Volunteer Opportunities for Seniors
During their later years in life, many find that they now have the freedom to devote time to volunteer pursuits that will ultimately benefit the community, their neighbors, and themselves. A few hours each week could make a difference in someone’s life.
Broad-based Volunteer Initiatives
Senior Corps
Senior Corps is America’s largest volunteer network for people age 55 and over. Senior Corps has three programs; Senior Companions, Foster Grandparents, and RSVP. Listings offer a full range of volunteer opportunities with thousands of local and national organizations. Through these programs, individuals can find the opportunity that’s right for them.
Pre-service orientation and on-site training are provided to all Senior Corps volunteers. The average volunteer commitment is 20 hours per week, yet hours are flexible at each site. For more information, call 800-942-2677.
Volunteer Match
Volunteer Match assists individuals in finding service opportunities in their communities. Visitors to the website can search for volunteer opportunities by location and interests. In response, they quickly receive a personalized list of local up-to-date volunteer possibilities. Additionally, an individual's expression of interest in a particular opportunity is sent directly to the listing organization. The listing organization will then contact you to provide more detail about each of the positions. Explore this further.
Volunteer New Jersey
Volunteer New Jersey is a partnership between the Association of New Jersey Volunteer Centers and the Governor’s Office of Volunteerism. While this is not an age-restricted program, you are sure to learn about local volunteer opportunities that match your location and interests. To learn more, contact a local volunteer center.
Volunteer Opportunities with a Focus
The Volunteer Advocate Program Strives to Safeguard Elderly Citizens
The New Jersey Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman (LTCO) Volunteer Advocate Program provides citizens with an opportunity to advocate for people living in long-term care facilities by investigating and resolving complaints made by them or by others on their behalf. After a 32-hour training program, volunteer advocates are assigned to a long-term care facility where they make a commitment to spend at least four hours a week. While there, volunteer advocates are trained to observe the quality of services provided by the nursing home staff. To learn more, call 609-826-5053 or email volunteer@ltco.nj.gov. Learn more.
Help Educate Seniors about Health Care Options by Becoming a SHIP Volunteer
SHIP – the State Health Insurance Assistance Program volunteers help seniors make informed choices about their health coverage. If you would like to become a SHIP volunteer, please call 877-839-2675. Learn more.
Become a Medicare Fraud Prevention Volunteer
Help fight Medicare waste, fraud, and abuse by joining the Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) of New Jersey's volunteer program. All SMP of New Jersey volunteers receive training and ongoing support. To join the growing team of dedicated SMP volunteers call 732-777-1940, ext. 1117.