Friends of organizations.

Have you ever heard the term: "Friends of the Police Department?" How about friends of the Fire Department or some political candidate? Who are these "friends?"
Years ago I was a docent at Copia, The American Center for Wine, Food and the Arts. Every year patrons of the center gave a huge party for the volunteers. In three years I heard three speeches from three different wealthy world travelers. All of them were showing their gratitude in their words and in the fact that they were throwing these feasts for us, the volunteers. Something I heard from each of them and from many other people in the years since is that the spirit of volunteerism lives here in the United States like no where else in the world.
Volunteering is a big part of what makes this country great.
Almost every organization out there uses volunteers. The police and sheriff use them to take reports. Your local city government uses volunteers for all kinds of events. Parks departments and museums use volunteers. The Tree Foundation and the American River Parkway Foundation. Radio and TV stations use them too. Festivals like the Asparagus festival, the Grape Escape, the Jazz Jubilee and the State and County fairs use them. Races, marathons and sporting events. Just about anything that charges admission or does something for the public good uses volunteers. Even wineries and cruise ships use volunteers.
These places and events have a whole bunch of "want" going on, but what's in it for you? Why should you pry yourself away from Matlock reruns to go out and help someone else?
Here are some of the reasons. I'll start with the more obvious reasons.
Free admission!
I volunteer at the State Fair every year because a two hour shift at the beginning of the day gets me free admission and parking. I pick the easiest shift, pass out some brochures and candy, then I'm free to take in the fair. The same goes for Grape Escape or Taste of Sacramento. Volunteer early, get in for free and enjoy most of the show anyway.
You might learn something
When I was at Copia, the American Center for Wine, Food and the Arts, I learned so much about wine and food that it turned my interest to become a more serious aficionado of such things. They trained me to give presentations on wine, wine glasses, wine cellaring, food, serving food, preparing food and even etiquette. Not to mention the recipes and the parties we had. After close, the staff and volunteers would hang around the glass storage room polishing glasses and sample up all the leftovers of the day. It was not uncommon for us to have a couple thousand dollars worth of wine open. Not too tough an accomplishment when your dealing with $60-$150 bottles of wine. I wonder who got the contents of their cellar when they went out of business?
You meet the best people
Community minded people are really great. They want to world to be a better place and they're willing to dig in and personally help make it happen! But that's just the volunteers. You meet celebrities too. Rachel Ray, Bobby Flay, Paul Prudomme and Wolfgang Puck to name just a few. Book authors are especially amenable to getting to know you and even becoming friends. A few number among the friends I have on Facebook and I'm proud to know them. I've often turned to them for advice in their various areas of expertise, and they always give it when they're able.
You'll feel better about yourself
This is the best reason of all. When I go out and clear the trail of downed trees or I work on a project that leaves a sapling forest in it's wake, I feel really good about it. I use the trails I ride so it's only fair that I help out and clear them when they need maintenance. God knows those elitists on horseback won't do it. In just ten years those sapling forests will become developing groves of trees with lots of shade and picnics every weekend. At the state fair I represent the County of Sacramento or the Tree Foundation and put forth a good first impression in hope that people will like what they see. Maybe one day they will help out too.
Find an organization and become a friend to them. There's something out there for everyone and when you find the right fit, you'll see it's a very rewarding thing to do. It's a hell of a lot better than watching Matlock reruns.