How to Volunteer at UNICEF: A Guide to Registration, Advocacy & Fundraising

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posted on 12 years ago — updated on 1 second ago

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Looking to volunteer for a noble cause? UNICEF is a global organization dedicated to improving the lives and health of children around the world. If you’re a U.S. citizen, you can volunteer with UNICEF USA, raising money and awareness for UNICEF from your hometown and advocating for children’s welfare. Read on for a detailed guide to becoming a volunteer for UNICEF! We’ll walk you through signing up and finding a role that suits you, whether you plan to join a school club or host fundraisers for the community.

Things You Should Know

Sign up for UNICEF USA’s UNITE network after reading through the organization’s volunteering requirements and terms and conditions.
Join a local UNICEF UNITE team or school club if you’re in high school or college. Educate yourself on UNICEF’s history, mission, and current goals.
Advocate for UNICEF to your local and national government, and host charity events to raise money within your community.

Check UNICEF USA’s volunteering requirements.

UNICEF USA volunteers must be 13 years old and United States residents. There may be other requirements (and different age requirements) depending on what you want to do and whether you live outside the United States, so take a look at your country’s UNICEF office and volunteer listings through UNICEF’s Where We Work page. Volunteer positions are open to people of any gender and ethnicity. UNICEF USA is a branch dedicated to securing funding for the organization's worldwide efforts. You’ll need to sign up with the United Nations volunteer program to work overseas. If you volunteer through the United Nations, the age requirement is typically at least 18 years of age.

Read UNICEF USA’s terms and conditions for volunteers.

Ensure you’re prepared to work according to UNICEF’s standards. Head over to the UNICEF USA website to read over the terms and conditions page for volunteers. By registering to volunteer, you’re also declaring that you understand and agree to UNICEF’s terms. Statements in this agreement include: You’ll act with professionalism while volunteering for UNICEF and uphold their reputation to the best of your ability. You’ll send all proceeds you collect to the U.S. Fund for UNICEF within 30 days after the fundraiser ends. You acknowledge that UNICEF has the right to end your volunteer role if they determine your fundraiser may hurt the organization's reputation.

Register online with UNICEF UNITE.

UNITE is UNICEF USA’s country-wide network of volunteer-led teams. Anybody in the USA hoping to volunteer for the organization can do so by filling out UNICEF’s online registration form and joining UNITE. After you register, UNICEF USA will get in touch and help direct you toward a team or program that might interest you. You don’t need to live near an existing team to join UNICEF UNITE! There are plenty of solo advocacy opportunities, or you can ask your UNICEF contact how to create your own team.

Join a UNICEF UNITE team in your area.

Volunteers in UNITE teams can coordinate their efforts locally. Currently, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, Nashville, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, DC, have UNITE teams. If there’s a UNITE team in your area, email [email protected] to get in touch with the team’s Captain. Check this map to find out if there’s a team or school club in your area.

Start or join a UNICEF club if you're still in school.

High school and college-level students can register a club with UNICEF. First, register individually as a volunteer with UNICEF USA. Then, speak to school administrators about starting a UNICEF club and fill out a club registration form. UNICEF will contact you with resource kits and materials to help you launch the club’s activities, plus information on the next steps in the process. Before registering for a new club, you’ll need to choose a club advisor who is at least 25 years old. Find a core group of interested students willing to join and carry on the club's leadership, even when you’ve moved on or graduated. Remember that all new and existing clubs must register with UNICEF at the beginning of each academic year.

Study UNICEF’s history, values, and goals.

Learn about UNICEF before educating others on its mission. To be a voice of authority when fundraising and advocating for UNICEF, it’s important to understand the organization’s purpose and history fully. Check out resources on UNICEF’s website, including the top 10 things to know about the organization and information on all of the issues they’re tackling today. You can read UNICEF and UNICEF USA’s mission statements online as well. UNICEF efforts include: providing immunizations and clean water for the world's children, developing educational initiatives, and offering emergency relief to war and natural disaster victims.

Educate people about UNICEF's mission.

Get others interested in donating and advocating for UNICEF. Share facts about UNICEF’s work using specific examples—especially ones that tell an individual person or family’s story when possible. Stories involving specific people often evoke more sympathy (and thus a larger donation) than cold, hard statistics about a large number of people. Search UNICEF’s Instagram account for fitting stories and examples. Start small by educating your inner circle about UNICEF, including your family, friends, and co-workers. If you plan to host fundraising events or advocate for UNICEF in your community at large, it’s also important to understand UNICEF’s mission so you can explain it to the people you meet.

Support UNICEF on social media.

Follow UNICEF on social media and share their posts for all to see. UNICEF USA has accounts on platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Use your own social media accounts to share posts from UNICEF USA (and other UNICEF branches) and speak out about why UNICEF is important to you. If you have a school club, create separate accounts for that, too. Join UNICEF UNITE’s Facebook group and use Facebook’s sharing function to circulate news. Post photos of volunteer work on Instagram and share them with @UNICEFClubs or @UNICEFUSA. Use UNICEF’s hashtags: #UNICEFClubs #ForEveryChild #WeWontStop Tweet (and retweet) information on Twitter. Use your platform to tag government officials and mention a specific issue you want them to address. Do a @UNICEFClubs challenge with your club or UNITE team and post it to TikTok.

Contact legislators through UNICEF’s Action Center.

Show the US government that UNICEF’s mission is a high priority. Visit UNICEF USA’s Action Center, which is updated with current petitions and links to voice your support for key issues. Click on issues that are important to you and send emails to Congress (or specific politicians) urging immediate action. Most of these come with pre-written scripts, so all you have to do is fill out your information and hit send! You could also make a petition and circulate it on the internet for people to sign. Use a web platform like Change.org to host your petition. You can use UNICEF’s “Get to Know Your Legislators” worksheet to learn more about your representatives and senators in Congress.

Meet with local government to advocate for UNICEF.

Gain support by building relationships with local officials. First, contact the UNICEF USA Advocacy Team at [email protected] for help scheduling and preparing for meetings with government workers in your area. Meet your elected official’s staff, explain your support and dedication to UNICEF, and encourage them to support UNICEF as well. You can also join one of UNICEF’s congressional action teams, which are trained by UNICEF to meet with Congress members on behalf of the organization. Email [email protected] if you’re interested. You don’t need any special credentials or experience to become an advocate. UNICEF will provide any necessary training!

Organize fundraising events for UNICEF.

Hosting events allows you to raise money and awareness for UNICEF. Start by brainstorming an event idea, timeline, and plan of action. What are your revenue goals? How will you get the word out and collect donations? Then, fill out an event application with UNICEF. Once approved, organize the fundraiser and either donate the proceeds online or send a check and filled out donation form. Choose a platform for your event. For example, you might use a ticketing platform and sell tickets to a movie screening, then donate the proceeds. Alternatively, you could host a charity auction for UNICEF. Recruit volunteers to help you put the event together and figure out what resources your event will need—like food, event space, and equipment. Make your events cost-effective. You want as much money to go to UNICEF as possible, so don’t spend more than 25% of the revenue for the event.

Volunteer for the United Nations directly.

UNICEF also gets global volunteers from the United Nations program. If you live outside the United States or want to travel and volunteer in the field (rather than through fundraising and advocacy) you can do so by registering a profile through the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) candidate signup page. Keep in mind that these roles require at least an undergraduate degree and relevant work experience! Check UNV opportunities for deployment to see if there are any volunteer jobs that would be a good fit for your skills. Not every position has the same requirements. The minimum age is usually 18, but some require candidates to be 25 or 27, for example. Many also require special skills, like medical or linguistic training. United Nations volunteers who travel internationally do get paid, though they aren’t official employees; they’re given a stipend with enough funds for food, accommodations, and transportation.