How to Put Volunteer Work on a Resume (With Examples!)

Werther you have much or little experience, writing a resume can always be a bit stressful. When you have a lot to include, you need to determine what to cut out. When you have little, you might wonder what to put in there to prove you're a suitable candidate (here's our guide on how to make a resume with no experience.)

Either way, volunteer work can give your resume an edge against the competition—so it's important to know how to put volunteer work on a resume the right way. Should it be in the work experience section? Or should it be in a different section altogether? Does it even matter? How should you describe it? These and many other questions may come to mind as you stare at a blank Google docs page.

Today, you'll get the answers you've been searching for and finally learn how to include volunteer work on a resume. We've prepared a full guide, with tips and examples, so you never have to worry about this again.

Does volunteer work count on a resume?

Like any work experience, volunteer work counts on a resume when it's relevant for that specific role. “Meaningful volunteer work should absolutely be included on your resume. The keyword being ‘meaningful,’” says Lisa Barrow, founder and CEO of Kada Recruiting and 20+ year veteran of the recruitment industry.

This means that merely adding volunteer experience to your resume to fill space won't do you any favors. But if the skills you've developed through volunteering are related to the role or company you're applying to, it can certainly set you apart from other candidates.

Other situations when it's worth adding volunteer work on resume:

• You're applying for your first job and want to showcase relevant skills for the role, despite having no work experience.

• You're changing careers and have done volunteer work related to the new field you're trying to enter.

• The volunteer experience allows you to highlight transferable skills that wouldn't fit in other sections of your resume.

• You have a gap year in employment, but during that time, you did volunteer work relevant to your application.

Volunteer work can also give you some extra points if you're applying for non-profit organizations. “If you have an organization or cause that you're passionate about and donate your time and expertise to, you should put that on your resume,” Barrow says. “Volunteer work showcases that you are more than just a one-dimensional worker and that you give beyond just the call of duty.”

When not to put volunteer work on a resume

You shouldn't put volunteer work on your resume if it's not relevant to your application. For instance, if you're applying to be a social media manager at a tech company, volunteer experience at an animal shelter rescuing and feeding puppies doesn't have much of a connection.

You'll also lose some points with the recruiter if the volunteer experience on your resume is more than 5-10 years old. It's always preferable to only add your most recent experiences, otherwise it'll seem like you're just trying to fill up space.

How to put volunteer work on a resume

There are two different ways to add volunteer work on a resume, depending on what stage of your career you're in. Usually, it's better to create a dedicated section, but in some cases, it can be included in the work experience section. Below, we give you tips on how to list volunteer work on a resume in each situation: 

If you have work experience, create a separate section

If you're an experienced professional, the volunteer work should have its own dedicated section on your resume. Barrow's advice is to keep it “short, sweet, and in a separate section” to avoid creating a conflict with your paid work experiences.

“This avoids any confusion as to overlaps in time,” she says. “And for applications that go to an applicant tracking system (ATS), it ensures that your volunteer work won't be mistaken for paid on the job experience.”

Here's an example of where to put volunteer work on resume alongside the other sections:

1. Header

2. Summary

3. Work experience

4. Education

5. Volunteer work

6. Skills

Other optional sections, such as languages, awards, and certifications, can also be included if they are relevant to that specific position or field.

If you're an entry-level candidate, add it to your work experience

If you're still in the beginning of your career and have little experience, you can add volunteer work in the work experience section, especially if it's highly relevant to the role. In this case, the sections of your resume would like this:

1. Header

2. Summary

3. Work experience

4. Education

5. Skills

6. Optional sections  (i.e. languages, awards, and certifications)

How can I describe my volunteer experience?

For some job seekers, the problem isn't where to put the volunteer work, but how to describe it. If you're on this group, here are a couple of tips on how to list your experience effectively: 

Highlight achievements over responsibilities

When describing your volunteer experience, focus on achievements rather than just responsibilities. Recruiters want to know not only what you did, but also how your actions positively impacted the organization.

For instance, instead of saying “responsible for organizing and managing the volunteer's shift calendar,” you could write, “managed the volunteer's shift calendar, reducing absenteeism by 12%.” This way, you describe what you did while highlighting what you achieved.

Connect the volunteer work with your skills

You can also use this space to showcase some of your transferable skills that are relevant to that particular position. These are skills valuable across various jobs and industries. For instance, if you're applying for a receptionist position at a dental clinic and you gained experience handling phone communications while volunteering, that's worth mentioning. 

For example:

“Handled communications over the phone and via email with possible donors, increasing our donations by 5%.” 

Include keywords from the job description

Job applications nowadays heavily rely on application track systems (ATS). This software scans resumes for keywords related to that specific job description. The more your resume matches with the job description, the greater your chances of being selected for an interview.

The volunteer work section is one more opportunity to incorporate some keywords extracted from the job description. For example, picture a candidate applying for a role that lists Excel proficiency listed as one of the requirements. Here's how they would use this keyword:

“Leveraged my Excel proficiency to register and account for the food pantry, resulting in a 15% decrease in wasted resources”

Volunteer work on resume: Examples

Here are two more examples of how to describe volunteer work on a resume, applying the advice above. In the first one, the volunteer experience has its own dedicated section, while in the second, it's included in the work experience section.

Example #1:

VOLUNTEER WORK

Food Bank of Northern Nevada, Volunteer

January 2023 - January 2024

• Organized the volunteer's shift calendar reducing absenteeism by 12%

• Managed over 30+ new volunteers in the course of year, providing training and daily instructions

• Leverage my Excel proficiency to register and account the food pantry, resulting in a 15% decrease of wasted resources

Example #2:

WORK EXPERIENCE

Marketing Inc., Content Writer 

February 2022 - June 2023

•  Developed creative content to three social media accounts, increasing the engagement rate by 15%

• Wrote content for the company's blog applying SEO strategies, resulting in a page view increase of 10%

Nevada Animal Shelter, Volunteer

March 2021 - January 2022

• Managed the shelter's Instagram account, creating awareness content that resulted in a followers and donors increase of 10%

• Lead a social media campaign to recruit new volunteers, increasing the number of new volunteers by 5%

Volunteer work on a resume: Sample

Now, let's take a look at a complete resume that includes volunteer work. In this sample, the candidate is applying for a project management position at a Marketing company. Here's how it's structured along with all the other sections:

Carolynn Lazard

Portland, OR 97086

555 123-1234

[email protected]

https://www.linkdin.com/in/clazard/ 

WORK EXPERIENCE

Corporation Central, Boulder, CO - Business Operations Project Manager

January 2023 - March 2024

• Reviewed multiple contracts a week, collecting and analyzing information and distributing it to leadership in a timely manner

• Assisted in the research, negotiation, and setup of a new email service provider, streamlining marketing efforts and decreasing costs by 20%

• Integrated Agile methodologies into cross-functional departments and environments 

StartUP, Boulder, CO - Executive Assistant

December 2022 - January 2023

• Acted as executive liaison between senior leaders, team executives, and the CEO and president, responding to requests via email and Slack and setting up meetings

• Interacted with hundreds of customers a day, answering questions, connecting them with the proper resources, and overall ensuring they had the best possible shopping experience

• Met regularly with vendors to reinstate contract terms and respond to requests from various team stakeholders

EDUCATION

University of Colorado Boulder - Bachelor of Arts, Art History

September 2009 - June 2013

VOLUNTEER WORK

Portland Women's Shelter, Volunteer

June 2021 - December 2021

• Assisted the registration of new shelter's residents and donations, increasing productivity by 5%

• Lead 10+ volunteers working on the selection and organization of donations, effectively distributing resources to all residents

TECHNICAL SKILLS AND CERTIFICATIONS
Agile/Scrum/Sprints, PMP, Six Sigma, Asana, Teamwork, Microsoft Office (Mac/PC)

Key takeaways

Volunteering not only gives back to your community but also helps build valuable skills for your resume. When you do include it, make sure it is relevant to that specific role and places emphasis on your accomplishments.