Search Search Search guidebooks

An amazing experience, but a hard find

The idea behind Volunteer Forever started after Founder and CEO Steve Weddle’s volunteer trip to India in 2011. The experience was life-changing, and he returned home forever moved by his time volunteering abroad.

However, the process of getting to this great experience was challenging. He realized there was significant information and financial barriers that kept many travelers from participating in these programs and helping others around the world.

Volunteer Forever was built as a way to break down those barriers: it’s a comprehensive online resource that helps people all over the world find and fund their best volunteer, intern and teach abroad experiences. Our goal is to provide expert information and expert resources that will empower you to travel and do good!

Steve in Indian School

CEO Steven Weddle volunteering at a school in India

A team on a mission

With Volunteer Forever, our expert travelers, researchers, and writers have done the legwork of finding the top volunteer, intern, and teach abroad programs. You can also read reviews of other travelers’ experiences to help you select a placement.

If you need to raise funds for your trip, you can apply for one of our scholarships! Volunteering abroad can be expensive, but it’s also a noble endeavor that your friends, loved ones, and communities will be happy to support.

Volunteer Forever aims to be the most trusted resource in the world for volunteering, interning, and teaching abroad. We believe in integrity, transparency, and honesty above all else. 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 meaningful travel. If you ever have any questions, please email us at [email protected]. Best of luck on your journey!

sv-machu-picchu

Sarah visiting one of our partner organizations in Peru

Meet the team

executive-officer
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. As a former product manager at Google, I’m excited to use my understanding of technology to make it easier for people to volunteer, intern, and teach abroad. To reach me directly, please e-mail me at [email protected].

  • Bachelors
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Duke University
  • Master
  • Electrical Engineering
  • University of California, Los Angeles
  • MBA
  • University of California, Berkeley

Contact Steve Weddle

[email protected]
VolunteerForever
Brian An

Co-Founder & Chief Technology 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 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 international community. Through my life experiences, I’ve come to appreciate the growing symbiotic nature of today’s peoples and cultures. I’m excited to help build that multinational bridge through those with the hearts and desires to volunteer abroad. To reach me directly, please e-mail me at [email protected].

  • Bachelors
  • Operations Research
  • US Air Force Academy
  • Master
  • Systems Engineering
  • University of Florida
  • PhD
  • Systems and Information Engineering
  • University of Virginia

Contact Brian An

[email protected]
VolunteerForever
Rachel Roderick

Writer

Rhode Island might be the smallest state in the union, but there is plenty to keep me busy. When I am not writing, I am off seeking adventure – skydiving, rock climbing, and canoeing are just a few of the exciting escapades I have had in the past few months. Of course, as much as I love my home state, I am always on the lookout for opportunities to explore the world and contribute to the communities I visit. I have been able to fulfill these passions while seeing Iceland’s Northern Lights and taking a photo safari in South Africa. As a Volunteer Forever travel researcher, I have a chance to discover new projects to put on my bucket list. Better still, I get to share them with all of you. Really, does it get any better than that?

  • Bachelors
  • Management
  • Johnson & Wales University
  • Master
  • Human Resources & Labor Relations
  • University of Rhode Island

Contact Rachel Roderick

[email protected]
VolunteerForever
Nicholas Callos

Writer

Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, I’ve long had a passion for reading, writing, and discovering the new and unknown. As a child, I would ride my bike around the city, looking for excitement (and a little mischief). During university, my thirst for adventure led me to study abroad in Chengdu, China. That experience called me to explore the world more deeply, and to leave a positive footprint wherever I roamed. After graduating from Boston College in 2011, I decided to return to Chengdu. For three years there, I taught English at a local school, studied Mandarin Chinese, traveled around, and enjoyed life (and a ton of Sichuan hotpot). Today, I split my time between Cincinnati, Chengdu, and the open road. As a Volunteer Travel Researcher, I write about the benefits of volunteering, working, and living abroad. I aim to help others learn how to have wonderful experiences abroad and make a lasting impact on the communities they visit.

  • Bachelors
  • English Literature & Writing
  • Boston College

Contact Nicholas Callos