Volunteer

General Information about Plenty’s Volunteer Placement

Where do volunteers serve?

Plenty assists the efforts of community-based groups primarily in Belize and Guatemala in Central America; in US Gulf coast communities, at Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota, and in middle Tennessee. Other potential volunteer sites are in Puerto Rico; Dominica and Haiti in the Caribbean; and Liberia in western Africa. A group’s purpose and activities, their interest in hosting volunteers, as well as a potential volunteer’s skills and time availability, determines where a volunteer would serve.

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Plenty volunteers siding a house in Dulac, Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina.

What kind of criteria do volunteers have to meet to work with Plenty?

Volunteering is a two way street. We believe it should benefit our project partners first and foremost, and expand the volunteer’s experience and understanding. Volunteers should be highly motivated to serve, flexible, and willing to work in a team.

Volunteers need to be able to pay their own expenses, including transportation to the project site and living expenses while in country. Costs vary according to where the project is located. Specific skills may be needed depending upon the position – please check the current opportunities listed. Time commitment varies according to the position.

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Among hundreds of volunteers who have worked on Plenty projects over the years have been a number of MBA school grads from the Wharton Business School of the University of Pennsylvania. Here a group poses with their local crew chief (in the Plenty t-shirt) at a worksite on the island of Dominica in the eastern Caribbean.

How do I apply to volunteer?

Contact us at info@plenty.org and tell us about yourself and your interest in volunteering, and what program or opportunity you’re interested in (check the Current Opportunities page). If initial communication looks promising, we’ll ask you to fill out the volunteer application form and send it back to us, and we’ll go from there. For volunteers interested in a long term placement (more than three months), we’ll arrange a screening meeting between you and Plenty representatives, who will make any final decision about placement.

What will and won’t Plenty provide me as a volunteer?

If a volunteer opportunity is arranged, we’ll provide you with background information about the group and area where you’ll work, as well as logistical information about travel, housing, contacts and other information. Plenty and/or our project partners will provide on-site orientation and in-country support. Unfortunately, Plenty cannot provide travel or living expenses, nor health, life, or liability insurance for volunteers.

Thanks for your interest in volunteering with Plenty! Please contact info@plenty.org if you have questions.