Volunteering in San Francisco
I’ve always volunteered. In high school, I was a candy striper for four years, racked up the volunteer hours and even became shift captain and a member of the Junior Auxiliary Advisory Board. In college, I was all over the map—I volunteered for a local nature preserve, at schools in East Palo Alto, at my high school…but lest you think I’m just trying to score goody-goody points, let me explain the real reason why I volunteer.
It’s the best way to get perspective, to place yourself in context with the rest of the world. In today’s fast-paced, consumer dot com culture, it’s easy to become totally self-absorbed. Volunteering is the best reality check in the world. The best thing about it? It doesn’t matter who you are…if you want to help, you’re welcome.
My favorite places to do hands-on volunteering are Glide Memorial Church (http://www.glide.org/programs/volunteer.html_) , where you can commit to a brunch shift every weekend or simply help out at Thanksgiving—I carved turkey last year. Project Open Hand (http://www.openhand.org/volunteer/index.html) has a great staff and is a wonderful place to spend volunteer time. I recently became acquainted with Community Impact (http://www.communityimpact.org/), an organization like Hands On San Francisco that allows folks to volunteer project by project, rather than committing to a specific shift each week—sometimes easier for those of us who don’t know what they’ll be doing tomorrow, let alone next weekend. If you’re trying to figure out what kind of work you want to do, Impact Online’s Volunteer Match program (http://www.volunteermatch.org/) matches volunteers to organizations online.
I serve as co-chair of the Advisory Board for YNPN, the Young Nonprofit Professionals’ Network (http://www.ynpn.org). Formed in July 1997 as a project of the Support Center for Nonprofit Management (a side project of mine while I was working there between college and graduate school), YNPN began as a networking peer group to support young adults under 35 affiliated with the nonprofit sector. This idea took off, and to date, YNPN has an email listserv (see site for directions on how to sign up) of over 500 members and has hosted not only networking happy hours and group volunteer projects, but also career development workshops and panels. Workshop and panel topics include "Higher Education Opportunities for Nonprofit Professionals," "Forming Your Own Nonprofit," "Preventing Burnout," "Finding Your Niche in the Nonprofit Sector" and "Unionization and Nonprofits." Through the listserv, YNPN members can get referrals for nonprofit consultants and software, learn about training opportunities, post and receive job announcements, and share ideas on issues facing the sector. At events, members can share coping strategies and make valuable connections for the future.
YNPN is a resource for nonprofit and for-profit folks alike. Many corporate types have joined the listserv and attend YNPN events, because for them it is a way to stay connected to the nonprofit sector and offer their own support (pro bono consulting, volunteering, donations) to nonprofits. Nonprofit professionals nationwide have used YNPN’s services, and it’s so exciting to see my little baby take off and head in this direction.
San Francisco is a great place to volunteer, in large part because of the quality and quantity of nonprofit organizations in the city and surrounding areas. The volunteer options are endless and the need extreme.
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