Volunteers dedicate their time and efforts to a variety of industries, at every corner of the earth. Data from a survey released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2016, the most recent year available, shows that about one-quarter of Americans take time to volunteer. Giva believes that by offering spare time, unique skills, talents and more, you can affect positive change, both in your life, another person's life, and the world as a whole.

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Raymond Nelson, student support specialist at Memminger Elementary, works with students with behavioral or domestic struggles. Early this year, he created "The Gentlemen's Club" to teach boys important life lessons they may not be taught growing up otherwise. Nelson was part of a similar program as a child which "helped [him] to be a better man".

His organization is now called Boys With a Purpose.

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As our world becomes more and more philanthropic and globalized, people with the means to travel are increasingly inclined to make an impact on the areas they visit. Thousands of tourists are no longer comfortable lounging in a tropical hotel, knowing that the issues in the region are evident just outside their door. Instead, they want to be immersed in the area's culture and challenges, leaving a positive mark on the community and locals before returning home. Voluntourism, the hybrid of volunteering and tourism, is a middle ground for those who travel primarily for the sake of traveling, but want to incorporate gratifying altruistic work.

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In June of last year, Points of Light held their ninth annual Service Unites conference in the city of Detroit, to promote and commemorate giving back to communities on individual, group, and corporate levels. It is the largest yearly congregation in the name of volunteer work in the world.

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How can a for-profit philanthropic company be more beneficial to a cause than a nonprofit? YourCause, an online platform for corporate social responsibility, answers this question with a guarantee held strongly from its creation: all donation funds are transferred directly to the charity organizations intended to receive them, with no money taken out to support the company itself. While most nonprofits subtract a fraction of their user's contributions to keep their business afloat, YourCause makes sure that the causes to which their users contribute are not denied a cent of what was intended for them. The program gains financial means instead through company memberships and investors that see promise in their purity.

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The American Bar Association is encouraging everyone to join in the celebration of their eighth annual National Pro Bono Week, October 23-29, 2016. The event was created in 2009 to commemorate the efforts of volunteer lawyers and other social workers advocating for low-income citizens, and encourage the creation of events throughout the week to improve community justice efforts.

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It is always an exciting and proud moment for Giva when our accomplished interns take their interests and skills to new heights. Kayla Forcey, one of our recent altruism writers and researchers, has chosen to do just that with City Year, a non profit dedicated to educating disadvantaged youth.

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It is not too late to make summer 2016 your most adventurous, rewarding and benevolent summer yet! Volunteering Solutions provides hundreds of volunteer and internship programs all over the world, namely in Asia, Africa, and South America.

Founded in 2006 as a member of the World Youth Student and Educational (WYSE) Travel Confederation, Volunteering Solutions was created to give high school students and older their ideal travel and service expedition. Since then, their staff has guided hundreds of explorers through the journey of their choice, while working to improve the well being of various communities worldwide.

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Global Youth Service Day (GYSD) is an excellent opportunity for young people to learn that they have the power to positively influence the lives of others in their communities. Created by Youth Service America (YSA) in 2000, the annual GYSD engages with young people in more than 135 countries. According to YSA's website, it is "the largest service event in the world and the only one dedicated to the contributions that children and youth make 365 days of the year." Young people, ages 5-25, all around the world, are invited to participate in this event.

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