How to Add Volunteer Experience to LinkedIn (Step-by-Step Guide)

Your LinkedIn profile is kind of like a window into your soul… 👀 Just kidding! This isn’t a philosophical article. 😜
Nevertheless, knowing how to add volunteer experience to LinkedIn can say a lot about you, and help you stand out.

I’m here to give you all the tips you need to optimize your profile and get the most out of it! 🚀

Wondering where to add volunteer work on LinkedIn? Here’s what you need to know, so keep reading this article to find out more. 👇

How to add volunteer experience to LinkedIn in 2 steps?

If you’re wondering how to add volunteer experience to LinkedIn correctly, you’re in the right place. Here’s a simple step-by-step:

• Go to your profile and click on the “Add profile section” button, then click on “Add volunteer experience.”

• A pop-up window will appear. You must fill in all sections and then click on save.

Feel free to be specific about your roles and responsibilities (all figures or statistics should be included) and, above all, add everything you have learned, paying particular attention to soft skills. 😇

Leadership and interpersonal skills are important in any job.

You’ve learned how to add volunteer experience to LinkedIn, now let’s look at how to include it in your resume as well. 👀

How to add volunteer work to your resume?

Usually, volunteer experience (or community service experience) can be included on a resume, either at the bottom or in a dedicated section titled “Volunteer Experience” or “Community Service Experience,” depending on the layout you choose. 📄

Don’t forget to add your contact details, links to social media if necessary, your hard and soft skills, hobbies, languages, or other relevant interests! ⭐

If you’re wondering where to add volunteer work on a resume, it’s often best to place it right after your professional experience, in a clear and readable section. 🤓

But for more details: 👇

• The position you held, “Receptionist,” in this case.
• The period during which you volunteered, i.e., “July 2016 – June 2016.”
• Location “Boston” and name “Columbus State University” of the association.
• List of tasks you performed and the results of your assistance.

This section also applies if you’re looking up how to add volunteer experience to a resume. Same principles apply. 😇

How to fill in the experience section on LinkedIn?

Now that the new “Volunteer Experience” section has been published, it will appear between “Education” and “Skills and Recommendations” on your LinkedIn professional profile.

Now you know why it’s important to include volunteer work on your LinkedIn profile! 😌

Why add volunteering to your LinkedIn resume or profile?

What better way to explain this than with a little storytelling? 👀

A friend told me how she landed a great job at an international company. She was competing with another candidate who had an almost identical background, right up until the final interview with the director.

What made the difference? 🤔

A simple line on her LinkedIn profile: volunteer experience at a CISV camp, which the director himself had attended when he was younger. 👀

They immediately hit it off and talked about this topic for a good part of the interview. And this human connection, this shared experience, clearly made the difference.

The moral of the story is that volunteering is much more than just a box to tick. It’s a real lever for standing out and creating connections. Even in a professional context. 👨🏻‍💼

Volunteer Experience LinkedIn: profile example

As I mentioned earlier in this article, if you choose to add LinkedIn volunteering to your profile, it can really make a difference, helping you polish your profile and take it to the next level. 💯

To understand how to use your summary section in combination with your volunteer section to improve your overall LinkedIn profile, we’ll show you an example of Bob, a fictional character with volunteer status for the Red Cross! ⬇️

As you can see, he has a wide variety of experiences in the field of volunteering. 😇

He has therefore provided detailed information about each experience so that visitors to his profile can see what his responsibilities were and how he contributed to each NGO. 🙏

How to find volunteer work on LinkedIn?

Using LinkedIn’s search platform, networking, and contacting relevant volunteer positions is a practical way to find volunteer opportunities. And why not add your volunteer work to your LinkedIn profile once you’ve found a position? 😏

If you want to find volunteer opportunities on LinkedIn, you should:

• Define your role and the field in which you want to volunteer.
• In the LinkedIn job search, type, for example, “volunteer writer.”
• Then click on “All filters” and check the “Volunteering” box.

You will find many non-profit organizations and companies requesting volunteers in this way. 👍

However, if you’ve ever tried to find meaningful volunteer work experience, you know that the process can be just as difficult as getting a paid job. 🥴

So hang in there! 🙏

After doing your research on LinkedIn, you can browse job requirements (some are paid, some are not) and prepare to contact them using LinkedIn best practices and/or an automation tool like Waalaxy. 👽

Want a recap?

If you’ve made it this far, it’s because you’re not looking to “fill out your LinkedIn profile”,
but to give it a little more meaning. And honestly? Good idea. 👏

Volunteering isn’t just another line on your resume. It’s that little extra something that shows you’re not always expecting something in return for your efforts.

And recruiters see that right away. Sometimes it’s even the detail that changes everything. The kind of detail that turns a standard interview into a real conversation. 💬

So, if you’re asking yourself the following questions:

• Where do I add it?
• Does it look professional?
• And what exactly do I write?

We’ve answered it simply and clearly. And without making you waste 20 minutes searching through 15 tabs. 😌

Here’s a quick recap of the questions and answers about add volunteer work to LinkedIn. 👇🏼

❓Question	✅ Quick answer
How do I add volunteer work to LinkedIn?	Via the section “Volunteer experience” (at the bottom of the profile).
Where should it be placed?	Below your professional experience, or above it if it’s strategic.
Why add it?	To stand out, show your values, and create human connections.
Is it useful on a resume?	Yes, especially to enrich a junior or career change profile.
How do you find an assignment?	LinkedIn Jobs, local associations, volunteer platforms.
What should you say in the description?	What you did, what you learned, and the impact it had.
Is it well regarded?	Yes, especially if it reflects your commitment and soft skills.
How should you add it to your resume?	By creating a dedicated section “Volunteering”, or “Association experience”, placed after professional experience or education.
What about recommendations?	Ask your association contacts or mission managers.
How to add volunteer work on LinkedIn mobile?	Use the LinkedIn mobile app > profile > Add section > Volunteering.

We’ll walk you through exactly how to add volunteer experience to LinkedIn, where to place it, and how to write about it effectively.

FAQ: Volunteer experience on LinkedIn

How do you get skills and recommendations on LinkedIn?

“Skills and Recommendations” is a section you can add to your LinkedIn page so that people can vote on your strengths. You can add up to 50 skills, and people can vote on each one. 👍

This gives more credibility to the skills you claim to have! 🙂

“Recommendations” are also a form of skills on LinkedIn, but this one is more personalized.

Normally, you can ask colleagues from work or school to write a short paragraph about you, what they appreciated most about working with you, etc. ✍

These elements in your LinkedIn account can really help you stand out and grab the attention of recruiters who visit your profile page. 🧐

How do I add volunteering experience on LinkedIn?

To add volunteering experience on LinkedIn:

• Go to your profile.
• Click on the “Add profile section” button.
• Select “Volunteer Experience” under the “Additional” section.
• Fill in the required fields: organization, role, cause, dates and description.
• Click “Save”.

Adding volunteer work to your LinkedIn profile not only shows your values, it also helps recruiters see your commitment and initiative. 👀

Does volunteer work count as work experience on LinkedIn?

Yes, volunteer work does count as valuable experience on LinkedIn. ✨

According to LinkedIn, 41% of hiring managers consider volunteer experience as important as paid work. It’s especially useful if:

• You’re just starting your career,
• You’re changing industries,
• You want to highlight soft skills like leadership, empathy, and teamwork.

While it’s listed separately from “Work Experience,” it contributes to your overall professional image — and can make a real difference in interviews. 🗣️

How can you highlight your volunteer experience?

As we have covered in this article, well-described volunteer experience can really make you stand out, whether on LinkedIn or in your volunteer resume. 👀

It shows your ability to work in a team, take initiative, and develop skills on both a traditional resume and a volunteer-focused resume.

They demonstrate qualities that virtually all recruiters and CEOs admire, such as: 👇🏼

• Leadership skills.
• Teamwork.
• Compassion.
• Empathy.
• Interpersonal skills.
• Personal motivation.
• Honesty.
• And many more.

Knowing how to add volunteer experience to LinkedIn may seem like a small detail, but it says a lot about your values and willingness to contribute. 🤲