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Ongoing Volunteer Activities
Learn about the many ways you can make a difference in the lives of First Coast children and families. Become a United Way volunteer. Sign up to help today!

Community Fund Investment

United Way Community Fund donors are needed to help allocate funds to programs successfully addressing serious or critical health and human service issues in Northeast Florida.
Training required: A group training session in March will provide a recap of the program review process, an overview of the health and well-being of Northeast Florida, and the funding criteria.
Time commitment: 20-30 hours during the months of March - May
Contact: Melanie Patz, 390-3243

Early Childhood Success

Parent/Caregiver Workshop Leader

Volunteers are needed to conduct turn-key, interactive workshops with parents and other care givers of children ages 0-5 through workplaces and other community venues. Workshops help parents and caregivers who either don't know exactly what actions to take to prepare young children for school, or feel they don't have time to do what is needed.
Training required: Training in use of materials and curriculum, as well as facilitation skills is provided.
Contact: Melodie Dove, 390-3225

Senior Independence and Engagement

Life: Act 2
A community collaboration, led by United Way, Life: Act 2 takes a pro-active approach to issues affecting older adults. This initiative mobilizes and coordinates senior-related resources, offers programs to assure seniors' easy access to integrated health and social service systems, and develops programs that promote a shift in the way our community views and values seniors and the aging process.
Training required: Training for all positions is provided.
The following Life: Act 2 volunteer positions are currently available.
  • Senior Services: Volunteers are needed to distribute educational information on services for seniors. Informational resource sheets will be placed in such venues as grocery stores, doctor's offices, and senior centers. Volunteers are also needed to assemble "hospital discharge information toolkits" for local distribution.
  • Training required: An orientation briefing will be provided for those volunteers who assist with distribution of materials.
  • Contact: Jean Burhans, 390-3292

Financial Stability and Well-Being

Real$ense Prosperity Campaign
The Real$ense Prosperity Campaign helps low-income families achieve their financial goals through free tax assistance to claim the Earned Income Tax Credit and/or to attend financial classes that prepare them to start matched savings accounts. Contact: Linda Hemphill, 390-3237 or lindah@uwnefl.org.

Current Volunteer Opportunities:
Outreach Specialist: Fill speaking engagements and staff information display tables at community events, as requested by local businesses or organizations. Outreach helps educate and promote all services offered through Real$ense. No public speaking experience necessary.
Training required: One, 2-hour training session is required to learn all aspects of Real$ense background, mission, and services.
Time commitment: Outreach Specialists receive periodic e-mail requests for various speaking engagements and participation in community events. Volunteers only respond to the events they would like to help cover. All volunteers are provided with marketing materials/giveaways for any events in which they participate.

Tax Preparer: Learn limited tax law and prepare taxes via an on-line program (Tax Wise).
Training required: 16 to 20 hours of formal training, by either AARP Tax-Aide or the IRS, requiring the successful completion of a certification test at the end of the class.
Time commitment: 30* - 40** hours between January 15 and April 15. (*VITA volunteers; AARP Tax-Aide volunteers**)

Tax Site Greeter/Prosperity Coach: Greet taxpayers as they enter a free tax preparation site, keep the waiting room running smoothly, and inform tax payers about other Real$ense services available to them, such as matched savings and financial education. Tasks include:
• Greet taxpayer clients; sign them in
• Review client paperwork to assure they have everything they need
• Refer clients to a financial counselor if one is present at that location
• Make certain clients get their taxes prepared according to their turn
Training required: 4 hours of training
Time commitment: 30 hours between January 15 and April 15

Quality Review Specialist: Review completed tax returns to assure there are no glaring errors and that no preparation steps were missed. QR Specialists will also answer questions from newer tax preparers as necessary.
Training required: Training in tax law and Tax Wise software; previous tax prep experience (VITA or AARP Tax-Aide) preferred.
Time commitment: 30 hours between January 15 and April 15

Financial Education Trainer: Facilitate Money Smart, a financial education class for community members interested in learning how to better manage their wealth and assets. Class locations vary.
Training required: 8 hours of training in the Money Smart curriculum.
Time commitment: Includes attending a Money Smart Train-the-Trainer session prior to teaching a class. Classes are offered weekdays, evenings, and Saturdays. Flexible time commitment.

Helping Students and Their Families

Full Service Schools
Full Service Schools of Jacksonville is working to connect families, schools and neighbors to help students overcome the non-academic barriers they face.
Training required: Training for all positions is provided
Contact: Shelley Grant, 390-3247
The following Full Service Schools volunteer positions are available.
  • Oversight Committee Members: Volunteers, residents of the community the specific site serves, are needed as voting members. For other sites, volunteers are requested to serve as non-voting resource members. In this capacity, these persons are not required to live or work in the neighborhood, but have an interest or skill needed by the oversight committees in order to perform certain functions. Examples of tasks include: organizing a health fair and the design and analysis of a needs/assets assessment.
  • Tutors: Volunteers are needed to provide after-school homework assistance at all sites.
  • Program Leaders: Conduct curriculum-based programs to benefit our children and families. FAST, Rainbows (curriculum driven grief group for children) and PASSport are all programs that have a proven impact on kids and can be led by volunteers.
  • Mentors: Volunteers work with United Way partner agencies to mentor a student.
  • Training required:Up to 8 hours of training
  • Time Commitment:One hour per week for one year
  • College Student Interns: Students working toward degrees in health and human services fields will be utilized in program areas where appropriate supervision is available.
  • Classroom Helpers:Many classrooms are in need of volunteers during the school day to provide various services.
  • Facility Helpers: Volunteers of varying skill levels will provide improvements such as light painting and landscaping at sites and schools where needed.

Where to Turn for Help in Northeast Florida

United Way 2-1-1
United Way's 2-1-1 is our community's 24-hour information and referral helpline. It also serves as our community's suicide intervention hotline. Trained call center specialists respond to approximately 70,000 calls for help each year.
Training required: Training for all positions is provided.
Contact: Bob Arnold, 390-3278, or Terri Swanson, 390-3283
The following United Way 2-1-1 volunteer positions are available.
  • Resource Database updates - data entry (updating system and manual entries) Volunteers with the ability to type and basic computer skills are needed to update 2-1-1's service database, ServicePoint. Volunteers will receive data entry training.
  • Directory call-backs and follow-ups Volunteers are needed to follow-up with 2-1-1 callers for quality assurance and effectiveness of referrals. Volunteers will be trained on the use of a prepared script and on documentation of calls.
  • UW 2-1-1 Call Center Specialists Volunteers with good communication and basic computer skills are needed to answer 2-1-1 calls during times of high call volume, including natural disasters. Volunteers will learn about Alliance of Information and Referral Systems (AIRS) requirements and standards, recording information into 2-1-1's database ServicePoint, as well as responding to suicide calls.
  • Receptionist/Administrative Assistant Volunteers with computer skills are needed to assist with day-to-day administrative work of 2-1-1, including faxing, processing mail, and assisting with data entry. All volunteers will be trained in United Way processes and machinery including copy, fax, and mail.
  • UW 2-1-1 presentations to the community Volunteers adept at public speaking are needed to inform the community about 2-1-1 and the services provided. Through prepared presentations, speakers will be trained on 2-1-1 messaging. Speaking engagements will be coordinated and scheduled by 2-1-1 staff.

Jacksonville Jaguars Honor Rows

Honor Rows Volunteer

The Jacksonville Jaguars Foundation Honor Rows Program gives children, ages 9-17, the opportunity to earn a seat at one of the Jaguar’s home games through accomplishment of set goals for community service and good behavior. Agencies serving these youth have designed innovative ways for children to earn the reward of a Jaguars home-game ticket. Participating students come from more than 40 agencies, many of which are United Way Certified Agencies.

Each year United Way of Northeast Florida partners with the Jacksonville Jaguars Foundation to provide 45+ volunteers to assist 400+ Honor Rows students during Jaguars home games. Volunteer assignments include: assist children in/out of the stadium, prepare lunches, check students as they enter/leave seating sections, manage water stations, etc.

Training required: Volunteers must attend a training meeting and complete an Honor Rows Volunteer Packet.
Time commitment: Volunteers must commit to five or more designated Honor Rows home games. All Honor Rows games take place during September through December.
Contact: Sarah Howard, 390-3221

Telling Our Story

Marketing and Communications Administrative Volunteer

Assists the Marketing and Communications Department with the following: compiling media clippings, maintaining and updating media lists and public relations rosters, monitoring community calendars for United Way event scheduling, organizing and tracking inventory of event and marketing materials, and assembling event materials and media packets.
Contact: Coretta Hill, 390-3231