At the YMCA, your time and
talent go a long way. Every hour you spend as a YMCA volunteer
translates into the caring attention a child or teen needs to grow up
healthy and resilient. It translates into support for families so they
can be successful and strong. Into healthier lives for people of all
ages, backgrounds, abilities and incomes. Into a safer, more viable
community that's a good place to live and work.
YMCAs are
first and foremost volunteer organizations. To put it in perspective,
not every YMCA has a building, but every YMCA has volunteers. All 2,663
YMCAs are volunteer-founded, volunteer-based, and volunteer-led. Local
volunteers establish YMCAs-not the YMCA of the USA-and local volunteers
run YMCAs, continually ensuring that YMCAs are meeting the unique needs
of their communities. Volunteers are at the heart of every YMCA and
that is why YMCAs are at the heart of community life in more than
10,000 communities nationwide. From helping Civil War troops more than
a century ago to international disaster relief efforts today, YMCAs are
one of the nation's leading volunteer organizations.
As a YMCA
volunteer, you can lead an exercise class, read to a preschool class,
coach a basketball team, cook for a bake sale, design a program
brochure, greet people at the front desk, find items for an auction,
serve as a role model for young people, help out in the office or at a
special event, or be part of a group or committee working on a
neighborhood problem. No matter how you help, you'll make a big
difference as you work with others to create a feeling of connectedness
in your community.
The basic definition of a YMCA volunteer is
"anyone who willingly gives time to help the YMCA accomplish its
mission without getting paid by the YMCA." In the Y movement, we have
five categories of volunteers:
- Program volunteers help
lead programs or assist in delivering programs (e.g., a program
instructor, coach, aide or member of a program advisory council). This
category also includes those who offer community service as
participants in a YMCA program (e.g., the members of a Hi-Y club, or
school-age children who interact with adults as part of an
intergenerational buddy program).
- Support volunteers serve in the office, at the front desk, in the locker room or on the grounds.
- Fundraising
volunteers raise money by working in annual, sustaining, capital or
other special campaigns; working on endowment development; or by
working at or running special events.
- Policy volunteers serve on the Y's board of directors, on a committee or task force.
- Managerial volunteers help manage and administer YMCA operations and programs (e.g., a pro-bono accountant or PR specialist).
Please
note that young people can serve in all of the above capacities as long
as, like adults, they have the proper skills, training and supervision.
To solve the problems closest to home-or better yet-prevent
them-the YMCA needs more people like you. Do something good. Volunteer
at the YMCA.
For more information regarding volunteering opportunities contact your local branch.