Volunteering During Retirement

With COVID-19 restrictions lessening, Americans are ready to reap the mental, physical and financial benefits of a volunteer-driven lifestyle.

A four-year long study from Springer Nature found strong evidence that volunteering results in overall improved health and wellbeing for older adults.

Patricia Bubash, M.Ed., LPC, is a regular volunteer at a children’s group home, church nursery, food pantry and other nonprofits. She spoke to RetireGuide about her volunteering experience during retirement.

“What most retirees do not realize, is time gets boring when there is nothing planned. Volunteering provides a planned, regularly scheduled activity to give purpose to life.”

If you’re interested in any of the volunteer opportunities above, you can find more details about each of them below. All programs listed within this guide are available nationwide and open to seniors.

Best for: People looking for a wide range of volunteer opportunities or to donate to a charity.

Note that health care volunteer programs typically require more training and potential certifications compared to other volunteer types.

Best for: People with or without medical experience looking to help others with their nutrition or health. Also, best for homebound seniors looking for remote volunteer work.

Every volunteer option in the list below has the same general goal: to protect and preserve nature. You can lead a tour, restore a habitat or conduct plant and animal surveys.

Some offer options to volunteer on a day-by-day basis, while others allow you to volunteer year-round.

Best for: Someone who wants to be surrounded by nature and restore its natural beauty. A good option for someone looking for a range of short-term and long-term volunteer options.

The following programs can help impact education for the youth.

Best for: Someone with a knack for education and passion to help kids improve. Even if you don’t have a teaching degree or education background, there are likely still volunteer roles suited for you.

Time with four-legged friends can span beyond your home with animal rescue and service programs.

Best for: Animal lovers open to potential travel opportunities.

Arts and culture volunteer programs can allow you to get out and get in touch with your creative skills.

Best for: People looking to dip into their creative side during retirement. Bonus points if you have a background in art.

If you want to feel more involved and connected to your religion, consider volunteering at your local temple, church, mosque or synagogue.

Best for: Those who prioritize their faith during retirement and want to provide for others.

Volunteering regularly can substantially lower the risk of an early death, help you remain active and improve your overall sense of wellbeing, according to a Harvard School of Public Health study.

Karla Radka is the President and CEO at Senior Resource Alliance, a resource that assesses and coordinates with services and programs, such as volunteers, for older adults in various counties in Florida.

Radka spoke to RetireGuide about other benefits of volunteering as a retiree.

“Volunteering helps you live a life of purpose by staying connected and engaged with your community. At the bottom line, volunteering is all about hope.”

Generally, the benefits of volunteering as a retiree falls into three buckets: mental health, physical health and financial health benefits.

While the main benefit of volunteering during retirement is to combat social isolation, there are others to consider.

“Social isolation is as damaging as smoking or other behavioral habits. Volunteering is about waking up the next day with that purpose in mind and combating social isolation.” Radka told RetireGuide.

Jan Stewart, chairwoman on the Board of Directors at Kerry’s Place Autism Services and consultant to the Tourette Association of America Education Advisory Board, is retired and volunteers regularly.

Stewart shared her experience with volunteering and how it affects her mental health.

“My volunteer activities have contributed to my own mental wellness. They not only keep my brain engaged in complex, thought-provoking issues, but they have opened my world to an entire new community and a ‘second family’ comprised of health care professionals, parents and caregivers, and other volunteers.”

“These activities are reaffirming to me, strengthen my emotional fortitude and give me satisfaction, a sense of accomplishment and a legacy that I can be proud of.”

Volunteering can help you lower your blood pressure, increase flexibility and activity, prolong your lifespan and reduce stress within your body, according to an article from the University of Maryland Medical System.

If you have poor health, be sure to choose a volunteering program that won’t stress your joints or muscles. For example, instead of building ramps for low-income housing accessibility, you could volunteer to hand out free meals to the community.

Volunteering helps the economy itself and provides you with potential tax breaks.

“There’s also actually an economic impact within volunteerism. All the work that volunteers do move forward the economy, communities and the wellbeing of individuals.” Radka told RetireGuide.

As for tax breaks, any volunteer of a §501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization is entitled to receive deductible charitable contributions, according to H&R Block.

Follow the four tips listed below to help ensure you select the right volunteer opportunity.

The first step is to use online resources, network through local organizations or speak to neighbors who already volunteer.

It may be in your best interest to speak to someone who already volunteers in the program you’re interested in. Ask them if they’re properly staffed and if it’s a fulfilling experience.

Volunteering should not feel like stressful work — it should be an opportunity filled with social connection and hope.

There’s likely an onboarding process or background check to complete before you start volunteering.

Radka oversees many onboarding processes for volunteer work and provided RetireGuide insight on the process.

“It is our fiscal and moral responsibility to be able to ensure that anyone who works in any of our projects goes through the onboarding process. Our onboarding process requires a level two background check.”

The extensiveness of training will also vary depending on where you choose to volunteer.

“In the case of SHINE (Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders), there is an onboarding training program to understand the Medicare system. For meal distribution, there is an onboarding process to understand meal deliveries, food handling, customer service and then the compassion aspect of contact with seniors,” Radka told RetireGuide.