Get Involved
Community Volunteering
Volunteering in Massachusetts is not only about giving time. It is a way to reach the levers of your own town: you can help run an election before you are old enough to vote in one, sit on a board that hands out real grant money, or represent your community to the governor. Here is where to start, in person or from home.
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Service Programs for Students
Some of the best service programs in the state are built for young people, and one of them is famous. Project 351 brings together a new class of 8th grade ambassadors each year from Massachusetts’ 351 cities and towns for a year of service and leadership. You do not apply. Educators in your hometown select the students they already see living a life of service, so the way in is to be that person before anyone is keeping score. Project 351 has run every year since 2011. These statewide and local programs take student volunteers right now:
Volunteer at the Ballot Box
Here is a job most adults do not know a teenager can hold. Massachusetts law lets 16 and 17 year olds work as official election officers at a polling place, checking in voters, watching the ballot box, or greeting people at the door. Up to two student officers can serve at each precinct. You spend Election Day inside the machinery of a democracy you cannot yet vote in, and in many schools it counts as community service.
The rules come directly from the state statute, Chapter 54, Section 12 (Section 11B in cities): you must be a Massachusetts resident and a U.S. citizen, you bring a permission letter from a parent or guardian, and when the election or a training falls on a school day you bring one from your school principal too. To sign up, contact the local election office in your city or town, which hires the election workers for your community.
Popular Ways to Volunteer
You do not have to wait for a big program. These groups put volunteers to work across Massachusetts, most of them within a short bus or train ride:
- Local food banks: Distribute meals and supplies with the Greater Boston Food Bank.
- Environmental cleanups: Keep green spaces beautiful with Mass Audubon.
- Youth mentorship: Support young people through skills-based volunteer roles at Catchafire and other local nonprofits.
- Senior assistance: Help elderly neighbors through Mass.gov volunteering and giving resources.
- Community volunteering: Connect with local nonprofits through Boston Cares, the largest volunteer agency in New England, serving 150+ Greater Boston schools and nonprofits.
Find Opportunities Near You
Each of these tools lets you filter by your own city or ZIP code, so you can find a shift close to home:
Serve on a Local Board or Commission
Cities and towns in Massachusetts run on volunteers who sit on official boards, and most of those seats are unpaid and open to residents. Every community in the state has a Local Cultural Council, a panel of appointed volunteers who decide how to spend real grant money on local art, music, history, and science projects. By March of fiscal year 2026 these councils had awarded about $6.6 million across more than 7,400 grants. Most communities also have a conservation commission and a library board of trustees, and their meetings are open to the public.
You may not be old enough to be appointed yet, but you can start now: read the agenda, sit in on a meeting, and speak during public comment. Here is where to learn how these seats work:
Virtual Volunteering
No car, no problem. These roles let you help a Massachusetts nonprofit directly from your laptop:
Pick one thing on this page and start this month. Your town runs on the people who take a seat at the table.
Sources
- Community organizations: Mass Cultural Council, Local Cultural Councils Award $6.6M to 7,400 Community-Based Projects (March 2, 2026), as of March 2, 2026.