United Way galvanizes people to speak out for change. We’re amplifying individuals’ voices on important community issues and urging our public officials to fight for children, nonprofits, and working families. We provide a platform for people across our region to take meaningful action that makes a difference. Join us in contacting our elected leaders and urging them to fight for policies that empower our communities.

Number of Volunteers

1+

Recruitment Period

Year-round (dependent upon legislative session and issues)

Project Cost

FREE

How to Sign Up

Check out our Advocacy page for current opportunities!

Throughout the year, United Way offers various grant, audit, and allocation reviews hosted by our Community Impact department. Volunteers would need access to a computer so they can read applications and submit their reviews through our electronic portal.

Number of Volunteers

1+

Recruitment Period

Year-round

Project Cost

FREE

How to Sign Up

Registration Form

Unfortunately, many families in our community cannot afford the school supplies that children need to be successful in school. You can change this. Basics for Back to School is a rewarding volunteer experience for companies and groups that want to make a difference by assembling backpacks with a variety of school supplies to prepare students for a successful academic year!

Number of Volunteers

Varies

Recruitment Period

N/A

Project Cost

$1,000 minimum (50 kits) w/ Backpacks; $600 minimum (50 kits) w/ Drawstring Bags

How to Sign Up

Registration Form

United Way’s Board Connection program brings together professionals seeking meaningful community leadership opportunities with local nonprofits looking to strengthen their volunteer boards. Our Board Connection Certificate Training Program is a comprehensive curriculum led by professionals from the nonprofit and for-profit sectors. The program prepares you for what it really means to be an outstanding nonprofit board member. Participants will then gain access to our online BoardConnection portal where they will be able to connect with local nonprofits seeking board/committee members.

Number of Volunteers

1+

Recruitment Period

Year-round

Project Cost

$1,000 under 25 participants, $1,500 25+ participants

How to Sign Up

Registration Form

United Way’s Board Connection program brings together professionals seeking meaningful community leadership opportunities with local nonprofits looking to strengthen their volunteer boards. Our Board Connection Certificate Training Program is a comprehensive curriculum led by professionals from the nonprofit and for-profit sectors. The program prepares you for what it really means to be an outstanding nonprofit board member. Participants will then gain access to our online BoardConnection portal where they will be able to connect with local nonprofits seeking board/committee members.

Number of Volunteers

1+

Recruitment Period

August, September, October, February, March, April

Project Cost

$35/session; $125 bundle

How to Sign Up

Host a Student Field Trip at your company! This is a prime way to provide real-world exposure of STEM industries to students, in hopes of influencing aspirations to pursue a STEM career or envision a pathway into STEM industries. This opportunity allows for strong relationships to form between schools and STEM industries with the hope of establishing a network/ecosystem that is self-sustaining.

Number of Volunteers

1+

Recruitment Period

Year-round (waitlist)

Project Cost

$1750+

How to Sign Up

Email volunteer@supportunitedway.org

Share your passion for STEM with middle and high school students in a quick, “bite-sized”, demonstration or presentation (5-15 minutes). Using a virtual platform, present a demonstration or provide a basic overview of one STEM concept, practice, or skill related to your current job. STEM Bites are a fun and quick way for STEM professionals to connect with students virtually and share their expertise on one STEM practice, skill, or concept.

Number of Volunteers

10+ (if under 10, volunteers should do this individually/on their own)

Recruitment Period

Year-round

Project Cost

$200 minimum (10 STEM Bites)

How to Sign Up

Sign up for more than 10 participants
Sign up for individuals

STEM Chats are approximately 20-30-minute dialogues intended to provide students with the opportunity to learn about STEM jobs and career pathways. We will explore questions related to education experience, job experience, and how current professionals established the career they have now. Format of the sessions are intended to be a conversation/discussion with time at the end for participants to ask questions. We are finding this to be a great way to explore careers or fields that someone may never heard of, from real people doing the work. BoSTEM will support volunteers with a brief training on how to mentor students in STEM, provide example formats for interacting virtually, and moderate the session to facilitate dialogue. Volunteers are encouraged to add their creativity to the format of their meeting!

Number of Volunteers

10+ (if under 10, volunteers should do this individually/on their own)

Recruitment Period

Year-round

Project Cost

$200 minimum (10 STEM Chats)

How to Sign Up

Sign up for more than 10 participants
Sign up for individuals

Do you bring a unique perspective to the STEM career pathway experience? To highlight Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the STEM career pathway experience, these 15-20-minute conversations provide students to hear from a professional that may encounter similar challenges in their pursuit of STEM education. Topics can cover race, ethnicity, cultural background, gender, sexuality, mental health, disabilities, religion, or anything else you feel is “critical” to your story that impacts/impacted your STEM career pathway.

Number of Volunteers

10+ (if under 10, volunteers should do this individually/on their own)

Recruitment Period

Year-round

Project Cost

$200 minimum (10 STEM Critical Conversations)

How to Sign Up

Sign up for more than 10 participants
Sign up for individuals

Host a Teacher Externship at your company! This opportunity’s purpose is to expose teachers to various industries for the purpose of bringing that knowledge back to their students. It also helps to forge strong relationships between teachers and industry professionals to open up connections for their students.

Number of Volunteers

1+

Recruitment Period

Year-round (waitlist)

Project Cost

Sponsorship varies

How to Sign Up

Email volunteer@supportunitedway.org

United Way’s Community Baby Shower supports new and expectant parents experiencing economic hardship in a reimagined way. With the public health crisis at hand and the unemployment rate climbing ever higher each day, the demand for support is greater than ever. Check out the Community Baby Shower event page for opportunities to get involved!

Number of Volunteers

1+

Recruitment Period

February, March, April

Project Cost

$2,500+ (Refer to sponsor form for levels)

How to Sign Up

Email klum@supportunitedway.org

Over the past 10 years, United Way’s Community Baby Shower has empowered thousands of expectant parents with the essential resources they need to support their baby’s healthy development. Host a drive to collect the diapers and wipes that will be distributed at this year’s event.

Number of Volunteers

1+

Recruitment Period

January, February, March

Project Cost

FREE

How to Sign Up

Email klum@supportunitedway.org

United Way is offering a Guided Reading volunteer program in partnership with StudyHall. Volunteers will connect virtually with students directly through the StudyHall platform and assist students in reading comprehension and fluency. Students will read a story aloud from the reading library and volunteers can leverage various tools on StudyHall (like the Phonics tool and Whiteboard!) to help students understand what they’re reading. Help students bring stories to life and get them excited about reading! Volunteers like you can spark students’ interest in reading and learning and provide teachers with the extra support that they need, especially in the new remote learning environment.

Number of Volunteers

20-30 per classroom

Recruitment Period

June, July, August

Project Cost

$3,500 per classroom per year

How to Sign Up

Email kpadmore@supportunitedway.org

Help provide basic hygiene necessities to low-income individuals who are currently or formerly homeless. Gather colleagues and friends to help assemble a laundry bag or tote bag with basic care products such as shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrush, soap, tampons, etc.

Number of Volunteers

Varies

Recruitment Period

N/A

Project Cost

$700 minimum (50 kits)

How to Sign Up

Registration Form

If you’re looking to be a part of a scholar’s journey, you can become a volunteer e-Coach. As a Marian L. Heard e-Coach, you will support your Scholar through each year of their college career, and together you’ll work toward the ultimate goal of college graduation. You’ll stay in regular contact via email with your scholar, helping them navigate classes, extracurriculars, internships, and other opportunities.

Number of Volunteers

1+

Recruitment Period

April, May, June, July

Project Cost

FREE

How to Sign Up

Email klum@supportunitedway.org

Volunteers record themselves reading a story. Families would receive the book and link to the YouTube read aloud. Your team can promote literacy and support children whose school years were cut short and are dealing with more than the typical summer learning loss. PLEASE NOTE FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY: A list of stories chosen will need to be provided to United Way to ensure that licensing and the fees of the specific books are properly obtained/paid for. This would be an added cost to the company.

Number of Volunteers

Varies

Recruitment Period

N/A

Project Cost

$500 minimum (50 Story Read Alouds)

How to Sign Up

Registration Form

United Way’s Annual Thanksgiving Project provides more than 15,000 families with the full ingredients needed for a Thanksgiving celebration. While we’re on the road to recovery, we have a long way to go and too many families are still unable to make ends meet. With your support, we’re making sure everyone in our community can enjoy a home-cooked holiday meal with their loved ones – no matter what the future holds. Check out the Thanksgiving Project event page for opportunities to get involved!

Number of Volunteers

1+

Recruitment Period

September, October, November

Project Cost

General TGP = $2,500+ ; YoPro = $1,000+ (refer to sponsor forms for each project),

How to Sign Up

Email dbcox@supportunitedway.org

United Way’s Annual Thanksgiving Project is looking for companies to host food item drives to help us provide more than 15,000 families with meals. The food items that we are in need of are 14.5oz cans of Green Beans and 14.5oz cans of Corn.

Number of Volunteers

1+

Recruitment Period

August, September, October, November

Project Cost

FREE

How to Sign Up

Email klum@supportunitedway.org

Walk-A-Mile is an empathy building exercise designed to allow participants to understand just a little bit about what it’s like to “walk-a-mile” in another’s shoes. United Staff leads participants through a budgeting activity layered with reflection and discussion. Folks leave with new knowledge and a newfound perspective to take into their day-to-day job.

Number of Volunteers

5+

Recruitment Period

Year Round

Project Cost

$2000 minimum

How to Sign Up

Registration Form