Thank you very much for your interest in volunteering with the International Rescue Committee.  Learn more about opportunities to help in the United States and around the world — and even online:

In the United States

The IRC’s U.S. programs offices rely on volunteers to support their work helping refugees adjust to a new life in the U.S.

Volunteers work closely with IRC staff members to:

• Tutor refugees in basic English skills
• Help refugees write resumes and prepare for job interviews
• Contact potential employers on behalf of refugees
• Assist IRC staff with cultural orientations
• Accompany refugees to various appointments
• Pick up donated furniture and goods and deliver them to refugees’ new homes
• Provide basic office support
• Help staff write grants and maintain a grants database
• Help staff with media relations and publications such as newsletters, brochures and annual reports
• Mentor refugee families or individuals

We look for volunteers with:

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Flexibility, patience and the ability to work in a multi-cultural environment
• The ability to work well in a team as well as independently

Helpful, but not essential:

• Prior experience working with refugees, asylees or immigrants
• Fluency in another language (French, Arabic, Somali, Vietnamese, Bosnian, Russian, etc.)

For more information or to volunteer, please contact the IRC U.S. programs office in your area.

We also periodically post volunteer opportunities with programs worldwide. Please visit our Job Search page and select "Volunteer" from the "Work Schedule" menu.

We're always looking for volunteers to help spread the word about humanitarian issues and the work that we do. If you have a blog or Web site, please link to us!  More ways to help:

• Join the IRC’s official Facebook cause and tell your friends
• Follow us on Twitter
• Promote our stories on social news sites such as Digg and Reddit. (Look for the handy icons on our stories and blogs.)