Volunteer Opportunities

Ongoing Opportunities for Photographers
If you would like to list an opportunity for photographers at your organization on this page, please send an email to info@photophilanthropy.org.

The Asia Foundation is a non-profit, non-governmental organization committed to the development of a peaceful, prosperous, just, and open Asia-Pacific region. The Foundation supports programs in Asia that help improve governance, law, and civil society; women's empowerment; economic reform and development; and international relations. Drawing on nearly 60 years of experience in Asia, the Foundation collaborates with private and public partners to support leadership and institutional development, exchanges, and policy research.

With 18 offices throughout Asia, an office in Washington, DC, and its headquarters in San Francisco, the Foundation addresses these issues on both a country and regional level. Their award winning graphic design, website, and publications depend on high-quality photography from the countries where they work. If you are interested in contributing your photography to The Asia Foundation please contact Molly Mueller at mmueller@asiafound.org.

Blue Planet Network has 58 members and has funded over 150 water improvement projects.  BPN needs volunteer photographers to visit their projects and provide a visual record of the successes and failures that have resulted.  Please visit their list of donors to find a project of interest. If you are interested in volunteering your photographic skills please contact lisa@blueplanetrun.org.

Boona-Baana Center for Children's Rights is a small privately-run non-profit organization located in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. It was founded in November 2002 and depends mainly upon private donations and international volunteers to operate. Although they do not run a formalized volunteer program, they do welcome proactive, dedicated, independent minded people who wish to give their time. They usually ask that volunteers commit to a minimum of 2 weeks with them, as it can be confusing to the children to have so many people popping in and out of their lives for short periods of time. To volunteer please contact: boonabaana_center@yahoo.org.

The mission of C.E.O. Women is to create economic opportunities for low-income immigrant and refugee women through teaching English, communications and entrepreneurship skills, so they can establish successful livelihoods. C.E.O. Women then provides women with intensive mentoring, coaching and access to capital needed to start a small business.

C.E.O. Women is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year! We will be having a 10th anniversary fundraising event on Thursday, October 21st from 6:00-8:00 pm at the Green Room at Herbst Theatre in San Francisco (401 Van Ness Avenue). We are seeking a photographer to volunteer his/her time to photograph this event. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Mikaela Lefrak at mikaela@ceowomen.org.

Chipua is a non-governmental organization based in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania using a multidimensional approach to equip disadvantaged youth, especially girls, with the necessary tools to improve their lives, and become contributing members of their communities. Chipua can provide accommodation for USD 15 per day and additionally USD 15 for three meals per day, less if the volunteer just wishes to have one or two meals provided.

Dog Meets World, the Photo Diplomacy project, is looking for anyone traveling to places of need to join in and practice Take & Give Photography! For what ever reason you're traveling, Dog Meets World can be easily added by taking along a little stuffed Foto mascot dog and a portable printer. Now take photos, print them up on-the-site and give them out...the fastest way to make friends! All volunteer phodographers create community by sharing their photos and stories on the website. Foto the dog, seen in all pictures is the fun unifying prop to "fetch photos" for the planet's kids.

Dog Meets World believes that each single shared photograph acknowledges another and is an indelible affirmation which plants a tiny seed of peace. Be part of this global effort to connect cultures through photography. For more details please visit the website or contact hello@dogmeetsworld.org.

Firelight Foundation funds over 200 local, grassroots organizations in southern and east Africa that are serving children and families. They would like to connect their grantee-partners to photographers who can help them portray the power and the heart of local leaders and community members that are working hard to advocate for children. For more information, please visit our website at http://www.firelightfoundation.org. If you are interested in sharing your photographic skills, please contact us at development@firelightfoundation.org.

Global Greengrants Fund supports communities worldwide in their efforts to create a just and sustainable planet. By providing small grants directly to grassroots groups, we seed environmental movements in the Global South to lead the way to a brighter future. We are looking for photographers to travel to any of the 100+ countries (outside of the US and Europe) where we make grants to capture the struggles and successes of our grantee partners—the personal, compelling, and transformative nature of the work, and the passionate and committed leaders of the causes. With more than 100 countries to choose from, and a wide array of socio-environmental issues, you are sure to find a story that resonates with your own values and interests. Please see our website for a full listing of projects to visit. Contact: Hilary Byerly, hilary@greengrants.org.

Founded by former professional soccer players in 2002, Grassroot Soccer (GRS) trains African soccer stars, coaches, teachers, and peer educators in the world's most HIV-affected countries to deliver an interactive HIV prevention and life skills curriculum to youth. Although GRS operates in numerous African countries, they are currently looking for fully funded volunteers to photograph programs around Cape Town, South Africa, especially during the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.

GrowingGreat Marin City/Sausalito is a school garden, nutrition education and community food access program serving the students and families of the Sausalito Marin City School District. The program was launched in 2009 with a grant from Carlos Santana’s Milagro Foundation and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in partnership with the school district. Students plant school gardens to appreciate fresh food and enrich their core subjects, learn to make healthy food choices and share their harvests and knowledge through workshops and community events. The program also is partnering with the local farmers market and other local organizations.

We are looking for a photographer to document the development of the program in the gardens, the classroom and at community events. The photos will be shared with the foundations, the community and potential funders.  The project is ongoing with both summer and school year projects. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Marika Bergsund, Program Director at marika@growinggreat.org or 415-828-0487.

IDEX (International Development Exchange) is a San Francisco based non-profit organization that promotes sustainable solutions to poverty by providing long-term grants and access to resources to locally run organizations in Africa, Asia and Latin America.  IDEX works with partners and grantees in Guatemala, Mexico, India, Nepal, South Africa and Zimbabwe that are creating lasting solutions to poverty in their communities.  Right now they have the greatest need for photographers in South Africa and Zimbabwe.  Please contact Gillian: Gillian@idex.org if you are interested in volunteering.

inside/out provides life changing travel experiences for people who want to make a difference in the world. Trips are designed around opportunities to do humanitarian volunteer work on meaningful international projects and are combined with sustainable eco-adventure travel in the local area of the project and people. These Humanitourism™ trips are designed to create longer-term relationships between communities and travelers.

International Bridges to Justice In its third year of operation, IBJ’s Documentary Journalism Program pairs budding journalists with human rights advocates (a.k.a. JusticeMakers Fellows) in developing countries. The arrangement allows journalists to build out their portfolio and experience, while bringing additional exposure to legal aid and anti-torture efforts around the world. At the conclusion of the program, IBJ will incorporate participants’ images, writings, and video into a coordinated effort to bring more resources and visibility to the global human rights movement. Applicants are reviewed each year, and must send a completed program application, their resume, and samples of their work. The work of Jeff Kennel, Ian MacLellan, Taylor Weideman and Erik Wilson on the PhotoPhilanthropy site we taken while participating in the IBJ’s Documentary Journalism Program.

Lightingupthesky.org and Common Ground Relief in New Orleans are facilitating agricultural, horticultural and food science programming in an outdoor garden classroom setting in the 9th Ward at MLK Elementary (the only school to resurface in the 9th Ward since Katrina).  We are gearing up towards year 2 in the Garden of Eatin in NOLA this fall in addition to a community green house workshop and 10k fundraiser race, and we need photographers! Contact melissa.schilling@lightingupthesky.org.

The Milagro Foundation was established by musician Carlos Santana and his family in 1998.  Milagro benefits underserved and vulnerable children around the world by making grants to community based tax-exempt organizations that work with children in the areas of education, health and the arts.  Milagro supports children and youth in the San Francisco Bay area, across the United States and in countries around the world touched by the music of Carlos Santana. Please view the ‘grantees’ page on their website for a list of projects that potentially need photographing. 

The Mission Continues is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that empowers wounded and disabled veterans to continue their lives of service here at home.  The Mission Continues offers paid service fellowships across the country to wounded and disabled veterans who are serving in their communities. Photographers are needed to powerfully capture the inspirational stories of our Fellows.  Specifically, photographers are needed in the following regions of the country (in order): St. Louis, MO, Washington, DC/Baltimore, San Antonio, TX, and southern California.  Photographers can be utilized during normal working hours when our Fellows are working at their community-based organizations.  Paul Eisenstein is the point of contact: 314.571.6154 or peisenstein@missioncontinues.org.

The Novato Youth Center (NYC) was founded and incorporated in 1976 through a collective effort led by parents and community leaders. The NYC offers a wide range of enriching services designed to nurture youth of all ages. A one-of-a-kind center in Marin, our mission is to inspire and prepare youth to succeed. We accomplish this by supporting their development in: academics and learning; health and well being; personal enrichment through arts and athletics; and social interaction and community engagement.

We need high quality photos as we revamp our website and undergo a new branding process. This would likely entail approximately 100 new photographs, some candid and some staged.  We can be flexible with schedules, would assist along the way as needed, and provide photo credits as appropriate.  If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Rose Newhouse at rose@novatoyouthcenter.org, or call (415)892-1643, ext. 250.

Points of Light Institute would be honored to find and work with volunteer photographers. We operate HandsOn Network, which includes 250 nonprofits across this great nation as well as 16 others globally. The HandsOn Network site allows a photographer to search for an organization regionally. Contact Cindy Ford cford@pointsoflight.org with questions.

Founded by Kristen Kosinski in September 2005, The Samburu Project is a non-p rofit 501 (c)(3) organization that collaborates with communities in developing countries to enhance men, women and children’s daily lives by providing resources that address immediate needs while promoting long term sustainability and self-sufficiency along with cultural integrity.  To volunteer, please contact Kristen@thesamburuproject.org.

UWABA is a grassroots NGO in Dar es Salaam campaigning for a better environment for cyclists and promoting cycling as a sustainable means of urban transport.  Our members are users of ordinary bicycles, three wheeled goods transport cycles and arm-cycles for disabled people.  Among our projects are an annual cycle caravan, cycle safety education program in schools, setting up a cycle messenger cooperative and ongoing communications with the Government on cyclists' needs.  For further information please see our website www.uwaba.or.tz/index-en.htm.

We would like a photographer to photograph cycling street conditions and cyclists in Dar es Salaam.  We would also like the photographer to document our cyclist members campaigning for their rights. To volunteer, please email uwabadar@yahoo.co.uk or call +255715568512.

VolunteerMatch strengthens communities in the U.S. by making it easier for good people and good causes to connect. The organization offers a variety of online services to support a community of nonprofit, volunteer and business leaders committed to civic engagement. Our popular service welcomes millions of visitors a year and has become the preferred internet recruiting tool for more than 75,000 nonprofit organizations.