One of the largest and fastest growing trends in volunteerism is family volunteering. A large part of this is actually due to kids’ willingness to hang out with their parents. Surveys show over 90% of kids today “get along” with their parents, and nearly 80% say they get along “very well” or “extremely well” (Howe & Strauss, 2005).

Family volunteering also opens the doors to working with some nonprofit agencies who would not normally accept a volunteer younger than 18. Click here to search through a complete list of things you can do as a family. Select the “family” option in the search criteria.

There are some great ideas for younger sibling groups including:

• Creating get well and thank you cards for a nonprofit
• Coloring happy pictures on tray liners for hospitals or senior residential programs
• Coin drives in your neighborhood
• Adopt a grandparent
• Writing letters to seniors and many others