Sheila McGinnis Director of Outreach & Community Partnerships Government & Community Relations Ally Baehr Director of Community Engagement Make Way for Books You Make the Difference! Give Volunteer  Be Counted

Why volunteering is important The impact of volunteers in the community How volunteers can help an organization The importance of assessing your interests Hands-on volunteer opportunity Today, we will learn: :

Why is volunteering important? Volunteers have an enormous impact on the health and well-being of our community: Volunteers deliver critical services – from serving as volunteer fire fighters or participating in search and rescues, to delivering meals to homebound seniors, or manning phone lines at domestic and sexual assault centers. Volunteers help keep our neighborhoods, streets, parks, rivers, green spaces, and water clean and safe.

Volunteers tutor, teach, mentor, coach, and support young people. Volunteers walk dogs, pet cats, clean cages, help with adoptions and feedings, and contribute veterinary expertise to animal shelters and wildlife rehabilitation centers Volunteers build houses and schools, dig wells, and repair infrastructure.

Volunteers educate the public on health and safety; doctors and nurses donate time and medical knowledge to free clinics and natural/civil disaster areas. Volunteers take tickets at performing arts events, lead tours at museums, and ensure arts and cultural festivals run smoothly.

Top 10 Reasons to Volunteer Volunteering strengthens your community – improve schools, support youth, eldercare, beautification projects You learn a lot – discover hidden talents, gain knowledge of local resources You get a chance to give back – support community resources that benefit people you care about Encourages civic responsibility – it’s an investment in our community and to the people who live here You make a difference – Every person counts!! It’s good for you – reduces stress and makes you healthier It saves resources – provides valuable community services Volunteers gain professional experience It brings people together – diverse backgrounds collaborate and builds friendships and teamwork It promotes personal growth & self esteem

The IMPACT - by the numbers: According to the Corporation for National and Community Service, 61.8 million individuals in the United States contributed 8 billion hours of volunteerism in The economic impact of all this volunteering? $162 billion U.S. dollars.

UA’s Impact 13 volunteer events organized by UA Community Relations 80 fundraisers, drives, charitable activities organized by staff 2,192 hours of volunteerism or $50,416 community value 3,600 acts of kindness performed in 8 months Volunteerism

The impact of no volunteers… Imagine if one day, all volunteers simply did not show up

What Volunteers Mean to Us Last Fiscal year we recorded 1400 hours of volunteer time This equates to $32,000 or a fulltime employee! There is NO WAY we could get everything done that we need without volunteers Volunteering is an awesome way to get people involved in our mission and to understand the work we do in the community Volunteers help us save money because we can rely on volunteers to do things that we might have to pay someone for “Volunteers are the heart of our program!”

What Volunteers Do for Us… Read weekly to children in child care centers Make props for story time Make bean bags Help with events Put together baby bags Prepping books for the library Painting Installing a mural Creating materials that child care centers use with children Writing thank you notes Build book shelves Deliver books Clean books Count and sort books Stamp books with our logo Collect books through book drives at schools, businesses, clubs, and birthday parties Help with landscaping and trash pick up Clean windows Put together furniture And the list goes on and on!

Other Ways to Volunteer in Our Community Serving on a board of directors or one of their sub-committees (highly committed volunteers with a larger time commitment) Helping plan and run big events and conferences Securing items for raffles and auctions Helping with Finances/Audit/etc. Fixing things around the office Spreading the word about fundraisers and helping sell tickets (raffle tickets, event tickets, etc.) Data Entry Tabling at events

Managing small projects that don’t require a fulltime employee Receptionist duties/answering phones Making phone calls Caring for children Mentoring foster youth Tutoring/coaching youth Helping with Art Projects Riding in El Tour and raising money for your favorite nonprofit More Ways to Volunteer in Our Community

Hands-on volunteer activity

Assessing Your Interests

Why assess your interests? Thinking about your goals, interests, and skills saves you time and steers you away from volunteer positions that don’t fit Time wasted training A bad fit can end up causing harm

Scoring your quiz

Life's persistent and most urgent question is ‘What are you doing for others?’ Martin Luther King Jr. Interested in volunteering? Call Sheila or