Print 
Email For information on the following RSVP volunteer opportunties and hundreds more, please contact:
Gajtana Simonovski
Project Director
Voluntary Initiatives
212.614.5563
gsimonovski@cssny.org
Volunteers must be at least 55 years old.
RSVP has many citywide volunteer opportunities. Here are some examples of ongoing volunteer assignments that exist throughout the five boroughs.
- Feed hungry New Yorkers at a soup kitchen or food pantry. Volunteers are needed to assist with food preparation, serving, clean-up and/or meal delivery. By volunteering you won’t let those in your community miss out on a meal.
- Help make a nursing home resident feel loved. Nursing homes need volunteers to make friendly visits to residents, facilitate discussion groups, and assist with recreational activities. You will be amazed at the friendships you’ll develop. Training and orientation provided.
- Foster children need you. Volunteer for CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates). Advocate in court on behalf of a foster child, conducting thorough research on the background of the case, reviewing documents, and interviewing all parties involved. Schedule is flexible. Requirement is 5 hours/week. No legal or social service experience is required. Training provided.
- Ensure nursing home and adult home residents know their rights. Be an Ombudsman and advocate on behalf of residents and their families. Visit an assigned facility in your area to talk with residents and help resolve challenging situations they face. Using non-confrontational approaches to problem solving, Ombudsmen monitor and protect residents' rights related to their health, safety and general welfare. Extensive training provided.
- So many needs, so many volunteer opportunities. Caring individuals needed to assist at hospitals. Assignments include greeting, friendly visiting, providing clerical support, teaching health literacy, advocating for patients, and more. Training is provided.
- Friendly visitors are needed at various organizations. Provide companionship to homebound elderly. Many seniors are alone and isolated at home. You can make a tremendous difference in their lives just by making a visit to play a board game, read to them, or discuss current events. It’s also a great chance to develop a beautiful friendship. Ongoing support and training provided.
- Put your clerical skills to use and help an organization succeed with their mission. Many non-profit agencies throughout New York City need help filing, copying, sorting, collating, typing, answering phones, data entry, etc. Whether you are knowledgeable of computers or not, there’s a place for you.
- Give the gift of education to a child. Elementary, High School, and Junior High students need you. Tutors are needed all over New York City to assist students with their school work. Training provided.
- Provide tours and visitor assistance at cultural institutions throughout New York City. Museums, landmarks, and other public arenas need volunteers like you to sustain themselves. Great opportunity to meet interesting people from around the world.
Here are a few volunteer openings specific to each borough. RSVP also frequently develops partnerships with new organizations to expand our inventory of volunteer assignments. Please contact us to find out about these and other volunteer opportunities in your borough.
Bronx Volunteer Opportunities
- Help make a difference in the life of a child! Volunteers are needed to foster the intellectual, social and emotional growth of three and four year olds in preparation for kindergarten in Head Start programs. Training provided.
- Teach literacy at Wakefield Library Center for Reading and Writing. Volunteers are needed to teach literacy to small groups of adults. Previous teaching experience is not necessary. Students and tutors read and write together twice a week for four hours each week. Other volunteer opportunities at the library include recording books on tape, assisting students in the computer room, or clerical work. Training provided for all positions.
- Help fellow New Yorkers breath right with the Bronx-Lebanon Hospital South Bronx Asthma Project. Volunteers are needed to provide one-on-one training to parents on how to manage their children’s asthma and navigate the healthcare system. Great way to help children and get involved with your local community! Training provided.
- Plant yourself as a volunteer at the New York Botanical Gardens. Volunteers are needed in a variety of areas including, but not limited to, providing tours, greeting guests, assisting in the gift shop, research, and special events. Training and orientation provided.
Brooklyn Volunteer Opportunities
- Teach and empower parents to recognize key child development milestones and potential developmental delays. Volunteer for the health literacy program at New York Methodist Hospital. Training provided.
- Developing countries need medical supplies. Help sort and send donated medical supplies with Doc to Dock. Schedules are flexible.
- Help save lives by volunteering with the Brooklyn/Staten Island Blood Services. As a Donation Center Assistant Volunteer you will greet donors, assist with their registration, and provide them with juice and snacks. Volunteers will not handle blood.
- Do you love animals? Do you love talking about animals? Join the Prospect Park Zoo by volunteering your time as a tour guide. Extensive training provided.
- Share your love of books with adults learning how to read through the 1199 Adult Literacy Program. Tutor small groups or one-on-one. Training provided.
- Libraries are not just for borrowing books. Volunteer at the Brooklyn Public Library by being a homework helper or an English conversation partner. Training provided.
- Lighthouse International Brooklyn, Read Aloud Volunteer — Make a difference in the life of someone with a visual impairment. Volunteers are needed to read aloud to visually impaired individuals.
- Get free produce by helping out at the Community Vision Council farmer’s market. Volunteers needed to assist farmers with set up and answering questions. Needed Wednesdays and Saturdays. Training provided.
Manhattan Volunteer Opportunities
- Enjoy your love of fashion while helping to end the AIDS epidemic with Housing Works. You can make a difference by providing the support this organization needs in order to continue the fight against AIDS. Volunteer at Housing Works Thrift Shop, Bookstore Café, or assist with distributing literature. Training and orientation provided.
- Play with kids two Saturdays a month for Baby Basics. Assist with children while parents participate in educational lectures. Volunteers work in groups. Volunteers also needed to give educational seminars on parenting and other topics.
- Lenox Hill Neighborhood House needs you. Teach basic computer classes for seniors and low-income individuals, facilitate English conversation groups, or assist with this community center’s childcare program. Training and orientation provided.
- Serve New York’s Finest. Volunteer for the New York City Police Museum located in downtown Manhattan. Many options are available for volunteering such as giving tours, assisting in the gift shop, greeting patrons, and clerical work. Training provided.
- Help homebound seniors keep their pets with the JASA Pet Project. Volunteers assist seniors with pet care activities such as dog walking and purchasing food and supplies. Volunteers also needed to take care of pets if the owner is hospitalized.
- WIBO (Workshop in Business Opportunities) is looking for successful business owners and senior executives to volunteer their valuable time. Volunteers needed to serve as business owner role models and mentor individuals who are working toward starting their own business.
- Volunteer for a worthy cause. Tribute World Trade Visitor Center needs sensitive and approachable volunteers to guide visitors and assist them through the gallery. Volunteers also are encouraged to facilitate conversation about visitors’ thoughts and feelings at the end of their gallery experience. Training provided.
- Spend your time volunteering at an amazing architectural and historical site. The Cathedral of St. John the Divine is looking for volunteers to greet visitors and/or give tours. Volunteers are also needed in their soup kitchen on Sundays. Training provided.
Queens Volunteer Opportunities
- Do people always tell you what a great dresser you are? Put your fashion sense to use at Dress for Success. Volunteers are needed to assist women in putting together outfits and building their confidence as they look for work. Volunteers are also needed to keep the store merchandise organized.
- Do you find satisfaction in giving good directions? Put your people skills to use at JFK Airport with Traveler’s Aid. Volunteers are stationed at various terminals and answer travelers’ questions. Training provided.
- Be a part of a flourishing cultural institution. Give tours and/or volunteer in the gift shop at the Queens Museum of Art. Training provided.
- Stop and smell the roses! Volunteers are needed in a variety of roles at the Queens Botanical Gardens. Volunteer as a tour guide, classroom assistant, or office assistant. Training provided.
- Queens Theater in the Park needs volunteers to guide audience members to their seats and to assist with clerical duties. Training provided.
- Do you like shopping? Materials for the Arts gives free art materials to nonprofit organizations. Volunteers needed to guide recipients through the warehouse and answer questions. Great opportunity to meet fun and interesting people! Training provided.
Staten Island Volunteer Opportunities
- Eger Health Care & Rehabilitation Center — You can help put a smile on the face of a nursing home resident. Volunteers are needed to to serve as friendly visitors, clerical assistants, resident transporters and to help in the coffee/gift shop. Physical and PPD test a must.
- Safety City, Traffic Safety Volunteer— Help keep children safe. Volunteers are needed to assist with teaching children traffic safety. Training will be provided. Clerical assistant volunteer opportunity also available.
- The Alice Austin House Museum needs volunteers to help in an after-school program, conduct tours, and serve as an administrative assistant. Training will be provided.
- The Stapleton Senior Center needs volunteer instructors to teach basic computer skills, arts & crafts, English as a second language and aerobics.
- The CYO Senior Guild needs volunteers to conduct dance, arts & crafts, sewing, embroidery and exercise classes.
- Project Hospitality Soup Kitchen, Soup Kitchen/Food Pantry/Clerical Volunteers — Help individuals and families receive a nutritious meal. Soup kitchen volunteers are needed to help prepare food, serve and clean up after a hot lunch is served. Food pantry volunteers are needed in the food pantry to stock shelves, help clients shop and check them out after they have made their selections. Clerical volunteers are needed to answer phones, perform general clerical duties. Computer literate volunteers are preferred. Days and times are flexible.
- SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives), Small Business Counselor Volunteer and Assistant Office Administrator Volunteer — Help small businesses succeed in today's economy. Volunteers are needed to provide counseling and workshops on planning, organizing, financing, marketing and developing strategies for new or established small businesses. Commitment of two mornings a month plus monthly meetings and committee assignments required. Volunteer also needed two mornings a week to assist in organizing and streamlining office functions. Days flexible.
- Safe Horizon's S.I. Child Advocacy Center-Office Volunteer and Playroom Assistant Volunteer — Help this child advocacy center accomplish its mission. Volunteers are needed to assist with office tasks including filing, data entry, and general assistance. Playroom Assistant volunteers are needed to oversee children while their parents are in counseling sessions.
- Sea View Hospital Rehabilitation Center and Home-Friendly Visitor Volunteers and Transporter Volunteers — Put a smile on the face of a nursing home resident. Friendly visitor volunteers and transporter volunteers are needed to interact with residents. Days and times are flexible.
- Staten Island Botanical Garden, Various Assignments — Gift shop volunteers needed. Days and hours are flexible. Receptionist volunteers needed to answer telephones and clerical volunteers needed to type lists, memos, and letters. Some experience with computers preferred for clerical position.
- University Hospice, Various Assignments -- Help others who are less fortunate. Compassionate and caring good listeners needed to visit patients at a nursing facility, hospital, or in their home; assist with clerical work; or assist with special events and fundraising. All volunteers are required to complete the volunteer training program provided by hospice staff and have a recent exam.
- Singing and Swinging Seniors, Entertainment Volunteer -- Use your musical talent to help put a smile on the face of someone who is infirm or in recovery. Volunteers are needed to join a dynamic nonprofit entertainment troupe that entertains patients in nursing homes and hospitals throughout Staten Island.
- Staten Island Aid DBA Community Resources, Gardening Assistant -- Use your green thumb to help beautify an organization assisting individuals with developmental disabilities. Gardening Assistant Volunteers are needed to help beautify a community greenhouse and outdoor garden.
Meeting Community Needs
Mentor-Youth of Promise
Lead. Inspire. Become a mentor. Spend one day a week mentoring a child with an incarcerated parent or an adolescent in need of intervention. Mentors will work one-on-one with young people, ages 8-18, on academic enrichment projects and/or career goal setting activities. All mentoring is site-based in Manhattan, Brooklyn, or Queens. For more information, contact:
Mary Anne Flanagan
Project DirectorVoluntary Initiatives/Retired and Senior Volunteer Program
212.614.5555
mflanagan@cssny.org
Planned Reentry for Incarcerated Adolescents (PRIAA)
Do you believe in second chances? As a career/life coach you can help make the difference in the life of an incarcerated or formerly incarcerated youth, ages 18 – 21. Receive training and help him plan for and support his reentry to the community. Program is on-site with an academic and career focus. Coaches can serve in teams or one-on-one for six hours a month. For information, contact:
Hazel Beckles Young Lao
Project Director, PRIA
212.614.5556
hbeckles@cssny.org
Advocacy, Counseling and Entitlement Services (ACES)
Help neighbors get back on their feet. Be trained to help elderly and low-income clients receive government benefits to which they are entitled. Every year volunteers help thousands of people navigate the public benefits maze. For information:
Becky Haase
Project Director, Advocacy, Counseling and Entitlement Services (ACES) ProjectRetired and Senior Volunteer Program
Voluntary Initiatives
212.614.5482
rhaase@cssny.org
Click here for the ACES Newsletter
Experience Corps Project (Literacy Tutoring)
Change young lives. Help elementary school children in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens learn how to read and write. Volunteers assist in the classroom and tutor children one-on-one. Volunteers commit to 16 hours a week. For information:
Kemba J. Tamar
Director, Experience Corps212.614.5499
ktamar@cssny.org
Prejudice Reduction Program
Fight prejudice. Conduct workshops to help elementary school children understand and appreciate human differences, while providing them with tools for effective problem solving and communication. For information:
Deirdre Ryan-Spirakis
212.614.5536dryan@cssny.org
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA)
Receive one week of intensive training and IRS certification in the preparation of tax returns. Provide free tax services to older adults, low-and moderate-income citizens, the disabled, and the homebound in New York City. For information on TCE, please contact:
Becky Haase
Project Director, Advocacy, Counseling and Entitlement Services (ACES) ProjectRetired and Senior Volunteer Program
Voluntary Initiatives
212.614.5482
rhaase@cssny.org
Special Events
Nonprofit and Public Agencies: Need Short-term Volunteer Assistance? Volunteers: Want to make a difference in the community with limited free time?
For work with telephone, bulk mailings, hosting entertaining, surveying/polling, and more, RSVP Special Event Volunteers can help! For more information, contact:
Gajtana Simonovski
Project Director
Voluntary Initiatives
212.614.5563
gsimonovski@cssny.org