Volunteer Abroad in 14 Countries.

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Offering Innovations in

Comprehensive Development

Employing the skills and energy of

Volunteers Worldwide

A tribute to our friend: Arthur Frommer

Arthur Frommer, the visionary travel writer who revolutionized global exploration with his iconic guidebooks, passed away on November 18, 2024, leaving a legacy of meaningful travel. Through his writings, he empowered countless individuals to discover the world’s beauty on a budget, but his impact extended far beyond affordability. Arthur actively championed the idea of travel as a force for good, using his influential platform to publicize volunteer vacations and highlight their unique ability to foster cultural exchange and mutual understanding. Reflecting on his journeys, Frommer once shared, “On every trip to anywhere, in unfamiliar surroundings, among new and different people, your consciousness changes and you develop new beliefs.” Arthur’s passing is deeply felt by his many admirers, including Global Volunteers’ cofounder and CEO Burnham Philbrook, JD, who knew him as a tireless advocate for meaningful volunteer vacations and a dear friend. All of us at Global Volunteers extend our deepest sympathies to his family and all who knew and loved Arthur Frommer.

We Catalyze Change Worldwide.

Global volunteers are compassionate, committed individuals – professionals, retirees, students, tradespeople, and others from all backgrounds and all ages who know the power of positive, collective action. Working together in teams and under the direction of local leaders abroad or in the US, volunteers nourish children, mentor youth, teach students, support parents, encourage refugees, inspire teachers, care for patients, and span the globe responding to community needs wherever we are invited to serve.

Join us as a volunteer abroad or donate now, and make positive change in our world.

We Engage Short-Term Volunteers Worldwide in Long-Term Development.

At Global Volunteers, we take an innovative approach to comprehensive human and economic development. We leverage the world’s endlessly renewable resource – volunteers – to catalyze positive change while always working under the direction of local leaders. Our volunteers create, nurture, and sustain the well-being of the world’s children and their families through targeted service in homes, classrooms, clinics, community centers, hospitals, orphanages, childcare centers, libraries, and farms to provide essential services; helping children thrive. We’re invited by community leaders to serve alongside local people in one-to-three-week service programs; investing in long-term community development projects all over the world. We support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through safe, meaningful, impactful, service-learning programs. Moreover, Global Volunteers has earned the highest possible ratings from external evaluators, validating that we act with integrity and transparency, are highly effective, and exceed industry standards across virtually all areas.

The world needs you to make a difference. Support genuine, lasting community impact as a volunteer, funding partner, or donor.

“Volunteering abroad holds magic on so many fronts. It’s the springboard for my global explorations. I can’t imagine one without the other anymore.”
-Seija Webb, 8-time Global Volunteer

Volunteer Abroad and in the US. Make Positive Change Happen Here.

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Exceed your Expectations. Be a Catalyst for Change in the World.

“Granddaddy of the volunteer vacation movement.”

“Bud and Michele established Global Volunteers to provide people with an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of children around the globe.”

“The work they accomplish meets needs in little-known areas that might not be on the radar of large-scale efforts.”

“Global Volunteers is one of the oldest nonsectarian organizations to offer short-term volunteer vacations.”

“A model that has been replicated worldwide.”

“Global Volunteers has what are regarded as the best programs in the field.”

“Global Volunteers is at the leading edge of the surge in popularity of volunteer vacations.”

“Travel with a conscience and help people on a Global Volunteers journey.”

“In 1979 Michele Gran and Bud Philbrook helped people in a poor mountain village in Guatemala. That lead to Global Volunteers — spiritually fulfilling, intellectually stimulating and incidentally tax-deductible volunteer vacations.”

“Though the volunteers may be vacationers, the aid they bring is real.”

10 Best Volunteer Abroad Organizations: “A pioneer of volunteer vacations organizations, Global Volunteers was founded in 1984 – that is, long before it was a trend.”