About Volunteer Forever

The idea behind Volunteer Forever was conceived after Founder and CEO Steve Weddle’s volunteer trip to India. The experience was life-changing and he returned home forever moved by his time volunteering overseas. However, the process of getting to this great experience was challenging. He realized there were significant information and financial barriers that kept many people from participating in these programs and helping others around the world. That’s when the idea for Volunteer Forever was born; a comprehensive online resource that would help volunteers find and fund their volunteer opportunities. Empowerment through information and resources! Steve quickly realized there were other people who had experienced the same challenges and were committed to working on a building a quality solution. Thus the Volunteer Forever team was born!

With Volunteer Forever, you can quickly create a profile and start fundraising right away. Volunteering abroad can be expensive, but it's also a noble endeavor that your friends, loved ones, and communities will be happy to support. You can also read reviews of other volunteers' experiences to help you select a volunteer abroad placement. Also, remember to blog throughout the process! Your friends and loved ones are excited about your journey abroad and frequent posts will bring them to your fundraising page on a regular basis.

At Volunteer Forever, our goal is to be the most trusted resource in the world for volunteering abroad. We believe in integrity, transparency, and honesty above all else. That's why you won't see advertisements from international placement organizations on this site. We've aligned our interests with yours in order to stay objective and provide you with the most accurate information possible.

We hope you enjoy using Volunteer Forever as your premier resource for volunteering overseas. If you ever have any questions, please email us at info@volunteerforever.com. Best of luck on your journey volunteering abroad!

About Steve Weddle,
Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer

The hardest question anyone can ask me is "where are you from?" As an "Army Brat" and Air Force officer, I was born overseas, lived on three continents, and have spent half my life abroad. Service and international travel have been the two main constants in my life. Those two constants converged for the first time when I volunteered to deploy to Afghanistan in 2009. There, in a war-torn and impoverished country, I learned for the first time that our capacity to help was magnified by the direness of a country's situation. Service and internationalism converged again two years later. This time I found myself caring for orphans at an HIV/AIDS care home in India. I was forever moved by the experience and vowed to make it easy for anyone in the world to volunteer overseas. To reach me directly, please e-mail me at steve[at]volunteerforever[dot]com.

About Billy Beltz,
Co-Founder & Chief Marketing Officer

I participated in my first volunteer abroad project right after college, figuring it would be a great way to give back while seeing a new part of the world. As I departed to help rebuild a small village in rural Greece I was admittedly a bit naïve about the entire experience. But a month of hard work and a village of new friends later, I began to understand the true impact a quality program can have. At its core, it effects positive change in communities around the world that need it most. But as I came to understand during that initial trip, the experience extends far beyond direct assistance to the host community; it promotes the exchange of ideas and improved cultural understanding, creates citizens able to take a global approach to domestic issues, and can be a source of lasting personal transformation. And that’s why I’m so excited to help more people around the world volunteer abroad! To reach me directly, please e-mail                                                                                                    me at billy[at]volunteerforever[dot]com.

About Brian An,
Co-Founder & Chief Product Officer

Though a Southern California native, my upbringing and life experiences have always had quite an international and multicultural flavor to them.  I spent most summers as a child in Korea living with relatives with the purpose of maintaining affinity with my extended family, to learn the language, and most importantly to understand the Korean culture.  As a student at the US Air Force Academy I had the pleasure of representing the United States at the College Militaire Royal du Canada for a semester as well as the Ecole de l'air of France where I began to understand the cooperative nature of our generation's truly international community.  Through my service as an Air Force officer and my multicultural exposure, I've come to appreciate the growing symbiotic nature of today's peoples and cultures.  As a part of Volunteer Forever, I'm excited to help build that  multinational bridge through helping those with                                                                                                the hearts and desires to volunteer abroad.