20 Celebrities You Didn’t Know Were Volunteers!
Did you know that some of the most charitable people in the world are your favorite celebrities?
It’s true: actors, musicians – even royalty – are some of the most giving and philanthropic people around.
It makes sense, they’ve been blessed with talent, drive and luck to become super successful and well-known and have made a whole lot of money in the process.
What’s nice is that a lot of these famous and wealthy celebs know how blessed they are and give back a lot to the community, whether in their home countries, abroad or when natural (or unnatural) disaster strikes.
Many celebs can be counted on to step up, speak out, donate large sums of money, even start their own nonprofits and volunteer their own time to help out with worthy causes
Without further ado, here’s our list of the Top 10 Celebrities You Didn’t Know were also Volunteers!:
1. Justin Bieber
Pop singer Justin volunteers a lot with sick children and has also made his way to Guatemala to help build a school there. He’s spoken about what an eye-opening and rewarding experience it was!You can also volunteer in Guatemala, check out the Childcare volunteer opportunities we have here.
2. Angelina Jolie
Of course, actress Angelina is famous for her charity work. She’s helped and joined field missions in more than 20 countries. She’s met with people of poverty and refugees from all around the world and has also visited survivors of the Haiti earthquake and other natural disasters.
You can take a note from Angie’s book and visit Peru or Haiti and do your part to help with Refugee Support.
3. Miley Cyrus
You might be surprised to learn that pop star Miley does a lot of charity work for different organizations. She’s even been named the most charitable celeb, from her work with children in the US and underprivileged kids in Haiti.
You could help out in Haiti as well, check out the volunteer opportunities we have there.
4. Oprah
One of the most famous celebrity philanthropists, Winfrey opened The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy Foundation in South Africa which supports the education of young women and community growth. She also worked with Starbucks to introduce the Oprah Chai tea and funds from those sales go towards her foundation.
Check out the Women Empowerment volunteer opportunities in South Africa!
5. Emma Watson
Emma has been selected as the UN’s Women Goodwill Ambassador. The Harry Potter actress has focused on humanitarian issues and women’s rights and done a lot of worthwhile campaigning since becoming an Ambassador. She’s known for her efforts to improve education for girls in places like Bangladesh and Zambia.
You can also make a difference in efforts to fight for Women empowerment in Bangladesh and Zambia.
6. Bono
Labelled as the world’s best-known philanthropist, U2’s lead singer Bono has been incredibly successful in rallying his famous and powerful friends to be allies in his goal of global humanitarian relief. He co-founded ONE – a global movement campaigning to end extreme poverty and preventable disease by 2030.
Since 1999 Bono has increasingly involved himself with third world debt relief and battling the AIDS pandemic. He also took the US Treasury Secretary on a tour of Africa to demonstrate the poverty, which encouraged the US to increase their international aid budget!
Inspired to volunteer at a nonprofit organization that fights HIV/AIDS? Click here
7. Ben Affleck
Ben is famous as an A-list actor, but did you know his kids inspired him to volunteer abroad in the Democratic Republic of Congo to support aid relief?
This trip led to him founding his own organization called the “Eastern Congo Initiative” which helps victims of sexual abuse.
You can also volunteer in the Congo and fight for Women Empowerment! Click here
8. Selena Gomez
Selena is known as one of the nicest pop stars, so it’s no surprise that she’d be involved with a number of charity organizations. Not only does she visit sick children in the hospital, she’s also campaigned with organizations about West and Central Africa’s serious nutrition crisis, fighting to raise money for malnourished children.
Do your part to help stop hunger in Africa here
9. Prince William
Second in line to be King of England, Prince William volunteered while travelling on his gap year after graduating. He helped in South Chile; constructing walkways from log posts and teaching in schools. He also visited many countries in Africa helping locals.
You could also volunteer in Chile
10. Prince Harry
Following in his older brother Prince William’s footsteps, Harry has spent much time volunteering. After leaving the army, he focused on helping conservation projects in Africa.
We have many conservation volunteer opportunities in Africa, check it out here
11. George Clooney
A-list actor George has volunteered many times in Sudan, where his co-founded organization Not On Our Watch operates. He has spoken out about and helped victims of rape and torture and has visited the Nuba Mountains and was even arrested at the Sudanese embassy as a result of a peaceful protest.
Do you part and get involved in a nonprofit in Sudan
12. Nicki Minaj
Did you know racy popstar Nicki Minaj has donated her time and money to a small village in India? She provided funds to get the village clean water, free education and a computer center. She’s also started a charity to help students pay for college.
You could also volunteer in a small village in India
13. Matt Damon
Damon founded the organization Water.Org to help provide accessible and safe water supplies to countries in need. Matt often makes trips to Africa to monitor and help hands on. So far the organisation has managed to help 300,000 families with clean water! He also co-founded Not On Our Watch with George Clooney.
Check out the different types of volunteer opportunities we have in Africa
14. Dolly Parton
Iconic country start Dolly likes giving away books. She founded the nonprofit organization Imagination Library in 1995. They began donating books in small counties in Tennessee and rapidly expanded into a “million-book-a-month operation.” Parton says she hopes to eventually donate a billion books.
Check out all the Teaching volunteer opportunities we have on our platform here
15. Taylor Swift
Taylor is another star known for her charity. She’s visited sick children and given them private performances, given fans money to buy food, donated books to the Nashville Public Library, as well as teamed up with UNICEF and various other organisations.
We have many Childcare volunteer opportunities on our platform that you can check out here
16. Scarlett Johansson
Actree Scarlett has volunteered in AIDS clinics in Rwanda. She’s also been an Oxfam Ambassador since 2004 and supported USA Harvest by handing out food to victims of Hurricane Katrina.
Check out all of our volunteer opportunities in Rwanda
17. Alicia Keys
The Grammy-winning singer is an ambassador for the Keep A Child Alive foundation. She’s spent time volunteering in Uganda, Kenya and South Africa with the charity. She’s also worked with local kids, teenagers and young adults who have lost their parents to AIDS.
Check out our volunteer opportunities where you can help fight HIV/AIDS
18. Matthew McConaughey
Actor Matthew founded the Just Keep Livin Foundation to help educate children in life, fitness, and spirituality. He is also active with other nonprofits, including the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Children’s Defense Fund and the Mississippi Animal Rescue League.
You could also volunteer with children, check out our Childcare volunteer opportunities here
19. Betty White
Pop culture icon Betty is very involved in animal related charities, and has served on the board of the Morris Animal Foundation since 1971. She is also active with other organizations including the Elton John AIDS Foundation, spcaLA, and Morris Animal Foundation.
We have many Animal Care nonprofits on our platform, that you can see here
20. Katy Perry
After pop star Katy Perry visited Vietnam with UNICEF, she began raising awareness and called for aid for children who are being left behind in the country. She’s visited some of the poorest parts of the region in the hope her status will get the message out to a lot of people who can make a real difference.
You could help make a difference in Vietnam, just check out our volunteer opportunities there
Was your favorite celeb on the list? Did they inspire you? Click here to start your own volunteering journey now! 😀