Cambridge Volunteers

Cambridge Volunteers connects people who want to give their time with the agencies that serve Cambridge residents. It hosts a free public database of local volunteer opportunities, runs citywide volunteer fairs and guides individuals and groups toward meaningful matches. For nonprofits, it helps with volunteer recruitment and preparation and acts as a knowledge-sharing hub, and it offers small and mid-sized businesses guidance on engaging with their host community.

The organization started as the Cambridge Senior Volunteer Clearinghouse, giving one-on-one guidance to local retirees, then dropped “Senior” from its name in 2017 and moved its listings online. During the COVID-19 pandemic it led a coalition of 12 nonprofits that, with the city and more than 100 volunteers, distributed protective equipment including 50,000 specially made masks. It later launched one of the country’s first remote volunteer fairs.

What to Know

• It was founded in 1994 by Robert S. Hurlbut and Dr. Beverly Cassara.
• Its volunteer jobs database features more than 175 local organizations.
• Cambridge Volunteers is now part of the Cambridge Nonprofit Coalition.
• It runs free Find Your Mission workshops, which moved online after the pandemic began.