When each day seems to bring bad news from all over the world, it’s inspiring to see how many people around the world are working to do good things for others, both at home and abroad.
Lucky for us, many of these people document their adventures in doing good through blogs and social media.
The following are just a few of our favorite volunteer and non-profit blogs that provide inspiring stories, helpful information, and proof that everyone can do their small part to change the world for the better.
Travelanthropist
Travelanthropist is all about keeping it local — enjoying the local culture and supporting the local people and their economy. They cover both inspiration and advice on finding the perfect local adventures on the road.
Post to inspire you: Have you considered a volunteer vacation in Cuba?
Global Help Swap
Travel makes creators Karen and Paul feel alive… especially responsible travel. When they were faced with the question of buying a home or seeing the world, the answer was obvious. Karen and Paul created Global Help Swap to inspire others to tread lightly, seek responsible adventures and experience the world through local communities.
Post to inspire you: Finding Peace in Mardin, Turkey
Huffington Post Impact
This internet powerhouse packs a punch in the content department, and that includes content about volunteering and doing good on their Impact blog. You’ll find big headlines related to non-profits and charities, as well as personal stories of people on the ground level, doing good around the world.
Post to inspire you: Kenyan Women are quietly revolutionizing farming… and the government’s noticing
100 Ways to Change the World
Tracy, Brian, Emily, Liv and Alison are your “typical” American family… that is, if traveling around the world and volunteering along the way is your idea of typical. They’re participating in projects both big and small in hopes of not only changing the world, but changing themselves in the process.
Post to inspire you: Quitting my complaining Valle de Rocas
Fly for Good
The team behind Fly for Good is dedicated to the life of service, and they seek to support others who travel for good by offering discounted airfare to those involved in humanitarian efforts.
Post to inspire you: Humanitarian Airfare: How can you benefit?
Grassroots Volunteering
Shannon O’Donnell has been traveling around the world since 2008. She started her first blog, A Little Adrift, to inspire others to see the world, with a focus on local-level travel. Grassroots Volunteering grew out of that, providing even more practical information on volunteering abroad with local communities.
Post to inspire you: Good for Community: Service offered abroad can be just as powerful at home
Non-Profit Tech for Good
We don’t often think of the tech industry and non-profits going hand-in-hand, but this blog found the cross-section. The site provides easy-to-understand explanations on how the media and technology can help non-profits accelerate and optimize their work.
Post to inspire you: 16 Professionals Share Non-profit Technology Advice via Instagram Video
Staying for Tea
Aaron Ausland and his late wife, Krista, sold everything in 1998 for a three-year volunteer project in rural Bolivia. From there, Aaron “began making mistakes almost immediately.” He’s learned a lot since then, and shares that knowledge on Staying for Tea, which emphasizes the value of people over projects and effectiveness over good intentions.
Post to inspire you: Getting the Best, Brightest, and Poorest to School
Flora the Explorer
Flora is a travel writer who likes to immerse herself in local communities, wherever she goes. She finds that volunteering is often the best way to do this. She’s helped out with community projects in Kenya, Colombia, and a host of other countries. Flora’s stories will inspire any traveler to slow down and get involved.
Post to inspire you: Working in a Bolivian Artificial Limb Clinic
Feeding America
Feeding America shares the stories of American families in need, and shows how fellow Americans are helping to feed their neighbors. The issue of hunger is easily overlooked in America, where we might assume that hunger is an issue that only plagues the homeless we see in big cities. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Feeding America shines the spotlight on this problem.
Post to inspire you: Who’s Running This Country: Rachel’s Story
Are there any blogs we missed? Please share your favorites with us in the comments!