Struggling to get interviews?
- You can list volunteer work experience in different resume sections, including your work history, a dedicated volunteer section, or your resume summary
- Include volunteer experience if it’s relevant to the job or fills a gap in your professional background
- Volunteer work can highlight transferable skills like leadership, communication, and teamwork
Volunteer work can be a valuable addition to your resume when it’s relevant to the job you’re applying for. Although it’s unpaid, volunteer experience often involves transferable skills that employers seek in paid roles.
Including volunteer work can also help address resume gaps by showing that you stayed active and continued to develop useful skills during periods away from paid employment. This addition is especially useful if you’ve taken time off for school, caregiving, or personal reasons.
If you’re new to the workforce or have limited paid experience, volunteer work can fill out your experience section and provide concrete examples of your abilities. In these cases, including volunteer roles is perfectly acceptable even if they’re not directly aligned with the job, as long as they show relevant skills, responsibility, or growth.
How to format and list volunteer work experience on a resume
When listing volunteer work on your resume, use the same format as in your work experience section. This means you should include:
- The organization you volunteered for
- Its location
- The time frame of your volunteer work
- A bulleted list explaining your duties and accomplishments
Here’s an example:
May 20XX–December 20XX
- Trained 5 new volunteers, helping them develop a strong commitment to community service
- Helped prepare food and serve meals to 200+ people per day
- Planned and organized two successful fundraising events, raising $2,500+ for the food bank
Our resume builder can help you create a professional resume in as little as 5 minutes. Choose your template, and let our software do the rest.
Where to put volunteer work on a resume (3 sections)
Depending on how much volunteer experience you have and how relevant it is to your target job, there are several places to list it on your resume:
Option 1: List volunteer roles in your work experience section
If your volunteer experience is highly relevant to the job you’re applying for, include it in your work experience section alongside your paid positions, like this:
Marketing Coordinator (Volunteer)
Community Food Network | Chicago, IL
March 20XX–August 20XX
- Managed social media accounts across Instagram and Facebook, increasing follower engagement by 35%
- Coordinated email campaigns to promote fundraising events and volunteer drives
- Collaborated with a team of 10 volunteers to plan monthly outreach initiatives
Administrative Assistant
BrightPath Consulting | Chicago, IL
June 20XX–February 20XX
- Provided administrative support to a team of five consultants, including scheduling and document preparation
- Maintained client records and handled correspondence to ensure smooth daily operations
- Assisted with onboarding materials and internal process documentation
Option 2: Create a dedicated section for volunteer work
If your volunteer experience isn’t especially relevant to the job but still worth mentioning, list it in a separate section labeled “Volunteer Experience” or “Community Service.”
Include a bullet point or two briefly describing your volunteer experiences under each entry. These descriptions should be kept short to avoid overshadowing more directly relevant experience.
Fundraising Volunteer
Habitat for Humanity, Austin, TX | Summer 20XX
- Assisted with donor outreach and helped organize two local fundraising events that raised over $10,000 for affordable housing efforts
Food Pantry Assistant
Central Community Services, Austin, TX | 20XX–20XX
- Sorted donations, stocked shelves, and helped distribute food to over 100 families each week
Event Setup Volunteer
City Parks Department, Austin, TX | Occasional, 20XX–20XX
- Helped set up and clean up at community events, including park cleanups, summer festivals, and holiday toy drives
Option 3: Mention volunteer work in your resume summary
If your volunteer experience is highly relevant to the job you’re applying for, especially if it involves the same responsibilities or skills, highlight it directly in your resume summary. This is a great way to immediately show employers that you have relevant experience, even if it didn’t come from a paid role.
Keep the mention brief and specific. Focus on accomplishments, transferable skills, or leadership shown through your volunteer work, like this:
Detail-oriented marketing graduate with hands-on experience managing social media campaigns and organizing outreach events through a local nonprofit. Passionate about creating data-driven content that connects with audiences.
6 examples of volunteer work on different resumes
Volunteer work looks different on every resume. Here are examples for different contexts that you can use to guide you:
High school student applying for part-time jobs
If you’re a high school student with limited paid experience, volunteer work can help show that you’re responsible and building real-world skills. Focus on experiences that demonstrate reliability, teamwork, or communication that will be useful in part-time roles.
Volunteer Assistant
Denver Public Library, Denver, CO
September 20XX–December 20XX
- Assisted with organizing and running weekly children’s storytime events, helping to manage attendance and engage young participants
- Shelved and cataloged books, maintained organization in the reading area, and helped patrons locate materials
- Supported library staff at the front desk by answering basic questions, restocking supplies, and keeping the space welcoming and clean
- Volunteered 6–8 hours per week as part of a school community service program
College student applying for internships
For college students, volunteer work shows initiative and relevant skills, even if you haven’t had a related job yet. Focus on experiences that demonstrate responsibility, leadership, or field-specific knowledge.
Volunteer Communications Assistant
Campus Sustainability Initiative, Boston, MA
January 20XX–May 20XX
- Created weekly Instagram posts and stories to promote sustainability events and recycling initiatives on campus
- Assisted in writing and editing content for the monthly student newsletter, distributed to over 2,000 recipients
- Collaborated with a team of students to plan Earth Week activities, resulting in a 25% increase in student participation
- Gained hands-on experience in digital content creation and team project coordination
Entry-level job seeker
If you’re just starting your career and don’t have much paid experience yet, volunteer work can help fill the gap. Choose experiences that highlight your ability to take initiative, work on a team, or contribute to real projects.
Volunteer Event Coordinator
Neighborhood Clean-Up Initiative, Philadelphia, PA
April 20XX–August 20XX
- Helped organize monthly clean-up events, coordinating with local volunteers and city departments
- Managed volunteer sign-ups, created simple flyers, and shared updates via email and social media
- Worked with a team of 15+ volunteers to clean 10+ public spaces, improving community engagement and visibility
- Gained hands-on experience in planning, communication, and event logistics
Career changer
If you’re switching industries, volunteer work that overlaps with your target role can help bridge the gap. Use it to show you’ve already gained relevant skills and are serious about your career transition.
Volunteer Program Assistant
Tech Access Now, Seattle, WA
January 20XX–June 20XX
- Supported weekly coding workshops for adults learning basic web development, assisting with setup, questions, and tech troubleshooting
- Created instructional handouts and updated resources based on student feedback to improve learning outcomes
- Collaborated with program coordinators to track attendance and participant progress, contributing to a 20% increase in course completion
Returning after an employment gap
If you’re re-entering the workforce after time away, volunteer work can show that you stayed active and continued building your skill set. Demonstrate reliability, initiative, and readiness to return to a professional role.
Volunteer Office Assistant
Sunrise Senior Center, Tampa, FL
March 20XX–December 20XX
- Supported administrative tasks, including filing, appointment scheduling, and basic data entry using Microsoft Excel
- Greeted visitors, answered phones, and maintained a welcoming front desk environment
- Assisted event coordinator with planning monthly social activities for residents
- Volunteered weekly while managing family responsibilities, maintaining strong organizational and interpersonal skills during a career pause
Moving to a more senior role
When you’re aiming for a more senior position, volunteer work can help show leadership potential, especially if your current role doesn’t provide many opportunities to lead. Highlight experiences where you took initiative, led a team, or managed a project.
Volunteer Team Lead
Local Business Mentorship Program, Minneapolis, MN
February 20XX–Present
- Lead a team of five volunteers mentoring small business owners on digital marketing basics and customer outreach strategies
- Organize monthly workshops covering social media, branding, and website optimization, increasing local business engagement by 40%
- Collaborate with program directors to develop training materials and track progress metrics for each participating business
How to tailor your volunteer experience to the job you’re applying for
To maximize the impact of your volunteer experience, tailor it to the specific job you’re applying for.
To do this:
- Review the job description to identify key skills or qualifications the employer wants.
- Match your volunteer roles to those requirements, and focus on the most relevant responsibilities in your bullet points.
- Use keywords from the job ad to show relevance and help your resume pass applicant tracking systems (ATS)
Even if your volunteer work wasn’t in the same industry, highlight transferable skills like communication, leadership, problem-solving, or project management.
Let us tailor your resume
Click to rate this article
4.8 Average rating
Facebook
Twitter
Linkedin
Pinterest
Reddit
Copy link