Volunteering near you
Volunteering in Frankfurt
From the Bürgerinstitut and the city guide to AWO: how to find a volunteering role in Frankfurt that fits your everyday life and your interests
Contact points
| Contact point | What you find there |
|---|---|
| Freiwilligenagentur des Bürgerinstituts Frankfurt | Since 1992 the place to go for anyone who wants to volunteer in Frankfurt. It offers a database of opportunities, personal advice and support for organisations that work with volunteers. |
| Amt für multikulturelle Angelegenheiten (AmkA), Stadt Frankfurt am Main | The city guide brings together databases for finding a role and introduces mentoring programmes in which you support people who are new to the city. |
| Ehrenamtsagentur der AWO Frankfurt | The workers’ welfare association places volunteers and supports them with one-off events and course series, free of charge wherever possible. |
- State
- Hesse
Where can I find volunteering in Frankfurt?
A well-established starting point is the volunteer agency of the Bürgerinstitut, which has advised people who want to get involved in Frankfurt since 1992. Its database lists current opportunities from non-profit organisations. You can also register there as a volunteer and receive detailed descriptions of suitable roles by email. If you would rather talk than search, you can book a personal appointment.
A good overview of all the routes is the online guide of the city’s Office for Multicultural Affairs. On one page it names the Hesse volunteering search engine, the Bürgerinstitut database, the AWO volunteer agency and the Caritas activity exchange. It also lists Frankfurt hilft, a platform with requests from refugee support. All of these providers can advise you on finding a role.
Once a year the Bürgerinstitut agency also opens its doors for its Day of Engagement, which has existed since 2016. On that day the team answers the questions that make many people hesitate before the first step. Where can I help, is what I know enough, am I insured? The aim is that volunteering can really begin the day after. If you cannot make it that day, you get the same answers in a personal advice session.
Which areas are there?
The choice is wide, from social work and integration to culture, sport and neighbourhood life. Together, the databases in the city guide cover almost every field. The Hesse search engine also reaches beyond the city boundary. If you are looking for a very specific topic, it is best to combine two databases.
The Bürgerinstitut itself works in areas such as support for older people, dementia and hospice care, and runs projects like a summer café. Volunteers there often accompany older people in daily life or through difficult phases. For organisations and clubs, the institute also offers advice on managing volunteers. Companies that want to involve their staff in volunteering can find support there too.
The workers’ welfare association AWO is active in Frankfurt in many fields, from care to work with children and young people, neighbourhood centres and meals on wheels. By its own account, volunteering has a high priority there. The support it offers helpers grows out of the everyday work of its services, and there is no fixed annual programme. So it is worth checking the volunteer agency page regularly.
How can I get involved in peace and understanding?
Mentoring programmes, in which you accompany someone who is new to the city, are especially close to building understanding between people. The guide of the Office for Multicultural Affairs names three programmes that regularly look for volunteers. They include Socius from the Protestant regional association for Frankfurt and Offenbach, the integration guides of the Malteser and the tandem programme of Start with a friend. Encounters like these often turn into friendships across background and language.
If you want to support refugees, Frankfurt hilft lists new requests all the time. For people who already help, the office runs the information series „Gut zu wissen“ together with Catholic adult education and Caritas. There you can ask questions, make contacts and meet other volunteers. Exchanging experiences with others helps you stay calm in difficult situations too.
On W3ltfrieden you can also create your own peace mission or support an existing one. A mission is a verifiable project with a responsible person, and its progress is documented in the mission log. It could be a language meet-up or a project you take on together with a local mentoring programme. The mission overview shows you whether there are already missions near you.
How much time do I need to bring?
As much as fits your life, because you agree the scope together with the organisation. The Bürgerinstitut explicitly offers the option of volunteering only for a short time. You register your interest through the contact form and are added to the mailing list. That way you hear about roles that are limited in time. If you have more room later, you can move on to a regular commitment at any point.
Mentoring and tandems, on the other hand, need some continuity. If you accompany someone who is new to Frankfurt, you usually meet regularly over several months. Ask before you start how long a programme runs and how often people usually meet. Then you can judge honestly whether it fits your everyday life.
Alongside the time you spend helping, there is sometimes time for training. AWO regularly offers its helpers one-off events and course series, free of charge wherever possible. These sessions are optional, but they give you confidence and contact with others. Plan them in if you want to stay in a role for longer.
Sources
Four steps to volunteering
- Get an overviewThe AmkA guide lists the main databases on a single page. You can quickly see which providers there are.
- Browse the databaseThe Bürgerinstitut database shows current opportunities. Note two or three that appeal to you.
- Book an advice sessionIn a personal conversation at the Bürgerinstitut you can work out what suits you. You can request an appointment online.
- Visit the organisationContact the organisation and look at the place where you would help. Only then decide whether to stay.
More cities
- Volunteering in StuttgartBaden-WürttembergFrom the city volunteer agency and its online exchange to the Citizens Foundation: how to find a role in Stuttgart that suits you and your district
- Volunteering in DüsseldorfNorth Rhine-WestphaliaFrom the Caritas and Diakonie volunteer centres to the city’s own office: how to find a volunteering role in Düsseldorf that fits your life
Keep going with W3ltfrieden
Got an idea for your city?
Turn it into a peace mission. The peace mission bot asks you five questions and drafts a first outline. Nothing is published before people have reviewed it.
Want to help carry the platform?
W3ltfrieden is in its build-up phase. The support page lists every way to help carry the platform and its first missions.