Volunteering near you
Volunteering in Hannover
From the volunteer centre in the city centre to the regional offers and AWO: how to find a volunteering role in Hannover that fits the time you have
Key points at a glance
- The central contact point is the Hanover Volunteer Centre; counselling is free and by appointment.
- With the volunteer card, people in the city and region of Hanover get the Deutschlandticket for 365 euros a year.
- According to the 2024 survey, about 37.1% of people aged 14 and over volunteer in Lower Saxony, compared with 36.7% nationwide.
- The Lower Saxony and Bremen volunteer card is available from five hours a week or 250 hours a year over two years.
- Expense allowances are tax-free up to 960 euros a year, and up to 3,300 euros for coaches and trainers.
Check the scope
You have volunteered for at least two years, five hours a week or 250 hours a year. For newly founded clubs, the time since founding is enough.
Register the organisation
Your club or organisation must be registered with the state before you apply.
Apply online
You apply entirely online, directly with the state.
Use the benefits
The card is valid for three years. In the city and region of Hanover it gets you the Deutschlandticket for 365 euros a year, and across the state there are more than 2,300 discounts.
- Volunteer37.1%
- Do not volunteer62.9%
Volunteer allowance
- Tax-free per year
- 960 euros
- Until the end of 2025
- 840 euros
- Who it is for
- Part-time activity for charitable, benevolent or church purposes
- Legal basis
- Section 3 no. 26a Income Tax Act
- Can be combined
- Not for the same activity as the trainer allowance
Trainer allowance
- Tax-free per year
- 3,300 euros
- Until the end of 2025
- 3,000 euros
- Who it is for
- Coaches, trainers, educators, carers, artistic activities, care of older, sick or disabled people
- Legal basis
- Section 3 no. 26 Income Tax Act
- Can be combined
- Not for the same activity as the volunteer allowance
Contact points
| Contact point | What you find there |
|---|---|
| Freiwilligenzentrum Hannover | The central contact point for volunteering, with an online search and free advice sessions that you book on its website. It also runs its own projects, for example on language support and bringing people together. |
| Region Hannover: Ehrenamt und Nachbarschaftshilfe | The region’s page describes neighbourhood help roles and lists volunteer centres and agencies in Hannover and the surrounding towns. |
| AWO Region Hannover | Offers fixed-term roles and projects, such as accompanying older people in care homes. Depending on the role, there is travel reimbursement, insurance and training. |
- State
- Lower Saxony
- Author
- Johannes Max Harms
Where can I find volunteering in Hannover?
The central contact point in the city is the Freiwilligenzentrum Hannover, the city’s volunteer centre. It advises people who want to volunteer, helps non-profit organisations find volunteers and develops its own projects. Together with Aktion Mensch it has set up a new search function that lets you narrow down opportunities in a few steps. Advice and placement are free and without obligation.
If you would rather talk to someone, book an advice session on the website. The personal conversation focuses on your interests and strengths, and you are given concrete opportunities. Alternatively, you can send a written enquiry through the contact form. Non-profit organisations add their requests to the database free of charge using a profile form, so the choice draws on many institutions.
If you live in the surrounding area, the Region Hannover page is worth a look. Besides the Freiwilligenzentrum Hannover, it lists further volunteer centres and agencies, for example in Burgdorf, Garbsen, Neustadt am Rübenberge and Ronnenberg. There are also local services such as a volunteer service for older people in Hemmingen or a volunteering exchange in Isernhagen. That way you can find a contact point near you.
Which areas are there?
A great many roles are in neighbourhood help, and you do not need any special knowledge for them. The region names visits, reading aloud, small errands and shopping, going for walks with people, childcare and homework help. Volunteer agencies also arrange mentoring for trainees and visiting services. It is above all the personal contact that makes these roles valuable for both sides. The region’s page shows which agency arranges them in your town.
The volunteer centre runs its own projects with a clear profile. Volunteers accompany young people in choosing a career or train as coaches, while others visit care homes and facilities for people with disabilities with their dogs. Volunteer language mentors support the language skills of children aged three to six in nurseries. And KulturLeben HANNOVER gives people on a low income free access to cultural events.
AWO Region Hannover mainly offers roles around older people, for example in care homes, a day care centre or a shared care flat. There you go for walks with residents, talk with them or play board games. AWO is also looking for people who want to run a social project, help shape their neighbourhood or get involved in a local branch. Current requests are posted as volunteer vacancies on its page.
How can I get involved in peace and understanding?
The most direct way is through projects where people of different backgrounds meet. The volunteer centre runs a project that brings newcomers, volunteers and long-standing residents together in mixed groups. This includes a language café that meets every week at the Schauspielhaus theatre. If you take part, you practise language and meet people you would otherwise hardly come across. If you prefer working with children, you can help them communicate more easily as a language mentor in a nursery.
AWO also explicitly addresses people who want to take an active part in integration and inclusion. Its fixed-term roles include supporting migrants and tutoring refugees. Roles like these combine practical help with genuine encounters. A tutoring session can grow into a connection that goes beyond the subject.
On W3ltfrieden you can also create your own peace mission or support an existing one. A mission is a verifiable project with a responsible person, and its progress is documented in the mission log. It could be a discussion group in your district or a project you take on together with a language café. The mission overview shows you whether there are already missions near you.
How much time do I need to bring?
Often one hour a week is enough, and you largely set the scope yourself. The Region Hannover states explicitly that each volunteer decides on the time and the tasks. At AWO, accompanying residents of a shared care flat is possible from one hour a week, while two to three hours are usual in day care. Each listing states how much time is involved.
If you do not want a long-term commitment, choose a fixed-term role. AWO offers such roles deliberately, and the volunteer centre’s Social Day lasts just one day. On that day, teams from companies volunteer in social institutions. So it is worth asking your employer whether it takes part. If you enjoy a fixed-term role, you can talk to the organisation about extending it.
There are hardly any formal hurdles. The volunteer centre advises everyone who is interested, regardless of age or profession. Only for some roles, for example with children, do you need a police certificate of good conduct or specific training. Allow some time for this before you start. It is best to raise such questions in your advice session, so you know early on what is needed.
Sources
- Freiwilligenzentrum Hannover: Ehrenamtlich engagieren (in German)
- Region Hannover: Ehrenamt und Nachbarschaftshilfe (in German)
- Hanover Volunteer Centre: counselling for volunteers (in German)
- HannoNetz für Engagement: find a volunteering role (in German)
- City of Hanover: volunteering fair 2026 (in German)
- Hannover.de: volunteer card in the city and region of Hanover (in German)
- Hanover Region: volunteer card (in German)
- Lower Saxony Ministry of Social Affairs: insurance for volunteers (in German)
- Federal Chancellery: Sixth German Survey on Volunteering (FWS 2024), summary report (in German)
- Income Tax Act, section 3 no. 26 and 26a (trainer and volunteer allowance, in German)
Four steps to volunteering
- Check where you liveIf you live in the city, the Freiwilligenzentrum Hannover is your first port of call. In the surrounding area, the region names the agency in your town.
- Search onlineThe volunteer centre’s search form helps you find roles by interest. Note down what appeals to you.
- Book adviceYou book an advice session directly on the website. The conversation focuses on your interests and strengths.
- Arrange a first sessionContact the organisation and agree on the task and the time involved. Many roles can be tried out for a limited period first.
More cities
- Volunteering in HamburgHamburgIn Hamburg, volunteer centres in the districts and the social affairs authority advise anyone who wants to get involved and show where volunteers are needed
- Volunteering in BerlinBerlinBerlin has volunteer centres in its districts, a large volunteering fair and a church-based placement service, and here you will find the three main routes to your role
Common questions from volunteers in Hanover
How do you sign up as a volunteer in Hanover?
The Hanover Volunteer Centre helps you find the right role with personal counselling and a database. Counselling is free and without obligation and takes place at the centre by appointment.
HannoNetz für Engagement, funded by the city, recommends a direct route: contact one of the organisations listed there and arrange a meeting. In that meeting you clarify the task, the time frame and whether you need a certificate of conduct for your role.
What do volunteers in Hanover need?
Above all you need time, reliability and an interest in the task. For many roles no special knowledge is required, because the placements show you the ropes. Usually there is no set age, but some tasks have a minimum age, such as 16 or 18. It matters that you say honestly how much time you have, so that the task fits your everyday life.
If you work with children and young people, many organisations ask for an extended certificate of conduct. For roles in rescue services, hospice work or supporting people with dementia, there is often training before your first assignment. In Hanover, the volunteer centre clears up such questions with you in a counselling session.
Do volunteers in Hanover get paid?
Volunteering is unpaid in principle, but many placements reimburse expenses such as travel or pay an expense allowance. Since 1 January 2026, such an allowance is tax-free up to 960 euros a year; this is the volunteer allowance. If you work as a coach, carer, in an artistic role or in care, you can use the trainer allowance of up to 3,300 euros. The two allowances cannot be used for the same activity at the same time.
At AWO Region Hannover, travel costs are reimbursed depending on the assignment. The volunteer card also brings a benefit in money terms: residents of the city and region get the Deutschlandticket for 365 euros a year. Across the state, the card offers more than 2,300 discounts.
Is there a volunteer card in Hanover?
Yes, Hanover issues the Lower Saxony and Bremen volunteer card. You get it if you volunteer at least five hours a week or 250 hours a year and have done so for at least two years. For newly founded clubs, the time since founding is enough. You should also intend to continue volunteering.
The card is valid for three years and brings discounts in large parts of Lower Saxony and in Bremen. You apply entirely online, directly with the state. Your club or organisation needs to have registered there first.
Are volunteers in Hanover insured?
Statutory accident insurance and private or institutional insurance, for example your club’s, come first. Ask at your first meeting how your placement handles this.
Beyond that, the Lower Saxony state government has framework contracts with VGH Versicherungen. Through them, volunteers are insured against accidents in their free time and have liability cover, both on a secondary basis. New since 1 September 2026 is cover for anyone who uses their own car for volunteering: accident damage to the vehicle is covered up to 30,000 euros.
Is there a volunteering fair in Hanover?
Yes, the volunteering fair takes place every two years. The city and HannoNetz für Engagement held it for the eleventh time on 7 March 2026 at the Pavillon cultural centre. More than 80 charitable organisations, clubs and initiatives from the city presented themselves there.
Until the next fair, the volunteer centre and the list of volunteer centres and agencies that the Hanover Region keeps for the city and the surrounding municipalities can help you.
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