Have you been looking for a few new ways to donate your upcoming free time while staying involved with your academic pursuits? Volunteering is an excellent way to expand your work experiences and learn how to care for your communities. If you’re curious, you can read more about how volunteering in all fields can help students here.
However, there are plenty of reasons that might be keeping you from applying to in-person positions. And we’ve heard from our STEM students that remote volunteering opportunities can be hard to find. We encourage you to try these remote volunteering options before you call it quits!
What kinds of options are available to high school students right now?
This list focuses on volunteering for STEM positions that can be fulfilled remotely. This is only a sample of what might be out there. Of course, before you apply, it’s always a good idea to do your own research on each position so you know everything you can about the job.
How did we put this list together?
Connect with Empowerly to discuss how we help students with this process! Our talented team of experts stays up-to-date on developments in the college admissions space. That includes gathering lists of potential opportunities, like remote volunteering for STEM students, that will be a good fit for you.
We’ve organized this list based on…
- Location (if applicable)
- Organization name
- Description of work
- Contact information
- Age eligibility (if applicable)
Each of these key factors will help you zone in on scholarships you’re most likely to be able to win. As they say, “work smarter, not harder.”
Now, let’s get to the good stuff.
| Location | Organization | Description | Contact | Age eligibility |
| Remote | Python Developers volunteer opportunities | A volunteer board that lists several volunteer roles specifically focused on Python programming language. | See website for individual emails. | Not listed. |
| Remote | Code For America volunteer opportunities | A volunteer board that lists several coding jobs that need to be done (just click on the tab listed “Volunteering“). | See website for individual emails. | Not listed. |
| Remote | Social Coder | Programmers tell us what causes they care about and what skills and experience they want to share. Charities and non-profit organizations talk to us about projects they want to start—we help define the project. We match volunteers with suitable projects. Participation is entirely optional. | Register for access to individual projects. | Not listed. |
| Palo Alto, CA/Remote | Benetech | As a nonprofit, Benetech bridges that gap by developing technology focused on helping people, not generating big profits. Our volunteers apply their passion and expertise in areas such as literacy, communications, software development, and business development. Many work remotely, while some come into our Palo Alto office. They make up a rich and lively community—participating in discussion groups, book clubs, and other events. We invite you to join our vibrant network of volunteers! | Benetech480 S. California Ave., Suite 201Palo Alto, California 94306-1609 | Please note that Benetech requires volunteers to be at least 15 years of age. |
| Remote or nationwide | Techsoup | TechSoup invites volunteers to help us equip changemakers with the transformative technology solutions and skills they need to improve lives globally and locally. If you are interested in volunteering with TechSoup, the first step is to join and complete your TechSoup profile so all TechSoup community members can read more about you. | For more information about opportunities, contact us by emailing volunteers@techsoupglobal.org. | Not listed. |
| Remote | Enhance A Village | Do you want to volunteer for a non-profit organization? Interested in volunteering virtually, setting your own hours, and helping improve an existing website by adding or improving its design and features while improving the lives of others? If your answer is yes, these volunteering opportunities are definitely for you! | Submit a form on their website to contact and/or register for a project position. | Not listed. |
| Remote | Solve For Good | Solve for Good is a platform for social good organizations to post data projects that they need help with, for volunteers to help scope those projects into well-defined problems, and to help solve those problems. | info@solveforgood.org | No listed. |
| Remote | One Laptop Per Child | One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization created to give every child in the world quality, innovative education. The OLPC program provides each child with a rugged, connected, low-cost computer and a comprehensive ecosystem of educational support. We have a very dedicated team of volunteers that assist users with problems. Not much technical experience is necessary. Join our Support Gang – New learning activities, teacher tools, games, and other programs are constantly being developed. Schools often have specific requests that developers worldwide can help with, and existing packages need improvements and translation into other environments. If you would like to help develop software for the XO, join our OLPC devel and Sugar devel mailing lists. | To get more information about how you can become a part of the one laptop per child community send a mail to: info@laptop.org | Not listed. |
| Remote | Delta Analytics | Delta Analytics has two parallel goals. First, we bridge the skill gap faced by nonprofits by providing free data consulting and data services. Second, we build technical capacity in communities around the world by providing free training to help democratize access to machine learning and data tools. We are a nonprofit run entirely without full-time staff; instead, our work is possible because of the volunteer efforts of a rich community of data professionals. | inquiries@deltanalytics.org | No minimum age is stipulated. |
Thanks for reading. We hope one or more of these opportunities stood out to you. If so, then it’s time to get cracking on your applications! Highlight your strengths and show your personality as much as possible. You can think of these apps as practice for college applications.
If not, don’t despair; our counselors have helped thousands of students map out fantastic summer plans, and we’re more than happy to work with you to get started. Book a free consultation below to get the ball rolling.
