Austin is a great city with tons to do at every hour of the day. There’s almost always some sort of music festival, and never a night without live music happening somewhere in the city. A million places to get coffee, go thrifting, or even just walk around and sightsee. On top of all the amazing things to do in Austin, there are also a multitude of ways to give back to the community. Volunteers in Austin keep our parks beautiful, our thrift shops organized and stocked, and most importantly, help our people build their lives upwards.
Volunteering in Austin!
This is a non-exhaustive list of some volunteer opportunities in Austin that anyone can do! These are great ways to go out, have fun, spend NOTHING, and give back to others who need it the most!
For the Outdoorsy Type:
Pease Park, located at the edge of west campus, very close to UT Austin students, and a very nice place to go for a walk and a cup of coffee, is a place that is made possible by the Pease Corps, which are volunteers. Volunteer opportunities at Pease Park include litter pickup, trail cleaning, garden care, and park restoration.
Keep Austin Beautiful is a city-wide initiative to keep our streets, parks, lakes, and everything else in pristine condition. You can help with cleanups at Ladybird Lake, Barton Springs, or other creeks around Austin, as well as streets and neighborhoods.
For the Kid-at-Heart:
Austin Libraries provide almost a million different ways to give back, and the best part is that most of them involve reading to kids, arts and crafts, or other ways to nurture your inner child! You can lead children’s groups in learning to play board games, chess club, story time, or help out with events at the Central Library.Â
Youth Center Sports Teams are a perfect opportunity to continue being involved in sports while helping young children stay involved in after-school activities. By being a volunteer, you help keep these programs affordable and accessible!
Seedling is a mentorship program for children whose parents are incarcerated. You are paired with a child to help them navigate school by providing a stable presence and a person they can come to for help. The goal is to help these kids maintain a positive attitude towards school despite their unfortunate circumstances.Â
For the People-Person:
Dress For Success helps women become economically independent by providing professional dress clothes and professional skills workshops. This is perfect for fashion lovers because most volunteer work consists of dressing clients for interviews. This organization also provides help with job searching, writing a resume, and building interview skills.Â
Casa Marianella is an immigrant shelter that provides resources for becoming independent. You can help by teaching residents English, filling out job applications, learning to ride the bus, cleaning and sorting donations, and really anything you can bring to the table!
For the Animal Lovers:
Austin Pets Alive is dedicated to reducing euthanasia rates in animal shelters. Since they started in 1997, they’ve made a huge impact, and a lot of it is volunteer work. APA! Volunteers help directly with animals by helping with the fostering process, helping with pet care, and many other opportunities. You can also help indirectly through volunteering at APA! Thrift stores.
For the Music Enthusiast:
Last, but definitely not least on the list, are music festival volunteer opportunities. These volunteers help ensure the events are safe, run smoothly, and help with clean-up afterwards. ACL festivals actually contribute to the beautification of Austin’s nature scene, and volunteers get free entry and a t-shirt in exchange for volunteering. SXSW volunteers also get free entry in exchange for volunteering. In all, free entry is a great reason to donate your time—that and the fact that you help make these events possible for everyone else!