I do volunteer clean-ups at some local and state parks near me. I love being outside, use some of the parks regularly myself so I get personal benefit as well, I can see immediate results of my efforts.

I haven't volunteered much in the past but was just talking with my wife last week about wanting to try and get involved with something in the community. With 50+ hour week crazy work schedule and long commute for the past 20 years, I just didn't have it in me to give more time. I am in the process of changing careers and will have much more control over when and how much I work. My plan is to try and give back a little and get my kids involved.

If you have kids, it's a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon with them.

I volunteered at an orphanage for a year in the Philippines and go back there annually with my wife's daughter so she can spend a day with the kids. She was raised in a very poor family there but always had a mother so it's good to teach her that family is far more important than having more things. If you tell a child that it means nothing but if she sees it in person, it will stick with them.

I volunteer at my daughter’s school. The kids are a ton of fun!

I also volunteer at my parent’s assisted living and the old folks can be a hoot too! They are a very forgotten segment of our society and seeing how they age can really make you think about how you want to do the same. Attitude is everything!

I have volunteered at races too, but I prefer closer interaction with people than just pointing a direction to turn.

What do you enjoy? The best volunteers are people who are having fun- so think about what will be fun for you. Volunteering with a friend can be a lot of fun. Heck, I had a blast rolling donated coins with a friend. My advice would be to not dive in too fast as I see a lot of people do that and they burn out quick. I’ve been through many waves of them while I keep my few hours a week pretty consistent. Dip your toe in and keep dipping until you find something that you want to do more of.

If you like building stuff habitat for humanity can be both a lot of work and a lot of fun. Don’t be the guy that goes in and takes it too serious and makes it no fun- they also cycle through quick but can take regulars out with them.

Good luck finding something that you look forward to!

I've done heaps of various volunteer work, experiencing plenty of volunteer burnout in the process.

It's probably not helpful to tell you what kind of volunteer work to do. Only you know that.

What I can recommend is that you look introspectively and decide what's important to you and what brings you alive in a sense. What really matters to you? What excites you?

Answer those questions and then look for volunteer opportunities that align with those, or just create your own if those things aren't ready being done and reach out to an organization that could use those services and see if they'd like to start offering them or have clients you can assist or a need for that kind of help. The real key, in my opinion, is making sure that it really matters to you so you're excited each time you volunteer. That will make it meaningful to you, ensure that you're giving it your all so it's the most meaningful to the place and people you're helping, and so it doesn't become just another thing you feel obligated to do.

And once you get involved, learn the word "No." There are more needs than there are volunteers, so it's easy for volunteers to feel bad about not filling needs they see and then finding themselves burned out. Stick to what you love and stick to the time you can commit without feeling crushed by it, because nobody is helped if you can't take care of yourself and your needs in the process.