Links to Get Involved Useful Links Educating Young Philanthropists and Volunteers Awards

Scroll through the links below and choose from a wide variety of Web sites that offer ideas for volunteering and getting involved in philanthropy. Here you'll find information on everything from starting a club to help out in your community, to instructions on how kids can start their own nonprofit organizations!

Global Volunteer Network
The New Zealand-based organization offers volunteer opportunities throughout the world to support the work of local community organizations in developing countries. Volunteers can be from any country to participate.

America’s Promise
The mission of America’s Promise is to mobilize people from every sector of American life to build the character and competence of our nation's youth by fulfilling Five Promises to the nation’s youth. This site offers resources for career development, opportunities to give back through community service, and much more.

Ben's Guide
A U.S. Government Web site for kids, Ben's Guide provides a long list of links to government sites for kids on topics that cover everything from animals to transportation.

Plan
Plan helps children and families living in 43 developing countries around the world to develop long-term solutions to break out of the cycle of poverty through community-based programs revolving around five areas: growing up healthy, learning, livelihood, habitat, and building relationships.

Children for Children Foundation
Founded by a group of parents in New York City, the Children for Children Foundation’s mission is to endow the next generation with a sense of responsibility for others and encourage them to participate in the greater community.

Corporation for National and Community Service
The Corporation for National and Community Service connects Americans of all ages and backgrounds with opportunities to give back to their communities and their nation through voluntary service.

Do Something
This is a national network of young people who know they can make a difference in their communities and take action to change the world around them.

Earth Force
Earth Force helps provide youth with knowledge and skills to discover and implement lasting solutions to environmental issues in their community. Earth Force Youth Advisory Boards, also known as YAB, gives youth a chance to be leaders and work to involve other youth on environmental issues. In the process, they develop life-long habits of active citizenship and environmental stewardship.

Global Youth Service Day
Global Youth Service Day works collaboratively with organizations around the world to mobilize young people in countries everywhere to carry out community improvement projects.

Idealist Kids and Teens
This site is a project of Action Without Borders that offers resources and ideas for youth and teachers for activism. Read about organizations started by kids, find volunteering opportunities, learn about how to get involved in the world of important causes around you, and much more.

Kids Can Make A Difference
Kids Can Make A Difference^® (KIDS), an educational program for middle- and high school students, focuses on the root causes of hunger and poverty, the people most affected, solutions, and how students can help. Click to find out what kids can do to make a difference.

Kids for Community
Kids for Community is for children and teens looking for volunteer opportunities in New York City; parents who want to get their kids involved in the community; teachers striving to develop their service learning programs; and organizations that value young volunteers.

Just For Kids
Volunteer Houston has put together this great site, filled with information on topics such as: What’s Hot for Kids, 10 Good Reasons for Kids to Volunteer, Ideas for Self Starters, and Useful and Fun Links.

Kids Care Clubs
Ten years ago, a group of children got together to rake a lawn for an elderly neighbor. That was the beginning of Kids Care Clubs. Visit their site to learn how you can start your own club and see what other kids are doing.

The LEAGUE
This nonprofit combines community service, learning, and friendly “co-opetition” between schools around the world. It is a school-based system that combines state standards-based lesson plans with community service events that teach students the value of giving and recognizes them for their efforts. leagu

National Wildlife Federation
The National Wildlife Federation is the nation's largest member-supported conservation group, uniting individuals, organizations, businesses and government to protect wildlife, wild places, and the environment. Learn how you can take action.

Network for Good
Network for Good is a nonprofit collaboration to help nonprofit organizations increase capacity, reach new audiences, and build Internet strategies. Explore volunteering opportunities, learn how to start a nonprofit, and see a list of resources on working in the nonprofit sector.

SERVEnet.org
This site offers service and volunteering opportunities. Through SERVEnet, users can enter their zip code, city, state, skills, interests, and availability and be matched with organizations needing help. SERVEnet is also a place to search for calendar events, job openings, service news, recommended books, and best practices.

Student Voices Resource Center
Student Voices Resource Center is a place for students to share their views and opinions about technology in education. The website includes: How-To-Guides, Sucess Stories, Focus Chats, and other relevant resources

Student Volunteer Network
Student Volunteer Network is a student-led nonprofit organization dedicated to connecting the high school and nonprofit communities in Colorado.

The Virtual Volunteering Project
This organization supports the growth and success of volunteer activities that can be accomplished, in part or entirely, through the Internet.

Youth Activism Project
This site provides links to the stories of kids and teens from around the world who are active in their communities.

YouthNOISE
An initiative of Save the Children, YouthNOISE works to inspire, connect, and empower youth to help young people everywhere by volunteering, fundraising and speaking out.

The Youth Philanthropy Initiative of Indiana ("YPII")
The Initiative is a special project of the Indiana Grantmakers Alliance and a statewide partner network of 40+ community organizations with the common goal of engaging youth to "give and serve" within their communities.

Youth Service California
Since 1990, Youth Service California has been working to ensure that all young people in California are empowered to make a positive difference in their community via quality community service, service learning, and youth organizing experiences.

Awards

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards
The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards honor young people in middle level and high school grades for outstanding volunteer service to their communities.

Strength In Numbers Award
The award celebrates young leaders', under the age of 30, achievements and their work in their community. Must be involved with a board, council, or any governing body, including church organizations, school committees, sports groups, etc. All nominees honored. Contact Youth on Board, 58 Day St, 3rd Floor, Somerville, MA 02144; 617-623-9900.

YouthActionNet Award
YouthActionNet awards youth leaders whose emerging projects will promote social change and connect youth with local communities. These youth-led projects should have clearly defined goals and have potential for growth or further replication. Final selections are made following a peer review process in which previous award winners select the next round of awardees. Award recipients will receive US$500 and are eligible to participate in an international capacity-building workshop.

Educating Young Philanthropists and Volunteers

John W. Gardner Center
The John W. Gardner Center (JGC) at Stanford University partners with local communities to support their efforts to continually renew themselves, by way of developing well-rounded young people who are successful — intellectually, emotionally, physically and socially — and who in turn are motivated to contribute to their communities, both as leaders and as responsible participants.

Charity Checks
In a sponsored classroom, every student receives a Charity Check for $25, which can be donated to any U.S. nonprofit recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) organization. An individual or group can sponsor the classroom, or the students can raise the money for themselves. The website also provides free curriculum resources.

Connect for Kids
Connect for Kids, an award-winning multimedia project of the Benton Foundation, helps adults make their communities better places for families and children. The Web site offers a place on the Internet for adults-parents, grandparents, educators, policymakers and others-who want to become more active citizens, from volunteering to voting with kids in mind.

Learning in Deed
Students improve their academic skills by applying what they learn in school to the real world; they then reflect on their experience to reinforce the link between their service and their learning.

Learning to Give
The Council on Michigan Foundations developed Learning to Give as a way to engage educators and others in teaching philanthropy in the classroom. The site includes syllabi and curricula aimed at integrating a program of philanthropic instruction into the schools.

Minnesota Toolkit for Giving
Produced by the Minnesota Council on Foundations and their partners, the “Youth Philanthropy Resources” section of their Toolkit for Giving includes information about teaching philanthropy, in addition to resources on community service, youth as funders, and “giving stories,” written by Minnesota philanthropists.

Northland Foundation Youth in Philanthropy Program
Minnesota’s Northland Foundation launched its KIDS PLUS program to engage young people at a variety of levels, from program planning in cooperation with adults, to formal leadership training.

Rose Youth Foundation
Rose Youth Foundation, a grantmaking initiative of Rose Community Foundation, encourages Jewish youth in the Denver metro area to make a difference by becoming grantmakers.

Youth Grantmakers
Youthgrantmakers.org, a communication of the Michigan Community Foundation Youth Project of the Council of Michigan Foundations, presents resources for youth grantmakers including best practices, lessons learned, and sample documents.

Youth Philanthropy and Service
Youth Philanthropy and Service (YPS) is a program of Case Western Reserve University’s Mandel Center for Nonprofit Organizations. YPS provides resources and support for adults implementing K-12 youth service and philanthropy programs within their schools and organizations.

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