local shelter near the holiday to aid in one of their large-scale meal operations.
10. Bring a smile to a child’s face. Once you’ve donated toys and games, help charities in your area distribute them! Local organizations often host holiday parties or gift giveaways. Check with shelters, foster organizations, libraries, and religious organizations to see when they need volunteers or donated goods.

Community Service Can Be an Investment: Long-term Opportunities

Organizations love it when they can find consistent help – and (fine, mom) colleges like it when you commit to an organization rather than flitting through many volunteer jobs. Here’s a list of organizations most likely to offer long-term opportunities.

1. Help animals find forever homes. Channel the energy you expend sending dog pictures to your group chat and start to use it to help the real lives of real animals. Check the volunteer guidelines at your local animal shelter or ASPCA chapter.
2. Help disadvantaged kids feel heard and appreciated. Become a mentor to a younger student through organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters. They accept students over the age of 16 for their after-school mentoring programs.
3. Help stories come to life at your local library. Ask your library if they need volunteers for after-school clubs or children’s book groups. If you’re lucky, you could wind up performing afternoon puppet shows in a hat and a cape or having glitter thrown at you by a pack of third-graders!
4. Help children with disabilities shine. Work with special-needs kids or adults through an organization like Best Buddies or Special Olympics.
5. Deliver food for those who are homebound. Check out the opportunities at your local chapter of Meals on Wheels, which delivers food to homebound residents. You’ll see your community, forge new relationships, and maybe even share a meal with a new friend!
6. Be a friendly and compassionate voice on the other end of the phone. Volunteer at a crisis line that relies on teen volunteers as peer counselors like Youthline, Teen Lifeline,  or Teen Line.
7. Make a friend from across the generations. Ask if you can drop by one of your local elder-care facilities to chat with residents who don’t have family or frequent visitors. Check with your state's aging services page (like this one from Pennsylvania) for opportunities for other ideas, too.
8. Keep your favorite park clean. Love the outdoors? Environmental organizations need volunteers for water testing, trail maintenance and animal management. If you’re a science kid, this might be a perfect match for your skills. See if your community has an organization like California-based Environmental Volunteers.
9. Support parents in need during tough times by helping with childcare. Sometimes, you have to live like you’re in a teen movie. Offer to babysit! But rather than watch your neighbor’s fearsome 8-year-old twins, contact a local women’s shelter, foster parent group, or social services department to volunteer your care.
10. Help your local, small theater group keep the love of arts alive. Tap into your love of the performing arts and volunteer to usher at your local symphony or theater company.

Community Service can be nearly anything you choose!

1. Become an errand runner. If you have a car, offer to run errands for people who don't drive (like the elderly), rely on public transportation, or simply don't have the time.
2. Get involved at your local hospital. Many hospitals have volunteer programs. If you're not sure where to start, type in your local hospital's name and volunteer opportunities and see what pops up. If your high school requires volunteer hours for graduation requirements, ask the hospital whether the hours you work can count toward that requirement.
3. Brighten someone's day. You've probably heard of the "Pay it Forward" movement, right? It even has its own day now: April 28. This idea is similar but costs nothing. Gather some index cards or colored card stock and your favorite pens. Then, write anonymous notes to make someone smile — hide them in random books at the public library or your school library. Another option? Write messages on Post-it notes and leave them in public areas — bathrooms, subway stations, near check-out stations — for people to find.
4.  Dig into your community garden. Many areas nationwide have community gardens or arboretums that rely on volunteers. For example, the Philadelphia area has the Spring Gardens, Fairmont Park's Farm Philly, and Longwood Garden's Teen Volunteer Program. See what your area has to offer!
5. Teach English to non-native speakers. Does your area have a large immigrant population? Imagine how challenging (and frustrating) it must feel to move to another country and not speak its language. Check with your local community college or library — or even your school's guidance department — to see whether you can help as a practice partner or tutor.
6. Get your craft on and help animals, too. If you have a bunch of old shirts lying around and can use a sewing machine, why not turn those shirts into dog toys and donate them at a local shelter?
7. Put your love of baking to use! If you're unsure what organizations in your community might benefit from cash donations, check with your local Chamber of Commerce. Then, host a bake sale and donate the proceeds to that organization.
8. A little time goes a long way with the American Red Cross. According to this organization, 25% of its volunteers are under age 24 — and they have more than 25,000 volunteers! You can start a club at your school to help within your community. The organization offers internships for college students, too.
9. Help build a home. Habitat for Humanity has volunteer programs for people starting as young as five! Start or join a high school chapter that partners with the local Habitat for Humanity organization and volunteer on new construction, rehabilitation, rehab, and neighborhood revitalization or help in the organization's Habitat ReStore.
10. Develop your leadership skills. Over 6 million kids and teens have addressed community health inequities, engaged in civil discourse, and advocated for inclusion and equity for everyone through 4-H. This organization partners with 100+ public universities throughout the U.S. to help kids improve their communities.

Community Service can start with a dream... and change the world!

Have a unique idea and a knack for organization? Start your own organization! Here's a quick guide to launching your own endeavor, and here are some of our favorite ideas from teens who’ve broken the mold and created their own volunteer opportunities.

1. Jonathan Woods established the Under the Tree Foundation at 12, when he realized that holiday toy drives are often aimed at younger children and exclude teens in need.
2. Inspired by family visits to her grandparents in India, Neha Gupta began Empower Orphans at age nine. The organization addresses the needs of orphaned children worldwide, focusing on access to healthcare and education.
3. After reading a story about child slavery in the Toronto Star, 12-year-old Craig Kielburger founded WE Charity (formerly Free the Children). The organization fights child labor on a global scale and has now reached well over 2 million children.
4. Zach Certner and his brother started SNAP, an athletic program for special needs children, when Zach was 10. Its mission is "to expand the quality of life for individuals with disabilities through athletics and activities."
5. Shannon McNamara started SHARE, a nonprofit that provides thousands of girls in Africa with books and school supplies when she was 15.
6. Alexandra Scott started Alex’s Lemonade Stand when she was diagnosed with childhood cancer. She wanted to use the funds she raised to find a cure for cancer. Although Alex passed away in 2004, her stand has raised over $300 million for childhood cancer, funding over 1,500 research projects at almost 150 institutions.
7. Hannah Taylor founded the Ladybug Foundation when she was eight years old. This organization promotes awareness and assistance for homeless individuals.
8. Liana Rosenman and Kristina Saffran, teens in recovery from anorexia, started Project HEAL to raise money for teens needing treatment for eating disorders.
9. At age 10, LuLu Cerone founded LemonAID Warriors to help other kids make social activism part of their social lives.
10. Katie Stagliano started planting fruits and vegetables in her garden to start her hand in feeding the hungry. Her organization, Katie’s Krops, has served over 100,000 meals and has trained other teen gardeners to do the same.

Inspired to volunteer? Check out this link for some great volunteer opportunities!