GIVE BACK

Many pilgrims return from the Camino with a strong desire to give back in a meaningful way. You are not alone in trying to think of what the next stage of your Camino life might be. Opportunities exist at the local, national and international levels. American Pilgrims on the Camino can connect you with opportunities big and small, both at home and abroad.

On the local level, all programs and events at each of our nearly 60 local chapters are planned and run by volunteers. Each local chapter is led by a team of co-coordinators and they are always looking for help in planning events, finding speakers, organizing walks and administrative work like maintaining mailing lists. Please consider reaching out to your chapter’s co-coordinators to see how you can help.

Have you considered helping out at the national level? We can use your help! Follow this link to volunteer opportunities and see how you can make a difference.

Veteran pilgrims sometimes return to the Camino to serve their fellow pilgrims as a hospitalero at an albergue. They say this experience is in every sense a Camino of its own. American Pilgrims offers hospitalero training courses to prepare you for this experience. You can learn more about the program and register for an upcoming class on our Hospitalero Training page.

Alternatively, the Ribadiso Welcome Service provides a unique volunteer opportunity at the Albergue of Ribadiso do Baixo, operated by the Xunta de Galicia. Volunteers care for pilgrims by welcoming them, answering questions and providing information. They work alongside hospitaleros but are not responsible for cleaning or cooking.

La Concha, the quarterly magazine of American Pilgrims, publishes original works by members. Share your photographs, poems, reflections and original art with your fellow pilgrims. Submission guidelines can be found on our La Concha page.

You might find joy and purpose working alongside your fellow pilgrims as a part of the board of directors of American Pilgrims on the Camino. Our hard-working, all-volunteer board members make sure the organization runs smoothly by responsibly managing the business of the organization. The work of the board includes membership, local chapter development and support, communications, managing our grants program, Facebook and website assistance and hosting our annual Gathering of Pilgrims. If this sounds like something that interests you, please send an email to the nominations committee at boardnoms@americanpilgrims.org.

If you haven’t already, please consider supporting American Pilgrims with an annual membership. You can join or renew at Membership. If you’re already a member and would like to make an additional contribution, you can find details on under Make a Donation.

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Our largest discretionary budget item is the grants we make to support projects on the Camino. The American Pilgrims grants program has awarded more than $200,000 over the last four years to support Camino infrastructure. To learn more about how your organization supports Camino infrastructure and projects, head over to our Grants Program page.

We welcome and thank you for your support!

Rev 04/08/2023