Volunteer World Reviews 

Mariela was very helpful. She made it very easy to understand the organization, the programs offered, and helped me figure out which were best for me.

I want to share my story so that others can make an informed decision.

A few months ago, I booked a volunteer program in Bali through Volunteer World. 
The project was advertised as focusing on marine conservation. It sounded meaningful, so I paid the required fees — €288 as a platform fee to Volunteer World, and the rest directly to the local partner.

Unfortunately, the reality was very different from what had been promised. There were a few activities, but they were superficial and not what was described in the program.


🔹 Reef conservation

The program description promised 3–4 dives per week, alternating with dolphin conservation activities. In reality, over two weeks there were only 2 dolphin days and 2 reef days in total. On top of that, the reef activities were poorly prepared – there was no real coral restoration, only collecting trash with a non-English-speaking instructor. I was even offered an extra “compensation dive,” but it was just tying corals to old frames at an inactive site. This was not genuine restoration work(I refused to do it).

🔹 Dolphin conservation

The dolphin watching was relatively okay in terms of showing what really happens at sea — but still disappointing. I was sitting in a boat together with tourists (despite being promised a “private boat” in writing before arrival). My task was to count dolphins, observe the behavior of captains, track the number of boats, and even ask random tourists for feedback. This felt pointless and superficial.
In reality, around 100–200 boats chase dolphins every morning in Lovina, which is blatant cruelty and violence against the animals. This industry is completely unregulated. While the program description gave the impression of active scientific cooperation, I never saw any scientist or activist. I had no confidence that the data I collected would actually reach the right people, so I decided not to submit it at all.
The host organization seemed primarily to be a local school/foundation, not a dedicated marine conservation partner. That explains why both the dolphin and reef activities felt poorly structured and superficial.

🔹 Accommodation

The accommodation did not meet basic standards of hygiene or comfort — there were rats running in the bathroom at night due to the open ceiling design. Even though the partner promised a “private room,” it did not feel like the safe, clean environment advertised.

🔹 Refund request

When I complained and asked for a refund, Volunteer World told me they are “just an intermediary” and could only offer a €288 credit for another program. I explained that I had lost trust and did not want credit, but a proper refund. The local partner in Bali also refused to pay anything back. In the end, I was left with no resolution.

🔹 Review deletion

After returning home, I left a detailed and honest review on Volunteer World’s website. Later I discovered it had been deleted, and instead a new 5-star review appeared for the exact same program, praising it as “unforgettable.” This made me realize how unreliable their rating system is — critical voices get erased, while only glowing testimonials are shown.

I am sure there are honest and ethical volunteer programs out there — both on Volunteer World and through other platforms. However, my experience in Bali showed me that when things go wrong, volunteers are left without real protection. By booking through a platform, you would expect at least some form of guarantee or accountability. In reality, the platform mainly collects its service fee, while responsibility is shifted entirely to the local partner.
To make matters worse, negative reviews may be deleted, while only glowing 5-star ratings remain, creating a misleading impression of quality and trust.


👉 If you are considering such a program, please do extra research, speak directly with the local organization, and don’t rely only on the platform’s marketing or published reviews.


In the end, it was simply a waste of time and money.

Efficient and friendly teams, we are at the initial stage of discovering what programs exist so we have a lot of questions on many different aspects. Team is very reactive, friendly, not pushy, just there to help you.

The individual called on time, answered all my questions and provided more information for me to make my decision to volunteer.
Very helpful

A Disappointing Experience – Concerns About Volunteer Safety and Organizational Accountability

As an experienced volunteer and development professional with a background in projects across Africa, South America, and Asia — including living and working within local communities — I approach every new opportunity with open eyes and realistic expectations. However, my recent experience through Volunteer World in Rwanda left me concerned and disappointed.

The local project I was placed with was poorly organized, and at times, I did not feel entirely safe. Despite these challenges, I remained committed and contributed actively by visiting project sites and developing several strategic documents for the local organization, including an investment proposal, a crowdfunding plan, and a volunteer-to-ambassador strategy. The local team even invited me to join their board, a generous offer I respectfully declined, having concluded that I could not, in good conscience, support their operations long-term.

Upon returning home, I reached out to Volunteer World and invited them to have a conversation about my experience — not to complain, but to provide constructive feedback and help prevent future volunteers from encountering similar situations. I stressed how important this would be, especially for less experienced or younger volunteers, for whom this could have been a very distressing experience.

To my surprise, Volunteer World declined the invitation for a dialogue. Instead, they asked me to submit a bullet-point list of concerns for internal review. I responded with a kind email explaining why a context-sensitive, personal conversation would be more appropriate — especially given the complex and potentially vulnerable nature of the issues raised. They declined again, with no willingness to engage in meaningful discussion.

Because of this, I cannot in good faith recommend Volunteer World. An organization that is unwilling to listen to feedback — particularly when it concerns volunteer safety and well-being — fails one of the most basic responsibilities of any organization in this field. I sincerely hope they reconsider their approach for the sake of future volunteers.

EDIT: Today is August 8, a full week after Volunteer World replied to my initial review. Despite their public response, they still have not contacted me directly to ask about my specific concerns regarding how things are organized within their operation.

They claim to have initiated an internal audit with their partner organization, reassessing accommodation, supervision, and orientation procedures — yet these are not issues I have ever raised with them. In fact, I have not even shared my written overview of concerns with Volunteer World, as I had first hoped to have a direct conversation with them.

The fact that they have shown no interest in hearing my actual feedback, while simultaneously focusing on issues I never mentioned, only reinforces my conviction that Volunteer World is not genuinely committed to improving or ensuring the safety and comfort of future volunteers.

My position therefore remains unchanged: I strongly advise against working with Volunteer World in any capacity.

Linda was absolutely excellent on the phone, she was incredibly helpful and guided me through the process with ease.

Verry kindly and a lot of helpful Informations. Thank you

I really needed to clarify my concerns about the program. Thanks to the meeting, I now feel ready to apply.

The video call with Mariela was very useful, as she was very lovely and provided me with more information on Volunteer World and how the organization works. I am very excited to apply to programs for the first time.

While registration with Volunteer World I had some problems with automatically moving on in the process.
The coordinators there were very helpful, replied fast and helped to solve the problem very quickly.

Very quick response, and very informative and helpful with clear guidance

Volunteer World was very efficient and answered all my questions instantly. They are very caring and organized. Definitely recommend!

Kind and well-spoken:
Mariela behaved kindly, explaining clearly all the details I needed.

Very nice experience, Mariela was very help full and kind. Thanks you so much.🙏

Laura helped so much with my trip, very quick responses to any questions I had.
Very happy :)

Very clear and helpfull conversation.
We had all the informations we need at that moment.

Mariela was extremely helpful in planning my volunteer experience. Info was clear and concise and provided links/instructions in email afterwards.