The Best Volunteer Opportunities in San Francisco, California

If you’re looking for a volunteer opportunity that rocks, Musicians On Call is playing your tune. This harmonious organization brings live and recorded music to the bedsides of patients who are facing all manner of challenging health issues. Musicians of all talents are encouraged to volunteer and play for those who are hospital-bound. Anyone who wants to get involved but doesn’t play an instrument can volunteer as a guide, serving as a liaison between patients and musicians.

This special project cultivates compassion to help eliminate the isolation San Francisco’s at-risk populations face. It accepts both single and group volunteers to care for those who have life-altering or life-threatening conditions. Solo Good Samaritans can work one-on-one with adults as peer-support volunteers, including providing PAWS pet assistance services to the pets of ageing adults. Those who want their whole crew to join can help organize one of two annual events, help create holiday gift bags for the afflicted or even participate in group dog washes.

For nearly half a century, Community Forward SF has extended kindness and empathy to those who are homeless in the Bay Area. Not only does the organization feed and clothe them, but it also puts them on a path to permanent housing and self-sufficiency. Volunteers can assist the many programs by lending a hand in their facilities and, most importantly, making sure every San Francisco resident seeking help feels cared for, seen and respected.

Sprouts Cooking Club works hard to prepare the next wave of culinary creatives. It provides hands-on training programs for underprivileged youth to encourage their passion for cooking and eventually secure employment in the restaurant industry. Volunteers can lend a hand in cooking classes for children, helping individuals as young as seven hone their talents in the kitchen, express their creativity and learn a valuable skill set that will see them through life.

As the name suggests, Nature in the City is an environmental organization that looks after San Francisco’s original locals – it aims to connect the city with its natural roots by conserving local habitats. It hosts multiple monthly meet-ups at places like Alemany Farm and Palou Phelps Park that volunteers help restore. From pulling up invasive weeds to creating bird sanctuaries for migration routes, Nature in the City welcomes anyone who wants to help make San Francisco a happy habitat for flora, fauna and folks alike.