Are you ready to combine purpose and travel?  Or do you want to learn what others are doing?  These resources will help you get started whether you want to get involved in your own community or overseas.

DATABASES/SEARCH ENGINES

Idealist.org/Action Without Borders
Idealist.org allows individuals to search for volunteer and internship opportunities with organizations around the world. Volunteers can search by location or interest area and follow links to find contact information and instructions on how to get involved.

Idealist.org's Family Resources
Idealist.org has resources specifically geared toward family volunteering.  This is a great list of best practices for getting the whole family involved in volunteering, things to consider when planning family volunteer projects, and ways to find volunteer opportunities in your local community.

Philanthropic Travel Foundation
This organization allows travelers or organizations to register to learn about philanthropic and humanitarian volunteer opportunities in close proximity to their vacation destinations. Travelers can search for projects near their next destination and nonprofit project coordinators can get connected with willing volunteers and philanthropists looking for a way to help.

Travelers Philanthropy
Travelers' Philanthropy is a website dedicated to spreading knowledge and building enthusiasm about the new travelers' philanthropy movement that is impacting travel, tourism and international development. The site has links to published material on travelers' philanthropy, tool kits and contacts dedicated to the cause.

VolunteerAbroad.com
This website is part of GoAbroad.com -- a comprehensive database containing international education and alternative travel opportunities. Volunteers can search the database for programs based on location or interest area and are provided with a detailed summary of the program and application process along with information on the organization coordinating the trip.

VolunteerMatch
VolunteerMatch provides volunteers with a comprehensive database of opportunities that can be searched based on location, interest area, skill set or age. The site also has links to projects for the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, and other programs and provides resources such as newsletters and suggestions for getting your company involved with volunteering.


CULTURAL/GENERAL

CharityGuide
CharityGuide's Volunteer Vacations link volunteers interested in international projects with organizations in need of assistance. Volunteers can choose from six interest areas including children, community development and poverty and can participate for one, two, three, or four weeks.

Cross-Cultural Solutions
As a Cross-Cultural Solutions international volunteer, you'll make a meaningful contribution, working side-by-side with local people and sharing in the goals of a community that warmly welcomes you. Enjoy the flexibility of choosing from 12 countries, start dates year-round, and programs from one to 12 weeks long. Cross-Cultural Solutions offers volunteer programs in Brazil, China, Costa Rica, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Morocco, Peru, Russia, South Africa, Tanzania, and Thailand.

The Cultural Explorer
This startup volunteer and philanthropic travel company in San Francisco designs tours to give the traveler a blend of cultural experiences while helping the economy of different countries and people.  They work to ensure that most fees directly benefit the people and their communities.

Global Aware
This nonprofit organization runs short volunteer vacations to a variety of international locations. Trips are sometimes referred to as "mini-Peace Corps" and focus on cultural awareness and sustainability. The Global Aware website offers resources related to trip preparation, fundraising, and past trips.

Global Service Corps
This nonprofit organization, through relationships with communities in Thailand and Tanzania, provides service-learning programs for individuals interested in living, working, or volunteering abroad. Participants can stay with local families and participate in customized programs in a variety of areas, including HIV/AIDS, sustainable agriculture, international health, and education.

Global Volunteer Network
The Global Volunteer Network (GVN) is an NGO offering volunteer opportunities in community projects throughout the world. The network partners with local organizations in about 20 countries, supporting local solutions to local problems.  GVN volunteers work in schools, orphanages, refugee camps, nature reserves, and villages, from two weeks to six months at a time.  Volunteers, who must be at least 18 to apply, fund their own trips through fundraising.

Global Volunteers
This non-governmental organization has been recognized as a leader in international service-learning projects and "volunteer vacations." The organization has partnerships with 100 host communities in 20 countries and enables volunteers to impact people and cultures in the United States and around the world. Programs are available from one to 43 weeks for individuals or groups.

Habitat for Humanity International
Habitat for Humanity's Global Village program and its International Volunteer program provide opportunities for volunteers to travel abroad to support Habitat's mission to provide decent, affordable housing for individuals and families around the world. The Global Village program sends volunteers in groups with a trained team leader abroad for about two weeks, while the International Volunteer program sends individuals and requires a 3- to 24-month commitment.

International Volunteer Programs Association
The IVPA is an alliance of nonprofit and non-governmental organizations dedicated to international volunteer and internship exchanges. The association sets standards for international volunteering and provides resources to help volunteers choose the right projects, prepare for their trips, and overcome anxiety about traveling or living abroad.

United Planet
United Planet is an international nonprofit organization devoted to fostering cross-cultural understanding and supporting communities in need.  A new partner with the International Cultural Exchange Federation, United Planet offers one-week to fifty-two-week volunteer programs in 50 countries. United Planet's Volunteer Abroad Quest program is open to people of all ages and nationalities, including skilled and unskilled volunteers.

Universal Giving
Universal Giving promotes volunteering and giving by allowing people to search online for organizations to volunteer for and donate to.  Users can narrow a search by focus (such as education or human rights) and geographic area (such as Eastern Africa or Pakistan), and find a wide array of charitable organizations.   UniversalGiving provides a quality control model, which ensures that all NGOs are identified by high-quality international interest groups and experts.

Volunteers for Peace
This Vermont-based nonprofit organization specializes in coordinating international voluntary service. Programs focus on international education as well as building relationships and overcoming challenges like poverty and violence around the world.

Volunteers of America

This national, nonprofit, faith-based organization is dedicated to helping those in need rebuild their lives and reach their full potential.  VOA provides resources for those in need and connects volunteers to opportunities in a variety of areas.

EDUCATIONAL

Adventures Abroad
Adventures Abroad is a one-stop shop for information about volunteering, studying, or working in a foreign country. The website includes resources for learning a foreign language while volunteering, opportunities to work with international human rights organizations, and tips on handling culture shock and packing appropriately.

Council on International Educational Exchange
CIEE provides educators, high school, and university students the opportunity to experience the joy of studying or teaching abroad.

GULF COAST VOLUNTEERING

To help rebuild the hurricane-devastated Gulf Coast, consider these organizations:

Common Ground Collective
This organization's mission is to provide short-term relief for victims of hurricane disasters in the Gulf Coast region and long-term support in rebuilding the communities affected in the New Orleans area. Common Ground is a community-initiated volunteer organization offering assistance, mutual aid, and support.

Emergency Communities
This small grassroots organization seeks to fill gaps in traditional relief models by working to rehabilitate communities, not just individuals.  Their first major project has been the Made with Love Cafe and Grill in St. Bernard Parish.

Habitat for Humanity New Orleans
Habitat for Humanity's New Orleans' affiliate welcomes volunteers from all faiths to help with ongoing recovery and rebuilding of New Orleans.

OTHER

Business Enterprises for Sustainable Travel
This organization supports sustainable travel and educates travelers on how to make contributions to the communities they visit. A travelers philanthropy program provides educational materials that help people understand how to forge partnerships with communities, get involved in community projects, and make and solicit contributions.

Off-the-Rails
This nonprofit travel group is made up of individuals who enjoy non-traditional travel, including philanthropic trips that give back to the communities they visit. Members enjoy travel that goes above and beyond traditional tourism and the group organizes trips with this goal in mind. Interested parties can apply for membership to the "tribe" to gain access to their extensive network of local contacts and travel partners.

Sustainable Travel International
This nonprofit organization provides education and outreach services to alleviate the toll that travel and tourism take on the environment and local cultures.