The Summer is upon us. The perfect time to volunteer.

The Summer is a time for people to get out, have fun, enjoy the sun and all the activities that go along with it. As people do, so do nonprofits. Local nonprofits hold a LOT of activities in the summer and always have a need for volunteers. Here are some fun and perhaps overlooked opportunities to volunteer:

1) Festivals/Fairs – Festivals and fairs are a lot of fun for everyone and often are attended by a LOT of people! Well, where there are a lot of people, there are a lot of nonprofits too! Festivals and fairs tend to allow nonprofits to have space inside the festival or fair for little or no cost to the nonprofit. They might even have a booth that provides food or beverages (mmmmmmm… beer on a hot summers day!) and always need volunteers to help promote their cause to the people that are at the festivals and fairs. Benefits to the Volunteer: It’s fun! It’s outdoors most of the time. You meet a lot of people. Sometimes there is free food or beverages for volunteers. It’s ususally just a short period of time and in the time you are volunteering, you can find out the best places to go and the best things to do at the festival or fair and go and enjoy those things after you are done with your “shift”.

2) Events/Fundraisers – If you like to meet people and don’t want to really attend a large or small event by yourself or just want to maybe help out for a short period of time, then find a charity event to be a part of. Even better, get your friends and or co-workers together and do it as a group! Fund raisers in the summer tend to be out door events. Activities such as “walks”, “runs”, “rides”, concerts, food festivals, etc usually have a charity component to them and can always use the help to pull the event off. Just a few hours of time you can volunteer make a HUGE difference for the charity that is putting on the event. Benefits to the Volunteer: Same as #1

3) Committees – If you really like to get involved and help organize and develop events, getting on a committee is the thing to do! Committees are often a great way to utilize your skills, contacts, knowledge and make a much more direct impact on a charity. The less outgoing type of people may really shine on a committee rather than out at events. Great skill sets for a committee member to have: Ability to think big pciture, ability to handle small details, ability to reach out to the community, ability to organize logistics of an event or program, ability to recruit others, ability to take good notes and organize them, ability to secure resources, ability to organize the resources supplied, ability to talk with people, ability to write letters and maintain other documents, databases, etc. Committees are a great way to get involved! Benefits to being on a committee: Networking, resume builder (in today’s economy this is a great way to show employers you are utilizing your skills even if not working), Possibly attend the event for free, learn new skills, meet new people, keep busy, know that your activity is making a difference and having a sense of accomplishment when your event or program is up and running, making new contacts personally and professionally because you have to do it for the committee.

4) Helping around the House – Sometimes charities need help around the house. Organizing documents, databases, with mailings, cleaning up, setting up, literally house cleaning and improving on space and other organizational assistance. Especially for small nonprofits, where there is maybe 1 or 2 staff members, if that, this is a HUGE… I know I have used that a bit, but honestly, it is a HUGE help for them. I know with us, having someone to work on our database takes a TON of time and for me (I’m the only “employee” eventhough I’m not paid), that is an enormous help. Having a volunteer to input things that take time, frees my time up to do the other things that allow us to survive as an organization. Benefits: Flexible time (Can fit to your schedule, sometimes you can even volunteer remotely for the orgnization by doing computer work at your own home), they tend to be projects, so there is a sense of accomplishment when the project is completed, getting to know a charity more intimately allows for you to be a greater supporter of the organization, and there are more, trust me! Especially if you are volunteering with an animal shelter!

5) Board Opportunities – Really want to up your participation and influence! Get on a charity Board! With over 28,000 nonprofits in Colorado, I’m sure you can find a Board position that you would like! This is where your knowledge and experience really come into play. You have the responsibility to look out for the mission and vision of the organization! You are part of the solution to a community challenge! The Benefits are too much to list, but take 1-4 benefits and apply here. Some things you should know about Board Membership… you are responsible for the organization. You are not only idealogically responsible, but fiscally responsible. Your name is directly tied to the charity literally and you need to know the inner workings of your charity so that you are truly looking out for it’s best interest and at the same time covering your own butt in case, God forbid, something happens. But truly, this is where you can have the greatest reward! Knowing that something your name is directly connected to is making a difference in your community is probably the greatest feeling in the world!

So there you have it. I know there are tons more out there, but we can’t possibly cover them all here, these are just a few that maybe you didn’t think about.

Have a great and fun Spring! Hopefully we will see you at our events or as a volunteer soon!

To find out more about our volunteer opportunities, please visit our website at www.denvergives.org and click on “Volunteer”.