Post-retirement volunteer ideas

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driloem
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Joined: Fri Sep 24, 2021 7:19 am

Post-retirement volunteer ideas

Post by driloem »

I am 62 and retired from the Federal Government at the end of 2020. I am mentally and physically fit and feel like I still have something to contribute to society in a volunteer capacity especially in advancing environmental, health, aviation/space issues, or science in general. Any suggestions for such opportunities? Especially in these times when there are so many societal challenges and jobs going unfilled. Not at all picky about the type of work, but ideally can be done from home.
tj
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Re: Post-retirement volunteer ideas

Post by tj »

Those sound like things you get could get paid for.
livesoft
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Re: Post-retirement volunteer ideas

Post by livesoft »

What volunteer work have you been doing for the past 30 years? That will point you in the right direction I would think.

Here's something to look at: https://designconnectcreate.org/volunteer/ In essence, help run virtual summer camps.
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blackburnian
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Re: Post-retirement volunteer ideas

Post by blackburnian »

Find organizations in your community whose work you value; contact them to ask about volunteer opportunities. If you are willing to leave the house, there are plenty of opportunities to tutor for science or GED classes; you could also volunteer at a science museum if you have one near you, or a park or natural area.
delamer
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Re: Post-retirement volunteer ideas

Post by delamer »

Both the Smithsonian and National Archives use volunteers to transcribe documents into digital format for use by researchers.

This can be done from anywhere there’s a computer.

You can transcribe documents that are of interest to you.
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MAKsdad
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Re: Post-retirement volunteer ideas

Post by MAKsdad »

I agree that you should start with organizations that you consider valuable and/or have donated time or money to in the past. Otherwise, aren't you just starting a new job?
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vanbogle59
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Re: Post-retirement volunteer ideas

Post by vanbogle59 »

driloem wrote: Fri Sep 24, 2021 7:58 am I am 62 and retired from the Federal Government at the end of 2020. I am mentally and physically fit and feel like I still have something to contribute to society in a volunteer capacity especially in advancing environmental, health, aviation/space issues, or science in general. Any suggestions for such opportunities? Especially in these times when there are so many societal challenges and jobs going unfilled. Not at all picky about the type of work, but ideally can be done from home.
There are millions of kids throughout the country who are talented and eager to learn STEM subjects.
Some are struggling in poor schools. Some are doing great but want more than the school can offer......
Do you enjoy working with kids? What ages? Even community colleges have roles for non-PhD

Plenty of tutoring/mentoring can be done from home. You can even go to a tutoring agency and volunteer to work with students who find it difficult to pay the going rates.

Personally, I find things like running a chess or robotics club more interesting. But that's typically on-site.

BTW, I failed twice at trying to become a class-room teacher after my first retirement. I'm just not a good fit for that culture. That's why I'm back at megacorp. :beer
sailaway
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Re: Post-retirement volunteer ideas

Post by sailaway »

Tutoring, park docents, citizen scientist, hospitals...
InMyDreams
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Re: Post-retirement volunteer ideas

Post by InMyDreams »

What are your interests, what things have you seen people doing that you thought - hmm, that's cool, wish I had the time to do it.

Outdoors? I think the National Park Services has a corps of volunteers that assist with a variety of duties (think - work) and the volunteers can go play in the park the rest of the time. More locally, you can probably find groups that do trail maintenance and monitoring, other organizations that need docents...

TaxAide or VITA to provide tax assistance

Food bank.

Sometimes an organization looks for volunteers just to make a weekly call to a shut in to make sure that person is still managing ok.

Your community probably has some sort of volunteer opportunity posting system. There are similar ones online.
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Sandtrap
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Re: Post-retirement volunteer ideas

Post by Sandtrap »

driloem wrote: Fri Sep 24, 2021 7:58 am I am 62 and retired from the Federal Government at the end of 2020. I am mentally and physically fit and feel like I still have something to contribute to society in a volunteer capacity especially in advancing environmental, health, aviation/space issues, or science in general. Any suggestions for such opportunities? Especially in these times when there are so many societal challenges and jobs going unfilled. Not at all picky about the type of work, but ideally can be done from home.
"Done From Home"

What are your skillsets that can be done through the computer, online?

Donate your services to various groups, no profits, etc, that can be done this way.
Not knowing your skillsets so, for example: helping with website maintenance or setup, tech support, IT, etc.

If you did budgeting and finance and long term financial planning for your career, etc, then consider being a "boglehead.org portfolio reviewer" to help others, etc.

This is a broad question given the data presented and suggestions could be anything. So. . .

What are your skillsets?

You can edit your original post to include this data using the "pencil icon". Hopefully that will generate more targeted help.

j :D
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backpacker61
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Re: Post-retirement volunteer ideas

Post by backpacker61 »

driloem wrote: Fri Sep 24, 2021 7:58 am or science in general. Any suggestions for such opportunities?
I'm an amateur radio buff, and for a few years, I was involved in teaching a license class to people that were interested in obtaining a license. The classes were free, and were sponsored by a local radio club. At the time, radiotelegraph proficiency was required to obtain a license, and I was usually involved in teaching morse code.

The amateur radio license exams are also conducted by volunteers, and I was an accredited volunteer examiner.

http://www.arrl.org/volunteer-examiners
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stan1
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Re: Post-retirement volunteer ideas

Post by stan1 »

One thing my spouse does is spend a lot of time helping neighbors who are older. Everything from helping them care for their yards to some shopping to small home repair to driving to a medical appointment. It's a way to engage directly with your immediate neighbors and help them out in very substantive ways some times. If you live in a Homeowners Association join the board of directors.

Professional associations can use an active member with free time to set up events (virtual and in person). Mentor/protege programs might be a good fit.

I know several people who have found teaching English as a Second Language to be very rewarding. The students are very, very appreciative. No teaching credentials required. In person though.

Volunteering usually involves interacting with the community, such as at a food bank or a pet rescue or helping small business owners. Even mid sized local charities have small staffs that do back office functions.

Agree what you are describing sounds like a part time white collar job on Zoom/Teams calls. Maybe a professional expert witness in your area of expertise? You could try online teaching but I think a lot of other people are onto that one but maybe you have a unique niche that would make it easier for you to get into such a position.
fundseeker
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Re: Post-retirement volunteer ideas

Post by fundseeker »

It's nice that you want to volunteer, but 62 seems pretty young to not just continue earning money. I'm thinking of being an employee of a company that has contracts with the federal government to provide services, or contracting directly with an agency or private-sector company. You may find it less stressful than the position you had before retiring, and maybe it could even be part-time. You just may not find that many volunteering opportunities that will keep you busy and satisfied for the next few decades. Good luck!
stan1
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Re: Post-retirement volunteer ideas

Post by stan1 »

fundseeker wrote: Sun Sep 26, 2021 9:25 am It's nice that you want to volunteer, but 62 seems pretty young to not just continue earning money. I'm thinking of being an employee of a company that has contracts with the federal government to provide services, or contracting directly with an agency or private-sector company.
Working as a federal contractor is a J. O. B., and sometimes not a fun one. The federal government is mired in bureaucracy in everything from customer service to IT to strategic planning and contractors are often left to deal with the brunt of the compliance requirements. I can understand why OP might not want to get involved in that. Business development and proposal writing in response to contract solicitations also may not be "fun".

There may be other opportunities, such as working for the federal sales or government affairs divisions of a company that provides products to the federal government (like software or equipment) rather than professional services.

In case you can't tell I've thought about this extensively.

OP surely has a pension and may not need to earn income from a job.
fundseeker
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Re: Post-retirement volunteer ideas

Post by fundseeker »

stan1 wrote: Sun Sep 26, 2021 9:42 am
fundseeker wrote: Sun Sep 26, 2021 9:25 am It's nice that you want to volunteer, but 62 seems pretty young to not just continue earning money. I'm thinking of being an employee of a company that has contracts with the federal government to provide services, or contracting directly with an agency or private-sector company.
Working as a federal contractor is a J. O. B., and sometimes not a fun one. The federal government is mired in bureaucracy in everything from customer service to IT to strategic planning and contractors are often left to deal with the brunt of the compliance requirements. I can understand why OP might not want to get involved in that. Business development and proposal writing in response to contract solicitations also may not be "fun".

There may be other opportunities, such as working for the federal sales or government affairs divisions of a company that provides products to the federal government (like software or equipment) rather than professional services.

In case you can't tell I've thought about this extensively.

OP surely has a pension and may not need to earn income from a job.
I agree that the "OP might not want to get involved in that" and that he "may not need to earn income from a job." My post was just a suggestion from my experience and the extensive thought I've given to this topic. No one said the OP must consider or do anything that I suggested. The OP wrote, "Any suggestions..," and I made one for him to consider, based on my very good experiences.
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AAA
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Re: Post-retirement volunteer ideas

Post by AAA »

stan1 wrote: Sun Sep 26, 2021 9:42 am The federal government is mired in bureaucracy in everything from customer service to IT ...
As opposed to large corporations which excel in these areas? :wink:
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tennisplyr
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Re: Post-retirement volunteer ideas

Post by tennisplyr »

This site might be useful:

www.volunteermatch.org/search/?v=true
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PapaB
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Re: Post-retirement volunteer ideas

Post by PapaB »

Many good suggestions here. One that is not here and may be a good opportunity is to innovate something yourself. You will undoubtedly find many frustrating things about volunteer work in another organization - they operate similar to other jobs with most of the joy coming from relationships with other employees/volunteers and most of the frustration coming from incompatibilities between organizational policies/procedures compared to how you want to do things. It would not be difficult to start something you believe in (writing policy documents for decision makers, developing solutions to environmental issues, etc.).
lws
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Re: Post-retirement volunteer ideas

Post by lws »

With your background, you can be a good STEM volunteer.
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AAA
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Re: Post-retirement volunteer ideas

Post by AAA »

backpacker61 wrote: Sun Sep 26, 2021 12:45 pm
AAA wrote: Sun Sep 26, 2021 12:09 pm
stan1 wrote: Sun Sep 26, 2021 9:42 am The federal government is mired in bureaucracy in everything from customer service to IT ...
As opposed to large corporations which excel in these areas? :wink:
When businesses get too mired in those things, they become less profitable and can have layoffs or go out of business.
My internet service provider appears to be immune to this and is doing quite well. Same for my cell phone provider, my 401K plan administrator, etc. This is not to defend government bureaucracy, but customer service and IT seem to be at low points in private industry also. How often do you call a company up without getting the "we're experiencing a larger than normal volume of calls" greeting?
MP173
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Re: Post-retirement volunteer ideas

Post by MP173 »

Do you belong to a faith based organization (church, temple, mosque, etc). If so, contact them for tasks such as manning the front desk, visiting shut ins, etc.

Food banks are always looking for help as are Meals on Wheels. Volunteer at teh local pet shelter and "walk dogs". I will probably do those things upon retirement.

One thing I really want to do at some point is develop a community garden and teach people about growing their own vegetables. Another is to teach financial literacy to youth. Perhaps a math/science tutoring thru local schools or library.
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zincTwo
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Re: Post-retirement volunteer ideas

Post by zincTwo »

I'm still employed, but 6 months ago I pulled in one item on my bucket list to be a STEM/tour guide at a local aerospace museum (I'm a EE/CS, not a pilot).
I volunteer once or twice a month (they'd take me weekly if I retired), and help with STEM presentations to school groups, or public tours of the aircraft. I find it very enriching, and now can't wait to retire to increase my engagement. If interested, PM me for more info.

I also recommend any local volunteering activities, some of which would appreciate the help... I've found justserve.org to be a good site.
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