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A volunteer cover letter should explain why you want to volunteer, your experience, and what you hope to gain. Tailor the letter to the specific organization and highlight your skills, but don’t lie or exaggerate. Specify the amount of time you can commit and thank the reader.
Writing a volunteer cover letter is a little different than a traditional cover letter that accompanies a resume and job application. Since you are not applying for a specific job, but are volunteering your services, you will demonstrate exactly why you want to volunteer, what your experience is, and what you hope to get out of it. Of course, you should also include what you hope to do for the organization and why your services would be valuable. Most non-profit organizations are excited to accept volunteers, but applicants still need to demonstrate responsibility and the ability to behave appropriately in the workplace.
It is important to tailor your volunteer cover letter to the specific organization. Chances are, you’ve chosen an organization based on your interests or your education, and you’ll want to describe that in the cover letter. Making it clear what attracts you to volunteer work, whether it’s caring for animals in shelters, cleaning up the environment or mentoring children, can increase the likelihood that the organization will offer you the opportunity. In addition to your interests, you’ll want to share information about your specific skills.
Any non-profit organization will generally need people to do a few different things. This may involve hands-on work, depending on the nature of the organization, or it may involve office work. Almost everyone has some skills they can highlight in a volunteer cover letter. For example, if you’re great with people, you might solicit donations for fundraising. If you have office experience, you can help manage or organize an office or answer phones; Writing skills or previous non-profit experience can be used to create newsletters or assist with grant writing. Be creative and enthusiastic in your cover letter.
On the other hand, don’t lie or exaggerate your experience in your volunteer cover letter. If you want to learn from the organization, say so – many nonprofits are happy to teach skills to willing volunteers. You should also include the amount of time you should dedicate to organizing on a daily or weekly basis. Even though it’s not necessary for you to show up as a job, it’s pretty bad to commit to a certain amount of time with an organization and then not come in to work. Thank the person who reads the letter during that time, and specify if and when you will contact them in the future to discuss the volunteer opportunity.
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