Incorporating Volunteer Work into Retirement

Part 1 - Finding volunteering placements and the logistics

Welcome to a series of blog posts concerning why and how I decided to add volunteerism into my retirement.

A little about me

Volunteer work has been a big part of my family since I was in grade school. At that time my mom was a chapter leader for the American Cancer Society, and I would help out licking and stuffing envelopes, wrapping presents and attending events. During and after college I continued volunteering at aquariums, science museums and the National Park Service. Cleaning out my parents' condo after they passed away and finding trophies and awards my mom received for her volunteer service reminded me how lucky I am to retire early to travel the world. I want to spend time giving back to the world, and the people, places and animals that inhabit it. Retirement is not just travelling the world but making a difference by giving back.

Finding volunteer placements

Once I decided to add philanthropic work into retirement. Then what? Just google international volunteering and you will get a list of organizations a mile long including volunteer HQ, go overseas, volunteer world, global volunteers, volunteer international etc. These third-party search engines are a great way to get started. I spent months researching various organizations and finally chose Volunteer World. Volunteer world's website is user friendly; they clearly lay out the organization's names, list of responsibilities and cost.

Volunteer World website - tips and tricks

I spent well over a year utilizing the volunteer world's website. Here are some tips to guide you on your journey:

1. The website splash page is very easy to use. The top bar will explain more about volunteer world's mission and provide a list of destinations for you to choose from. Your eyes are drawn to the big box in the center of the screen. Here you can type in any country. Practice exercise: type in South Africa.

2. Volunteer world's main focus is on education, animal husbandry, environmental conservation. and community projects. Practice exercise: click on animals and conservation. The following screen will list the difference types of conservation work. Practice exercise: click on wildlife conservation.

3. Now the fun begins. On the left will be the top 30 volunteer placements based on reviews. On the right will be a map. Each photo provides a quick snapshot including the name of the organization (the circle on the lower right), location and a brief description. Trick: The photo includes the cost for a one-week placement. There are discounts when you volunteer for more than one week. Just like Airbnb. Do not base your decisions on this price. It's not accurate.

4. Exercise: Find South Africa Wildlife Reserve and click on the organization name: Plan My Gap Year (light blue circle). A window will open up that list all the opportunities available through their website around the world. This is very handy for comparison and look at all the reviews.

5. Exercise: go back to the main website and click on Big 5 Monitoring, Conservation. This will provide an in-depth description of the volunteer placement opportunity.

6. You can highlight the placement activity you are interested in for further research. Very important. Always google the name of the organizations to check out their website and reviews.

Questions to ask yourself as you navigate the website

1. Are there any age restrictions? Do they accept couples? Is there a minimum amount of weeks required?

2. Does the program description match your expectations?

3. Are you physically able to perform the day-to-day tasks?

4. Review what a typical day looks like? how many hours per day and days per week?

5. Look at accommodations. Hostel dorm room or volunteer house? Shared or private room? How far from the nearest town.

6. Any free time activities? Remember this is volunteer not work and you want to get a chance for excursions to see the sites. Every placement should have a good set of activities.

7. Is transportation to and from the volunteer site provided?

8. Are meals provided? How many?

Is volunteering right for your lifestyle.

As we think about our retirement and for some a nomadic retirement, there are some inherent questions to ask yourself to make sure volunteering fits into your lifestyle.

One. Most volunteer placements require you to sign up 4-6 months in advance. There is a lot of planning, paperwork and payment required. Are you able to plan that far in advance or are you more spontaneous? Two. To get the most out of your placement I suggest 3-4 weeks. The biggest regret I heard from people who only volunteered two weeks is that they wish they were able to stay longer. Can you commit to the time.

Once you found the right placement then what. I highly recommend using the organizations website rather than volunteer world to sign up. You will get direct communication from the volunteer coordinator plus volunteer world asks you for an administrative deposit that they keep. When you sign up with the organization all monies go directly to them.

The next series of blogs will provide more information about the two placements I had in South Africa in October and November 2023.