Summer Volunteer Opportunities in New York City

With nearly two full months of summer still left on the calendar, there’s still plenty of time to get involved with some New York City volunteer organizations this summer. No matter what your interests are or how much time you have to dedicate to volunteering, there’s something for everyone. Explore our list of volunteer opportunities below and visit our Community Event Calendar for a full event listing by day or by category, and read our blog post on the 4 benefits of volunteering in Manhattan.

 

 

National Kidney Foundation

August 4

Community Street Fair

The National Kidney Foundation is in need of volunteers on August 4 at the Annual Community Street Fair Brooklyn. Volunteers will work rain or shine to distribute materials to community members at the NKF table from 10 AM - 5 PM. Volunteers can work in shifts.

Click here for more upcoming volunteer opportunities with National Kidney Foundation.

 

Harlem One Stop

August 5

Garden Volunteer Day

Ready to get a little dirty? Join Harlem One Stop for a community garden day at Roger Morris Park, which serves as the grounds to the Morris-Jumel Mansion; Manhattan’s oldest surviving house. Instructions and tools will be provided, and close-toed shoes are required. An adult must accompany all volunteers under 18.

Click here for more information on Garden Volunteer Day.

 

Callen-Lorde Community Health Centers

August 25

Splash! A Pool Party in the Pines

Enjoy a poolside party with summer cocktails at Fire Island Pines to celebrate and benefit Callen-Lorde, a community health center for New York’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities. Tickets to the event are on sale now, in addition to corporate sponsorship opportunities.

For more information and tickets to Splash! click here.

 

About Founded in 1972, IAC projects a dynamic image of Ireland and Irish America through performances, exhibitions, and education. Visit irishartscenter.org Did You Know? Julie Feeney's debut album, '13 songs,' won the Irish Album of the Year at the 2006 Choice Music Awards. More About IAC IAC offers classes about music, dance and language for both kids and adults. What's NYXT? Check out the IAC's calendar, go to an event, or take one of their classes. Visit irishartscenter.org Connect See more IAC videos on the NYXT website. Visit nyxt.nyc/iac

Irish Arts Center

September 10

Ongoing Event Ushers Needed

Irish Arts Center is always looking for volunteer ushers to help its front-of-house team for each of their hosted performances throughout the year. The next event on their calendar is Muldoon’s Picnic, a critically-acclaimed variety show of music, poetry and storytelling hosted by Irish poet Paul Muldoon. The next events happens on September 10 at the Irish Arts Center HQ.

For more information on volunteering at IAC, click here.

 

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

September 22

Out of the Darkness Community Walks - Queens

Join thousands of people helping to raise awareness and funds to allow AFSP to create educational programs, support survivors of suicide loss, invest in new research, and advocate for public policy. Check-in and registration starts at 9 AM on September 22 at Astoria Park, with the walk beginning at 10 AM and lasting two hours. Thanks to Out of the Darkness community walk participants and donors, AFSP is working to meet its goal of reducing the annual suicide rate by 20% by 2025.

Registration is free and open to the public. Raise $150 by September 22 to receive an official Out of the Darkness walk t-shirt. Additional walks take place in other NYC boros throughout the fall.

For more information and to register for the walk, click here.

 

Union Settlement

All summer long

Summer Camp Olympics

Union Settlement creates a summer camp olympics for their 200 youth participants. Volunteer groups of 15-40 will help organize and lead the children through a variety of activities inside the gym and community room. Scheduling is flexible over the summer months, so contact Union Settlement for additional details

Click here for more on how to get involved with the Summer Camp Olympics.

 

Creative Mornings

All summer long

Host a Creative Mornings FieldTrip

Creative Mornings NYC has brought back their FieldTrip series this summer and are looking for local volunteer hosts to share their creative talent. Built on top of their monthly talk series, FieldTrips are meetups to learn, interact, and collaborate with other Creative Morning members, whether it’s a hand-lettering workshop, photo walk, or an Adobe Photoshop tips and tricks course, the only limit is your creativity.

For more information on hosting your own FieldTrip, click here. 

 

About Since 1904, BBBS of NYC has sought to provide mentoring for youth facing adversity. Visit bigsnyc.org Did You Know? There are an estimated 12,000 kids in foster care in New York City every year. More About BBBS BBBS connects more than 5,000 New York youth with adult mentors every year. What's NYXT? Find a mentor. Or become a mentor. Visit bigsnyc.org Connect See more BBBS videos on the NYXT website. Visit nyxt.nyc/bbbs

Big Brothers Big Sisters NYC

All year long

Become a mentor

Big Brothers Big Sisters is NYC’s largest mentor organizations, with volunteers meeting with mentees twice a month. More than 400,000 NYC youth would greatly benefit from having a mentor, so BBBS is accepting volunteers on a rolling basis all year long. Their greatest needs are mentors who are from or willing to travel to the outer boroughs, and those who speak Spanish, Cantonese, Korean and Mandarin. If you are interested in volunteering, fill out the enrollment form at the link below.

More information on becoming a mentor with BBBS, click here.

 

Louis Armstrong House Museum

All year long

Tour guides, administration, education and more

The Louis Armstrong House Museum in Corona, Queens, is always on the lookout for volunteers for a variety of roles, including tour guides, greeters, program assistants, educators and more. Perks include free admission, a t-shirt, 10% of the museum store, a flexible work schedule and more.

For more information on volunteering at the Louis Armstrong House Museum, click here.

 

New York Neo-Futurists

All year long

House Managers Needed

New York Neo-Futurists depend solely on their fleet of volunteer house managers to keep their twice-weekly shows running. Volunteers run the box office and are rewarded by seeing the show for free. Sign up to volunteer at multiple events and see how the show changes each time!

Click here to for more information on becoming a house manager at NYNF. 

 

About Bike New York promotes and encourages bicycling and bicycle safety throughout the five boroughs. Visit bike.nyc Did You Know? You can volunteer with Bike New York as a teacher, in their Bike Expo and Bike Tour events, and in their street team. More About Bike New York Bike New York teaches biking skills to more than 17,000 New Yorkers each year. What's NYXT? Learn how you can help promote cycling and become a volunteer teaching New Yorkers how to ride a bike through their bike education programs. Visit bike.nyc Connect See more Bike New York videos on the NYXT website. Visit nyxt.nyc/bikenewyork

Bike New York

All year long

Bike Education, Street Team, and Group Volunteer opportunities

Join Bike New York for a variety of volunteer opportunities throughout the year. Empower fellow New Yorkers with bike education, spread the word about biking in NYC by joining the street team, or volunteer with your company or organization to engage in community outreach.

For more information on all of the different volunteer opportunities at Bike New York, click here.