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Get Started!
In order to view
and sign up for projects, you must first
register on our
site.
Why register?
Our goal is to successfully connect volunteers to the
nonprofits who need them most. By registering on our site,
we are able to validate your contact information to ensure
that nonprofits can successfully follow up with you when
you sign up fo an opportunity. Registration also
allows you to access a number of valuable tools and
resources through the
Member Center. You can track your
volunteer and donation history, view upcoming projects,
remove yourself from projects you are no longer able to
attend and much more.
Read our Privacy Policy.
Step 2: What Do You Want
To Do?
There are so
many ways to volunteer; the choices can often be
overwhelming. What types of opportunities you look for and
where on this site you will find them will depend on a
number of factors. Here are a few things to consider …
-
How much time
do you have? Several hours per week, or just a few hours
per year?
-
What level of
commitment are you willing to make? Can you commit to
volunteering on a regular basis for several months, or
are you looking for something more flexible?
-
Who’s
volunteering with you? Just you? Your family? A group of
friends or co-workers?
-
Who do you want to help? What
issue areas are you passionate about? Do you want to work
with seniors? With children? With animals? The
environment? Once you’ve decided, think more
about specific populations. For example, if you want to
work with children, what age and in what field? Literacy?
Disabled services? Sports and
recreation? Arts & Crafts?
-
What do you
want to do? – Do you want to utilize existing skills, or
develop new ones? Do you want to provide ”direct
service,” i.e. work directly with the recipients of
service, or indirect service, working in a support role?
Tip: Take your time.
Finding the right volunteer opportunity is like finding the
right partner – if your interests and skills don’t match,
or you don’t find the relationship fun and rewarding,
you’re unlikely to continue.
Step 3: Explore the
Programs
In light of the
many different choices, Hands On offers a wide range of programs
designed to provide all members of our community with the
opportunity to make a difference. Regardless of your
answers in Step 2, we are confident that you will find an
opportunity that’s right for you. Check out our different
programs to find the type of volunteer opportunity most
interesting to you:
The following
sections may also be of interest:
One-Time
Projects
Sign up for
CommunityWorks and you'll join a group of
volunteers on a 2-4 hour project. No advance training or
ongoing commitment required.
Join a Team
Join a TeamWorks
team of volunteers and commit to a schedule of
projects over a few weeks.
Lead a
Project
With the help of
our Project Leaders, Hands On Greater Portland develops and manages
every aspect of our projects, from agency contact and
volunteer sign-ups to project management and follow-up. As
our strongest link to the community, Project Leaders ensure
that every volunteer has a positive experience and that the
real needs of the agencies are being met.
Bulletin Board of Opportunities
Check out a variety of other volunteer
opportunities managed by our community partners through our
NetWorks program.
Civic Leaders
Interested in nonprofit board membership? Civic Leaders matches leaders,
especially leaders of color, with leadership opportunities
with nonprofit Boards and government Commissions.
AmeriCorps Alums
Join in the goal
to build a statewide alumni chapter that includes all
streams of service.
Volunteers Under 18
If you're under 18 years old, just check the project
description to find out if the project has an age
minimum.
Court-Ordered Service
If you have court ordered community service hours, you may
find opportunities to complete those hours through Hands On
Greater Portland. If you need documentation of your hours for the
courts, please contact our office at 503.413.7787 and we
will provide you with a summary of your hours.
PLEASE NOTE: Individuals who have been convicted
of or charged with any crime involving or relating to child
abuse or neglect, child pornography, child abduction, or
any other violent offense, including kidnapping, rape or
any sexual offense, or who have ever been ordered by a
court to receive psychiatric or psychological treatment in
connection with such crime or crimes are NOT permitted to
register on this site.
Tip:
Update your Personal
Information. By going to the
Member Center and updating
your Personal Information, we will be able to get a better
idea of what types of opportunity may be most suitable for
you.
When you find a
project that’s right for you, you will have the opportunity
to either
(for projects that are time and date
specific)
or
 (to provide more
information on how to get involved).
Step 5: Volunteer and Have
Fun!
Please…don’t be
a no-show - once you sign up for a project, the nonprofit
is relying on you to meet certain needs in their
organization. If you can’t attend, please visit the
Member
Center and remove yourself from the project as soon as
possible. By signing up for projects and not attending, you
may be depriving the project of much-needed support that
could be gained by giving someone else a chance to take
your place.
If you don’t get
a response immediately, please be patient. It may take a
few days for a Volunteer Coordinator to get back in touch
with you. If you haven’t gotten a response in 3 days,
please contact
Hands On Greater Portland
to let us know at 503.413.7787.
There are
hundreds of opportunities that need your support. Keep
looking and trying until you find the perfect fit!
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