A passion for helping people may offer a lot of intrinsic rewards, but it doesn’t always lead to income opportunities. However, if you want to combine a helpful attitude with a steady income, several prominent careers offer that opportunity. These careers range from physically demanding work to assisting others through challenges.

As more people care about the impact their money has on the world, the more opportunities there are to make money ethically. We’ve done some brainstorming to put together some ideas on how you can get started making money ethically in your community.

• How Can I Make Money in my Community?
• How to Make Money in Your Community
• Paid Volunteer Programs
• How to Make Money Helping Others
• Is it Important to You to Make a Lot of Money or Serve Your Community?
• Earn Money by Helping Others Online
• How to Help The Community And Make Money
• Paid Volunteer Work Online
• How to Make Money in The Community
• How to Make Money From Your Online Community

How Can I Make Money in my Community?

Community Coordinator

Community coordinators are often employed by public community development centers or nonprofit social service organizations. The specifics of the role vary based on community needs. Typically, they help people develop business opportunities or find work.

For instance, Baltimore coordinator Chris Wilson started the Barclay Business School. He emphasizes helping entrepreneurs get off the ground because this not only leads to self-employment but subsequently means more job opportunities for other employees. Assistance in accessing community subsidizations and tax deferments are among the help provided.

Entrepreneur or Manager

When you own or manage a business, you’re in a good position to get paid and have opportunities to help others. Small businesses typically aid communities by providing goods and services, as well as employment opportunities.

Read Also: Pay Less Brokers Fee Day Trading

Passionate business leaders can help their communities in a number of ways that lead to indirect business benefits. Some bosses are active in community clubs and give employees time off to volunteer in civic and environmental projects. Some companies also partner with local nonprofit organizations, which provide community support and also functions as cause-related marketing to boost business exposure.

CSR Coordinator

Corporate social responsibility, or CSR, refers to company practices to meet informal ethical and environmental standards prescribed by customers, communities, local governments and partners. Larger organizations often employ a CSR director or coordinator who oversees all facets of the company’s practices.

This position gives you the opportunity to develop company programs that promote ethical hiring practices in communities, lead to philanthropy and volunteerism, and contribute to recycling, renewal and reuse of materials. Some companies have similar positions, such as volunteer coordinator, where the employee has a more specific role in overseeing charitable contributions and volunteer campaigns.

Community Service Manager

One of the most direct ways to get paid while helping your community is to work as a social or community service manager for a nonprofit organization. You can do this through a local branch of a national organization like United Way, work for a local service organization or start your own.

Community service managers develop community programs such as after-school care, hire and lead staff, raise funds and manage budgets, and carry out plans to provide community services and support.

How to Make Money in Your Community

1. Ask the community what their dream legal, financial and counseling services would be, then create them. Members only.

2. Arrange events for the group to attend, and charge entry. Maybe hire great divorce experts to speak.

3. Write a book and sell it to the group.

4. Better still, let your best members write an eBook, then sell it to others (or give it away free with advertising).

5. Affiliate Marketing. Find perfect products for your group, put them on the approved Divorce360 list, and sell them via an affiliate scheme to your group’s members.

6. Find the products your group most need, buy them in bulk and sell them via an online shop (or dropshipping).

7. Close the group and charge for entry. Remember to give a % of the profits to the best and most active members.

8. Add in a premium headhunting/referral/dating service.

9. Encourage your best members to offer a premium service/advice line to newcomers.

10. Create an educational/tutorship program.

Paid Volunteer Programs

Why do so many volunteer projects require a fee, if you’re doing a service by helping out? Many programs out there do ask for a modest program cost or at least enough to cover your room and board. It’s worth noting that this is not a ploy to cheat willing participants out of some hard earned cash, nor is it a money making machine (if you’re working with a legitimate organization).

There is definitely a good reason why you should pay volunteer abroad, including covering unavoidable costs to be able to allocate more resources to the target cause. However, not everyone has the means to afford some good ol’ philanthropy along with an international flight, and this is where the magic of paid international volunteer work comes in.

Being on the receiving side of the volunteer spectrum, rather than the fee giving side, means that application competition is heightened and specialized skills may be a requirement.

Applications for large, competitive programs for paid volunteer work abroad for adults can be due several months to a year in advance, so you better have an insanely organized life plan! Because funds to support volunteers are limited, these organizations have to be very selective on which applicants they choose.

This can also be your chance to finally use that college degree or put your medical license to good, global use. Depending on the program, you may need to have these professional credentials to even qualify. But hey, at least you won’t have to pay to volunteer abroad, right?

HOWEVER, not all paid volunteer jobs are credential doom and competitive gloom! It’s also a possibility to do paid to volunteer abroad in much less competitive, short-term programs that work directly with project coordinators. Volunteering on a farm, for example, is a great option for a few-week stay, compensates with full room and board, and may not require any previous experience.

Similar to unpaid volunteer programs, paid volunteer jobs are more common in regions of the world with emerging economies and a demand on financial and physical aid to boost community development efforts. Traditionally popular tourist destinations like Western Europe, Australia, or New Zealand are more likely to offer short job stints instead of longer-term volunteer opportunities.

When it comes to the type of organization that facilitates paid volunteer jobs, you can almost certainly bet your bottom dollar that government- or large NGO-sponsored programs will have the means to offer reimbursement of some kind.

These types of organizations have many more financial resources to pull from and often run long-established programs, such as the Peace Corps or United Nations Volunteer. Seeking out volunteer opportunities with similarly prominent foundations will save you a ton of time and guesswork. You can stop asking “do you get paid for volunteer work” and start asking the important questions, like “what kind of work will I do?”.

Many smaller businesses offering volunteer programs abroad simply don’t have the same funds to grant participants the same assistance. This is usually where the fees paid by the volunteers themselves make the program possible!

How to Make Money Helping Others

1. Teaching Classes

Teaching classes follows a similar approach as the previous example, except that you’re not using a one-on-one approach. Instead, you’re teaching a group of people at once.

Students tend to pay less to join a class than they do for individual sessions with a teacher. However, the income potential per class is higher because you have multiple students at a time. In some cases, you might even have 10 or more in a class.

A class also allows you to take different approaches than you would with one-on-one teaching. For example, you would often be focusing more on demonstrations than on individual instruction.

Once again, there are plenty of topics to choose from. You don’t need to be teaching ‘useful’ skills either. People often join classes for their entertainment and social value, such as classes on scrapbooking or on painting.

2. Giving Lessons

As a general rule, tutoring refers to supporting people, helping them to progress with their classes and understand what they were taught. On the other hand, giving lessons tends to involve teaching a brand new skill.

Music lessons are an especially common approach. Playing an instrument is a specialized skill and many people want to learn. Speaking a foreign language is another popular example.

But honestly, you can teach people just about any skill that you can think of. What about giving lessons in basic car maintenance? This is a skill set that some people learn as they are growing up, while others don’t learn at all.

One approach is to think about the skills that you have, along with what people are likely to be interested in. Don’t be afraid to think outside of the box either. Unusual lessons, like martial arts, can be especially appealing.

3. Being A Tutor (Online or Offline)

Tutoring gives you the chance to teach people in a one-on-one manner. This is a versatile way to learn, as you can be a tutor in many different subjects. You don’t need to be an expert either, you just need to know more than whoever you are teaching.

For example, many adults will be able to tutor school children without too much difficulty. Someone with higher education could tutor students in high school or even those attending a university.

Tutoring in person is the most common approach. This can work particularly well if there is plenty of demand in your local area, such as if you live near a college campus or multiple schools.

Such environments make it easy to get interest in your services. Once a few people do well with you, it should be easier to find other customers.

Tutoring isn’t just an in-person process either. You can tutor online too, which tends to be much more flexible. Various sites can help with this process, such as Chegg.com. You’ll often get paid for being a tutor, with rates increasing along with your experience on the platform.

As a general rule, tutoring through a third-party site makes it easier to find customers, but you’re typically earning less than you would when tutoring on your own. Because of this, such sites can be good places to learn the ropes, before you strike out independently.

4. Create Online Courses

Online courses provide a hands-off way to teach people. You’re creating courses that can stand on their own, so you don’t need to interact with learners on a one-on-one basis. This allows you to scale your income in a way that you could not with other tutoring or teaching approaches.

Of course, this style has its disadvantages too. You need to build the course in its entirety before you can start to make money off it. The process may take a while, as the most financially successful courses are often high-quality.

We’ve found three interesting services that allow you to create an online course and host it through their platform. These are Teachable, Thinkific and Skillshare. Each service has its advantages, so it’s worth taking a look at all of them.

5. Being A Coach

Coaches come in many forms, with the general goal of helping to support and guide people. This often means that the coach energetically gets alongside their client and encourages them.

We’re not just talking about sports coaches either. Coaches exist in almost any industry.

Online business coaches are an especially common example these days. People in this position help others to build an online business, providing advice and guidance in many different areas, such as SEO, business decisions, niches and much more.

Life coaching is another popular area. This type of coaching can occur online or offline, although it can often be more powerful in person. Life coaches tend to focus on empowerment. Exactly what this looks like will depend on the coach’s expertise and the challenges that their client faces.

6. As A Consultant

Acting as a consultant is similar to being a coach, but there are distinct differences too. A coach is generally trying to support and guide their clients. This tends to be a very integrated process, where the coach is actively invested in their clients.

On the other hand, a consultant plays a more external role. For example, an online business consultant might have a handful of Skype sessions with their client. During these sessions, the client might outline their plans and approaches, while asking the consultant specific questions.

The client would use the information that the consultant gave them, but the consultant wouldn’t be involved every step of the way. In some cases, there might only be a few interactions between consultant and client, or perhaps just one.

Being a consultant can be more appealing, as you don’t need to get as intimately involved with each individual client. However, in both cases, you need to develop a reputation in your chosen field.

You’re only going to be successful as a coach or a consultant if people think your advice is worth listening to. Having a degree behind you would help, as would any other relevant qualification. Taking the time to get involved in your chosen field and market yourself well is also important

Is it Important to You to Make a Lot of Money or Serve Your Community?

Volunteering your time to support a cause you are passionate about is something you will never regret. It will enrich your life, familiarize you with your community, and connect you to people and ideas that will positively impact your perspective for the rest of your life. Helping your community is an opportunity for you to grow as a person, to better understand how you fit into the world around you.

Why is it so important to find a cause you love and volunteer your time? Spending time enriching your community is a great way to broaden your perceptions of the world. By immersing yourself in a community and surrounding yourself with people who are dedicated to bettering the world, you can learn so much about how the world works. You gain a unique sense of purpose by serving those around you, one which often manifests in other areas of your life.

Of course, it’s also important for your community! Without volunteers, many of the services and events we enjoy in our communities would not be so readily available.

Spending time helping out at local shelters or food banks provides an important service to less fortunate neighbors. Giving back to the place you call home helps to unite the community and bridge some of the social, economic and political gaps.

Donating your time to support those around you is extremely beneficial, both for you and your community. It is statistically proven that people who volunteer regularly are healthier both physically and mentally. Individuals who have volunteered throughout their lifetime typically live longer and have better psychological well-being. In addition to the health benefits, volunteering gives people a sense of purpose. The fulfilling feeling of giving back and contributing to society is unparalleled.

Giving back is also a great way to get to know your community and its citizens. When you volunteer, you have the opportunity to meet lots of new people. Working alongside individuals who also care about improving their surroundings will allow you to broaden your network of friends.

Additionally, it will help you to better understand the circumstances of other members of your community. Having a broad, open-minded perspective of the different walks of life around you will help you to be an effective and empathetic citizen.

People skills are not the only skills you will gain through volunteering! Dedicating time to help others will teach you patience, kindness, and resilience. Not only will you improve your communication abilities by working alongside a diverse team of people, but you will also gain a plethora of other experiences that will help you as you navigate your future. Volunteering may even help you discover a new passion or interest.

Earn Money by Helping Others Online

The Internet offers a lot of ways to make money while helping others online from home. If you have a computer with fast internet connection, a dedicated phone line, and a knack for helping others, you can check out the following 4 ways to make money helping others online from home:

1. Start a Blog

It should be no surprise that my #1 favorite way to help people with your knowledge is to start a blog. When you have your own blog, you’ve created your own platform for sharing anything and everything you know, with the goal of reaching as many people as possible so you can help them.

Think about it: running a blog gives you the chance to choose a topic or two, and go as deep and broad into those topics as you’d like. The more you write your blog, interact with your readers, and continue to expand your own knowledge, the more you’ll be able to share and the more you’ll be able to really help people with what you’re sharing.

But on the flip side, it’s not just about giving. You can receive (income) when you’re a blogger, too. There are perfectly legitimate, acceptable ways to make a profit from your blog. Any time you’ve seen an ad, bought an ebook, or downloaded a fantastic info product from a blogger or online business, you’ve participated in the system, and it probably didn’t feel sleazy at all, did it?

If the tech involved in running a blog is too intimidating, don’t worry — there are tons of resources out there that can teach you. And once you get the hang of things, you’ll be amazed by how much you truly know. It’s empowering and so rewarding — for you and for your audience.

2. Sell Digital Products

Selling digital products might seem intimidating at first. You need a shop and a blog and a marketing strategy and a million different social media profiles and on and on and on….

Or not. There are countless successful people online who have been able to put together one particular thing — a nutrition or workout program, a recorded workshop, a collection of reports, and more — and sold it for real profits with a website that has just one page on it.

If your knowledge is something that people want, you can absolutely sell it without building some sort of digital empire. You’ll need to learn how to advertise so that people actually see your offer, but that can be learned without putting you on overload.

That said, digital empires can be a lot of fun! You get to be the face of a company, you can express yourself on your blog or your email list, and you can offer a huge variety of products that meet very real needs.

When you’re selling digital products, you don’t ever have to ply people for money… you just provide the types of things that people value, explain why they’re valuable, and let the reader make their own decision. Downloadable workbooks, affiliate products, even affiliate links to great stuff on Amazon can be income generators. By taking any of those approaches, you’re able to share your knowledge, help other people, and make some money for yourself.

3. Write a Book

If what you’ve learned is the kind of thing that lots of other people need and want to learn, one of the best things you can do is package all your knowledge up in a book and self-publish it on Amazon. Plus, as Amanda Abella likes to say, “a book is way better than a business card.” It’s a major feather in your cap to validate your credibility as an expert, which can pave the way for success in other arenas.

Tons of self-published authors are able to supplement their income off their ebooks, though it takes a lot of effort to really break through and make a huge amount of money off a book. The key is to have a topic that people will pay to learn about and a fantastic book description with solid copy that really pulls people in.

4. Teach

For anyone who does anything online, online courses are all the rage — and with good reason! You can find a course for pretty much anything you’d ever want to learn, and many of them are both helpful and affordable. Plus, you can learn at your own rate, which isn’t something you can do in a classroom setting. If you’re interested in teaching your knowledge, online courses could be a great avenue for you.

But don’t let the hype about online courses crowd out another major opportunity: in-person teaching! Whether you’re holding workshops in your local community, teaching seminars to special interest groups, presenting at conferences, or even getting into public speaking, connecting with people live and in-person is an incredibly satisfying way to share your knowledge, make a difference in their lives, and — you guessed it — get paid to do so.

How to Help The Community And Make Money

1. Crowdfund Projects

The first example of crowdfunding happened in 1997, but has continued to grow in popularity ever since. It’s now one of the most popular ways for individuals and small businesses to raise funds for new ideas. No matter what your project is, crowdfunding is a great way to raise awareness of what you’re doing and to encourage people to donate.

Brainstorm ideas of services or products that you think would benefit your community. It could be anything like doing a litter pick to keep the community clean, offering a transport service for those with limited accessibility, or opening up a food kitchen. There are no real limitations for what you can offer – whatever you think would be beneficial, it’s worth trying to get it started.

You can offer these services freely to those who need it. Use crowdfunding platforms such as Crowdfunder, Kickstarter, or Go Fund Me, to promote what you’re doing and raise the cash for the project. Crowdfunded projects are great money-making opportunities as you have so much control and make it flexible to fit with your needs, deadlines, and specific financial goals.

2. Create Sustainable Tourism Projects

Sustainable tourism is becoming increasingly popular on a global scale, but it can be improved locally, too. If you live near a UK beauty spot, or your local area receives a lot of tourism, setting up a business focusing on sustainable tourism is a good way to make money ethically.

You can also work with appropriate charities on these by donating a proportion of the profits. This way you benefit from the charity’s help and advice, they can also promote your business as a way of travelling responsibly.

Through these projects you can:

• Help safeguard nature
• Minimise the impact of tourism on climate change
• Tackle leftover waste and pollution from tourism

One great example of sustainable tourism that takes very little capital to get started is running walking or cycle tours of your city. Learn some fun facts and the history of the area, and take visitors around local businesses such as independent cafes to support the economy, too.

3. Run Classes and Programmes

Consider running classes and courses to teach people to get fit or learn a new skill. If you have particular knowledge or expertise then this is an easy way to make money from it. Keep costs as low as you can so that everyone in the community can access and afford it.

Speak to your local library and see whether they would let you use space for free if you need a classroom. Or whether they would be able to give you accessibility to particular resources that could help. Would a town hall or community centre be able to offer you additional space for free, if you needed it.

If you wanted to run an outside program finding local parks or other large open spaces a local park will keep costs down.

4. Run errands

TaskRabbit is a service where you can choose taskers to help out based on reviews, skills and price. You can find help on anything from shopping, deliveries, assembling furniture, cleaning, almost anything that someone may need help with. It allows people to simply schedule in when it works from them.

Easy to get started on the platform by simply signing up and you can start helping people with errands and tasks immediately.

5. Make money upcycling

Upcycling is the process of transforming useless or unwanted products into new materials with a use and value. As we strive towards a more environmentally-friendly way of living, upcycling and recycling has become common practice. Giving products a new lease of life is a good way to make money, while also being environmentally friendly. You can always find plenty of unwanted and used items to upcycle on Craigslist, Gumtree, or in charity shops.

6. Start a social enterprise

Social enterprises are businesses set up with particular social ideas at the forefront. They seek to maximise profits whilst at the same time maximising benefits to society and the environment. They want to maximise improvements in financial, social, and environmental well-being, which includes maximising social impact alongside profits for co-owners.

Set up a social enterprise to hire people in your community who have been out of work for a while, or may struggle to get work due to personal circumstances. Many of these providers work for those who might otherwise struggle to get it, while at the same time benefiting the community around them. St Nick’s in York is a brilliant social enterprise – where they employ former offenders in a community recycling program.

7. Arrange local events

Organising local events can be anything. Gigs, music festivals, food festivals, fairs and fêtes, and outdoor and drive-in cinemas. Local events are always a good way of making money and getting the community involved.

Utilise local spaces like parks and greens. But, you’ll need to make sure you have the right permissions. Usually with any communal outdoor spaces you’ll come across restrictions about the number of people attending and sound limitations in place.

Getting a charity involved is a good way to boost involvement, too. By donating a percentage of profits to a charity you’ll be able to enlist their help to  promote the event, and will likely want to work with you on future events.

8. Start a community zine

Zines have been around for a long time, but have increased in popularity in the past several years. A community zine can be a good way to communicate local news, events, and information within a community. Encourage members of the community to contribute pieces of work, whether that be writing, photos, sketches, or design.

The founder of The Big Issue, John Bird, originally wanted to create a sustainable alternative to begging and crime. It has now helped at least 92,000 homeless people earn more than £115 million. Which shows how massively sustainable and ethical projects can grow.

Paid Volunteer Work Online

Volunteering online lets you donate your virtual time to a cause space that matters, which means you can make a difference even if you can’t physically go somewhere to volunteer. Check out our list below to learn about a few different ways you can create IRL impact through online action.

1. United Nations Volunteers

If you’re looking to take your online volunteering worldwide, this is the place to start. UNV connects you with organizations working for peace and development in need of skills like research, writing, art, and design. There are already over 12,000 volunteers from 187 countries lending their talents to organizations around the globe.

2. Catchafire

This volunteer search tool is exclusively for online volunteer projects. Each one has a timeline that can range anywhere from an hour to a few weeks. So whether you have an afternoon or several, you can help not-for-profit with tasks like writing thank you letters or editing photos.

3. Smithsonian Digital Volunteers

The Smithsonian Institution is the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex, but even they could use a little help sometimes. Help make their collections more accessible by volunteering online to transcribe historical documents or edit Wikipedia articles related to their artifacts and research.

4. Amnesty Decoders

Operated by Amnesty International, this network of digital volunteers helps conduct research into global human rights violations. Volunteers have used their phones and computers to verify the location of oil spills, find evidence of drone strikes, and flag abusive tweets to women politicians in India.

5. Translators Without Borders

For those fluent in more than one language, check out this nonprofit that combines language skills with humanitarian aid. Volunteers provide translations (10 million words a year!) to international organizations that focus on crisis relief, health and education.

6. Crisis Text Line

Here’s a perfect example of technology being used for good. Become a volunteer to help the Crisis Text Line continue to offer free, 24/7 support for those in crisis. If you’re at least 18 and can commit to volunteering four hours each week, you can apply to be trained for free.

7. Zooniverse

Zooniverse is a platform for people-powered research that literally wouldn’t be possible (or practical) without the help of online volunteers. Spend as much or as little time as you’d like identifying endangered animals, classifying galaxy systems, or transcribing Shakespearean manuscripts.

8. Project Gutenberg

Founded in 1971, this may just be the virtual volunteering effort that started it all. The goal is to create the largest digital library, and so far they’ve amassed 59,000 free eBooks. Volunteer by donating eligible materials, transcribing books into a digital form, or proofreading others’ work.

9. DoSomething.org

DoSomething empowers young people to enact social change both online or off. Volunteer online through one of our campaigns to help solve real-world problems. DoSomething members have used the internet to successfully urge Apple to diversify their emojis, change the dictionary definition of “Black/black”, and create a youth-powered mental health guide for students nationwide.

How to Make Money in The Community

You can make money by offering solutions to local business owners, think about, they all need leads, customers, sales, so what tools do they need to get sales?

Maybe they need a website, or need someone who can manage their social accounts, or maybe they need promotion materials like flyers, coupons, brochures.

Read Also: How to Trade Forex – A complete Beginners Guide

So, you can offer these services,

Tip, you DON´T need to know how to create a website or manage a social network account or have a printing service business.

Remember, Steve Job made money with computers and he never learnt how to program or know anything about electronics, they just outsourced the services.

Let me know if you need further support.

How to Make Money From Your Online Community

As a rule, you should only try to sell things that your community wants to buy, items and services that mean something to your community

1. Adverts. If you’re lazy, use Google Ads. If you’re smarter approach proper advertisers.
2. Hosting events. Arrange events, sell for tickets. Charge for sponsorship of the event too.
3. Hire a photographer. Hire a photographer at the event, sell framed images of the events.
4. Sell community bracelets. Imagine wearing a bracelet that only fellow members would recognise. That’s cool…for some people.
5. Sell t-shirts. How cool is your community? Cool enough for me to wear a T-shirt? Then let me sell some.
6. Build communities for a living. Works for me.
7. Tell others how to build online communities for a living. Good work, if you can get it.
8. Offer custom forums for individuals. Want to have your own forum on the site? Pay up.
9. Charge for membership. Make your community valuable and charge for membership.
10. Charge to remove members. Want a member removed, that will cost $25. Try not to use this too often.
11. Yearbooks. Create a hard copy yearbook every year, charge $20 for a copy.
12. Ask for donations. Works for some communities.
13. Limited edition products. Offer limited/customised products from your client only to your community – at a premium.
14. Sell market research opportunities. Invite market research firms to conduct research in your community.
15. Write a community ebook. Sell the eBook to non-members.
16. Sell adverts in the eBook. If all your members are going to read it, get a good deal.
17. Offer profile customizations. Want a special customization, charge a reasonable price.
18. Negotiate bulk discounts. Buy books/products your community is likely to buy in bulk, and sell copies on the cheap. Agree discount codes, magazines do it all the time.
19. Sell shares in your community. Turn your community into it’s own business and sell shares to its members.
20. Secure speaking opportunities for members. Charge a % of the fee.