Each year thousands of area residents contact the Volunteer Center to find ways to serve their community. The center maintains and publishes a comprehensive, up-to-date list of nonprofit volunteer needs that local organizations and individuals can easily search to find volunteer opportunities that match their skills and interests. All Kalamazoo County nonprofit and charitable organizations, with 501-c tax identification status, are invited to submit their volunteer opportunities for inclusion in the Center's online listing service.
Additional services available to nonprofits include:
Volunteer Program Assessment
Volunteer Management Best Practices
Volunteer Management Training
Recruitment and Referral Services, and
Technology Solutions for Volunteer Data Management
With an eye toward the future, the Volunteer Center sponsors youth and teen volunteer programs that are designed to introduce young people to volunteerism and community service. Future leaders need to know about the social issues that face communities, and volunteering is a wonderful way to introduce them to the needs of others. The VolunTEENS program offers students between the ages of 13 and 18 the chance to learn about local nonprofit organizations by volunteering in age appropriate positions. The experience allows students to explore future career opportunities, gain required community service credit for college scholarships, and most importantly, learn that they can make a difference in their community by helping others. Participating nonprofit organizations benefit from student involvement in their programs through an increased volunteer workforce, an occasion to hear a fresh perspective about their work, and the opportunity to introduce young people to future potential careers in the nonprofit sector.
The Volunteer Center staff believes that successful nonprofit organizations are empowered by people with the vision to lead, the energy to build, and the determination to succeed.
