130 Examples of Community Service Projects in 2024

May 16, 2024

Community service projects can look great on college applications. But the difference between a worthwhile community service project and a flimsy excuse to check a box is not only vast but easily recognizable by college admissions officers. Before you start adding new commitments to your schedule, take some time to think about what areas you’re most interested in, whether that’s working with children, cleaning up local trails, coaching youth sports, etc. Then, explore which community service projects exist (or might be possible) in your area. Hoping for some inspiration? Our list of 130 community service examples and ideas for high school students will get you started.

What makes community service projects worthwhile?

Not to go all The Bachelor on you, but…are you here for the right reasons?

Here’s what we mean. If you’re a high school junior or senior, then nearly everything leading up to this point in your life has involved self-betterment. Anything from geometry class to football practice to choir will have focused on making you a mature thinker, a talented athlete, a star harmonizer or soloist, etc. Community service, on the other hand, is not self-focused. It aims to help the community, at the expense of your own time, without offering any compensation. Accordingly, the needs of whichever organization you’re assisting should be front and center, meaning that the tasks you’re involved in (at least to start) may not be what you initially envisioned.

To put it plainly, what makes a community service project “worthwhile” depends primarily on its importance to others. Still, that doesn’t mean that community service projects can’t contribute to your own learning, or feel rewarding. In fact, you should pick something you’ll enjoy doing because having a genuine interest in the project will allow you to offer more creative ideas and make stronger connections with others.

How should I choose a project?

Choosing community service projects that relate to your interests will help you gain new skills and learn more about a subject in a “real world” context. These projects can allow you to meet people you wouldn’t have met otherwise. Even if you don’t make new best friends, you’ll certainly form ‘weak-tie’ friendships, which research shows help increase an individual’s overall happiness and sense of belonging. By networking and expanding your list of contacts, you’ll also learn about jobs and opportunities in the field. Your community service project may even teach you something new about altruism, and the joy that comes from actively making the community a better place.

Moreover, choosing a project or organization that relates to your interests will make it more likely that you’ll stay involved over a longer period of time, which is what will allow you to truly get to know the needs of the organization and perhaps even organize one or two of your own original initiatives. You don’t have to do anything groundbreaking in your first few weeks or months of service—aim to start small and build your impact over time.

Do community service projects strengthen my college application?

In college, your professors will expand your education by moving away from a model of learning for self-betterment and toward a vision of communal and global betterment. Ultimately, educators hope to form students into individual thinkers, doers, and leaders who will harness their talents to improve the lives of others. For this reason, community service projects strengthen your application by showing admissions officers that you already care about your impact on the wider world. It will send a signal that you are a student they’d like to teach—and have as part of their campus community.

Note: a few hours of community service here and there likely won’t do much to move the needle for an admissions committee or adequately demonstrate your community involvement. We’re talking hours, weeks, months, and even years of commitment.

How should I reach out to organizations?

Many organizations accept free help if the offer presents itself. Yet some don’t respond to messages, or call you back promptly. This isn’t because they’re ghosting you—many nonprofits and community organizations are severely short-staffed or may even have a mostly volunteer-based staff, both of which make it difficult to keep up with emails and phone messages. You can also try reaching out on social media.

If a second follow-up doesn’t elicit any response, you may try doing an old-fashioned drop-in. Bring a resume, if you have one, and check online for the organization’s operating hours.

If your initial queries work and you’re asked to come in for an informational meeting or interview, make sure to arrive on time and act responsibly. Be both dependable and flexible. Nonprofits and community organizations accomplish serious work, and ought to be taken seriously. Furthermore, do keep your own safety in mind and make sure you’re comfortable with the level of supervision that you will (or won’t) have.

Finally, go with an open mind! You could even consider going with a friend, so long as they also register or sign up properly. Bringing a buddy with similar interests can work as a boost for both the project (which will benefit from more helping hands) and yourself (if you’re nervous about trying something new).

130 Examples of Community Service Projects for High School Students

As you read through the following list, eliminate the ideas that don’t appeal to you, as well as ones that aren’t relevant to your community. Take note of the ideas that sound promising.

Community Service Examples: Youth & Education

Tutor younger students in an after-school program.
Volunteer at a local daycare or preschool.
Volunteer at a summer camp.
Read stories and articles to someone who is visually impaired.
Join and volunteer at one of these literacy organizations.
Volunteer at your local library, reading to school groups and re-shelving books.
Give free music lessons to kids in your neighborhood.
Sponsor a student from a foreign country through an educational exchange program.
Train to volunteer as a teen crisis counselor.
Advocate for more playgrounds in the community.
Donate textbooks to a school you didn’t attend.
Tutor and teach English to ESL students.
Teach a course on computer literacy to students without access to computers.
Start or join a buddy program that pairs high school and elementary students.
Start a coding or programming club for elementary or middle school students.

Community Service Project Ideas: Environment

Host a clean-up of your local park or hiking trail.
Join and work at a community garden.
Create a composting center in your neighborhood, and host how-to workshops.
Create a Christmas tree recycling program.
Join a tree-planting organization working to reduce greenhouse gases.
Organize a recycling and composting workshop to teach upcycling habits.
Help maintain the walking trails in local and national parks.
Host a clean-up of a nearby river, lake, or beach.
Create a community pledge to boycott the consumption and use of toxic products.
Organize a carpooling network to reduce car emissions.
Join an organization that plants and protects endemic species.
Advocate for more bike lanes and improved public transport.
Volunteer at a nature center to teach visitors about the local environment.
Volunteer at a bird sanctuary.
Host a workshop on how to recycle and donate batteries and electronics.
Volunteer at a botanical garden.
Organize and lead nature walks.
Organize a group to plant flowers and seeds in bare public spaces.

Service Project Ideas: Food & Shelter

Cook and distribute food at a soup kitchen.
Volunteer with Habitat for Humanity.
Babysit (for free) for a neighborhood family in need.
Prepare home-cooked meals for the residents of a local homeless shelter.
Help organize and sort drop-offs at Goodwill and other donation centers.
Babysit children while their parents look for jobs.
Visit, entertain, and tutor children in a homeless shelter.
Set up a free food stand in a city food desert.
Host a farm-to-table cooking class for youth.

Community Service Project Ideas: Seniors

Volunteer at a nursing home; converse, play games, and read with residents.
Help drive seniors to doctor’s appointments.
Check-in on elderly neighbors, bringing groceries and medication.
In extreme weather, check that elderly neighbors have functioning heaters, fans, etc.
Teach computer skills to the elderly. Help them avoid computer viruses and spam.
Help an elderly neighbor maintain their yard or garden. Rake leaves, pull weeds, plant flowers, shovel snow.
Help an elderly neighbor clean their house.
Cook with an elderly neighbor, or bring over homemade treats.
Participate in a holiday meal for senior citizens.
Pick a senior buddy and keep in touch through letters or email.
Organize an event or series of events at a senior center, such as small music concerts, a letter-writing initiative, etc.

Community Service Examples: Animals

Volunteer at an animal shelter and care for cats, rabbits, dogs, and guinea pigs.
Organize a community bird feeder workshop.
Host a workshop on how to install flowering planters for pollinators.
Foster animals that shelters can’t accept.
Organize a group committed to feeding, neutering, and monitoring strays.
Join a group that educates the public on

Projects: Health & Wellness

Get involved in your local Red Cross.
Help organize a community blood drive.
Volunteer with a local health clinic to immunize children from diseases.
Assist your local hospital by delivering gifts, clothes, and meals to patients.
Knit or crochet blankets for children in the hospital.
Spearhead an initiative to make free period products available in your school’s bathrooms.
Organize free public outdoor exercise and meditation classes.

Community Service Projects: Faith

Participate as a counselor or volunteer in a religious camp.
Volunteer as a reader in a spiritual center.
Volunteer at faith-based events at your church, mosque, or synagogue.
Organize rides to services for older community members.
Organize a faith-based service group at your school.
Help teach Sunday School or volunteer with childcare during services.

Project Examples: Culture, Community, and Civil Duty

Volunteer at your local archives or folklife center.
Volunteer at a voting center and help register people to vote.
Join a group repairing and renovating public spaces.
Repaint community fences, park benches, bus stops, etc. (with permission).
Think about how you could make a public space more accessible, useful, or clean—perhaps adding a handicapped ramp, recycling bins, etc.
Campaign for new playground equipment.
Participate in or help organize a community play, variety show, or art show.
Host or participate in a community concert.
Create or join a group to clean up public roadways/walkways (parking lots, roads, boardwalks, etc.).
Create a neighborhood program to welcome and help migrant families.
Petition your town to build more drinking fountains and public restrooms.
Volunteer to clean up (and recycle) after a community event.
Clean up after holiday festivals and parades.
Clean up after a natural disaster.
Volunteer at a local museum by giving tours.
Volunteer for a political campaign, helping with events or door-knocking.
Host a cultural night at your school or in your community.
Offer to paint original artwork or a mural on a building or in a public space.
Organize an event, rally, or protest for a cause you believe in, like abortion or LGBTQ+ rights.

Community Service Examples: Safety

Take a junior lifeguarding course and volunteer at your local pool, lake, or beach.
Host self-defense workshops.
Organize drug-free workshops and awareness campaigns.
Volunteer for a crisis hotline, bringing help to people in emergencies.
Volunteer as a crosswalk monitor for your nearby elementary school.
Advocate for a safety-related cause, such as gun violence or better lighting in public parks.

Community Service Project Ideas: Sports

Coach or assist a community or youth sports team.
Help out at the refreshment and first-aid stands of local races.
Organize pick-up games for popular sports in your community.
Run (or walk, or skip…) in a charity race.
Volunteer at the nearest local Special Olympics.
Volunteer to run an after-school movement-based club at your local middle or elementary school, such as jogging or yoga.
Organize a running, walking, or hiking group in your area.

Service Project Ideas: Collections

Donate old and unused toys to charity drives.
Collect clothes, makeup, and perfume to donate to a women’s center.
Create collections of hygiene and/or period products to donate to shelters.
Host a winter clothes drive and give donations to a homeless shelter or families in need.
Collect textbooks for schools, libraries, and shelters.
Donate books to your local used book store and libraries.
Collect working electronics for people in homeless shelters.
Collect sports gear and shoes to donate to community sports programs.
Donate canned food and non-perishables to a food bank.
Donate blankets, clothes, and sleeping bags to a homeless shelter.
Collect ground coffee to donate to a shelter—many go through hundreds of cups per day!
Collect eyeglasses for donation.
Collect puzzles and games for senior centers or after-school care organizations.

Project Ideas: Online/Virtual

Become an online tutor in your favorite subject.
Provide virtual healthcare assistance through organizations like Be My Eyes or the Red Cross.
Volunteer to start or run social media accounts for a local nonprofit or organization.
Volunteer in online translation services.
Volunteer for a political campaign, making calls or sending emails from home.
Ask local organizations or agencies if they have any computing, programming, or graphic design projects that they need assistance with.
Develop a free app that would assist your school or community with an area of need.

Community Service Project Ideas: Ways to Raise Money for Your Preferred Charity

Ask family and friends for charity donations as birthday presents.
Set up a neighborhood car wash or garage sale, with all profits going to charity.
Sign up as part of a road race team for a particular charity or organization, and ask family and friends to sponsor you.
Host a bake sale.
Host a silent auction, trivia night, or fashion show.
Ask local businesses if they’d be willing to match any donations you receive.

Next Steps

Once you’ve made your list of community service ideas, do a little digging to see which opportunities exist in your community. This will narrow down your list some more. Then, contact one or two organizations, and mention your availability.

If you plan to organize or host a community service project for others, you may want to consider getting an adult chaperone on board who can handle crisis management situations. From there, you’ll need to contact relevant city, town, and/or school officials as well as charities you wish to collaborate with. Consider how long the project will take, the main goals, how many volunteers you’ll need, whether you’ll need to fundraise, and how you’ll promote the community service project.

Looking for additional volunteer or extracurricular-related resources? You may consider checking out the following:

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High School Success

Kaylen Baker

With a BA in Literary Studies from Middlebury College, an MFA in Fiction from Columbia University, and a Master’s in Translation from Université Paris 8 Vincennes-Saint-Denis, Kaylen has been working with students on their writing for over five years. Previously, Kaylen taught a fiction course for high school students as part of Columbia Artists/Teachers, and served as an English Language Assistant for the French National Department of Education. Kaylen is an experienced writer/translator whose work has been featured in Los Angeles Review, Hybrid, San Francisco Bay Guardian, France Today, and Honolulu Weekly, among others.