The first Volunteer Festival will take place tomorrow, with 66 charities opening their doors to the public.
Inspired by the UN International Year of the Volunteer, the festival hopes to restore the number of Irish volunteers, which has dropped dramatically in recent years.
Juliet Turner, a singer who was on hand to officially launch the festival on Tuesday, urged people to get involved.
"There are two practical reasons for getting involved - firstly the experience really widens your horizons and secondly, you never know when you're going to need some of these charities. I'm a great believer that if you give something now you'll get something back later," she added.
During the launch, Mr Conall O'Caoimh of Comhlamh, the Irish Association of Development Workers, said: "Comhlamh members are organising this event to mark the Year of the Volunteer and to raise the profile of volunteering at a time when fewer people in Ireland are offering their time to charities."
The organisations taking part range from the Simon Community to the Consumer Association of Ireland, offering something for everyone.
"Organisations from every area of volunteering are involved. All sorts of skills are needed by these organisations and there is space for everyone to make a meaningful contribution," Mr O'Caoimh added.
To take part in the festival, members of the public should turn up at the Comhlamh centre at 10 Upper Camden Street, Dublin 2, or the Volunteer Resource Centre at Coleraine House, Coleraine Street, Dublin 7, tomorrow, where they will be given a map and list of the 66 organisations participating.
When they visit six organisations they gain free entry to the Volunteer Festival Party in Temple Bar Music Centre on Saturday night. People do not need to pre-register to take part.