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A New Home for the VolunteerSpot Blog

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The VolunteerSpot blog has moved and is still alive and well! We continue to add new helpful tips and ideas every month with the goal of making life a little easier for all you awesome (volunteer, PTA/PTO, teacher, faith group, league, workplace, neighborhood, and community) Organizers out there.

 

SignUp.com’s Idea Center

We invite you to search our VolunteerSpot blog archive for past posts that may be of interest, and for fresh, up-to-date content, head over to the SignUp Idea Center. Here you’ll find fun ideas, best practices, smart planning tips, and free downloadable graphics, PLUS printable and fillable checklists, letters, coloring pages, appreciation certificates, thank you notes, and much more. 

We’ve got you covered when it comes to volunteer management (for nonprofit organizations, schools, teams, whatever your cause!), fundraising, holidays and other seasonal events, family reunions, picnics, potlucks… you get the point!

Whatever your interest, Start Planning Now at SignUp!

What's YOUR Volunteer Resolution for the New Year?

Does your list of New Year’s resolutions look something like this?:

• lose weight
• sleep more
• exercise three times a week
• watch less TV

New Year’s resolutions always look great on paper, but somehow, around mid-January, reality comes crashing in and old routines become just that, the same old routine.

This year, add one resolution that you can stick with, resolve to volunteer more!

Volunteering almost always ranks in the top 10 of resolutions nationwide. Everyone wants to make a positive impact in their community and volunteering is an excellent way to get involved and directly impact the quality of life within your community.

Whether it’s being the room mom for your child’s class, planting trees, mentoring at-risk kids, coaching soccer, or handing out water at a race, volunteering increases your self-worth and boosts your community’s health too. And now it’s easier than ever to help out, when you use SignUp.com to plan volunteer hours.

The usual New Year’s resolutions quickly fall by the wayside because everyday schedules don’t have much flexibility; there’s never enough time to fit in that exercise routine or even just get to bed on time.

SignUp.com is the solution to your time vs. volunteer commitment battle. Fast and easy scheduling and one-click sign-ups eliminate the hassle so that anyone can be a willing volunteer. Now everyone has the ability to give an hour every few weeks, or bring snacks to a game when they have a free Saturday.

Resolve to volunteer this year, and use SignUp.com to make it easy to follow through!

To get started volunteering, create a project of your own on SignUp.com or search for local volunteer listings in your community using the VolunteerMatch widget here. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Stand Up for Gender Equality When You Sit Down for Supper

You're always looking for opportunities to do GOOD work, right? With International Day of the Girl approaching, here is your next opportunity! Volunteer to host a CARE Social Supper on October 8th, where you can share and raise awareness about gender inequality - the conversation starts with you in your home and community, and it makes a difference for girls and women worldwide.

The Perfect Holiday Fundraiser

The holidays will be here before you know it. With the chaos of planning parties and holiday shopping, you also have the Fall/Winter fundraiser to figure out. Here are some classic favorite fundraiser ideas sure to sweeten your season.

Still deciding on which Fall/Winter fundraiser would be best this year? Check out these tips and guidelines for selecting the right one for the season. 

Uncover 2017-2018 fundraising trends. What sells itself, makes great gifts and offers up to 50% profit? Find out what's on the list!

 

Disaster Relief Resources

SignUp.com is Texas-proud, headquartered in Austin and we've been heartbroken watching the Hurricane Harvey disaster unfold in Houston and the Gulf Coast. We've also been inspired buy the huge local and national response for relief and recovery. From large government and national nonprofits, to local agencies, faith groups, and 'good guys in boats' - we've been (feeling warm and great) by the response and are proud to help in a small way by the many groups organizing volunteers and supplies with our platform.

 

We'd like to give a special shout to local nonprofits working to help our Houston and Gulf Coast neighbors get back on their feet - please consider these special places where your donation dollar can make a local difference: 

Teachers

Donorschoose.org created an outlet to help teachers at damaged schools rebuild their classrooms with materials like books, furniture, classroom supplies, technology, and therapy resources.

https://www.donorschoose.org/hurricane-harvey

 

Chefs and Cooks

World Central Kitchen is currently looking for volunteers with professional cooking experience to come to Houston to help them prepare meals for evacuees and aid workers.

http://www.foodandwine.com/chefs/cook-for-hurricane-harvey-victims-jose-andres

 

Military Family Support

Uncover where to get emergency prescription refills and the process for getting a referral requirement waived

http://www.pdhealth.mil/news/blog/managing-aftermath-hurricane-resources-make-difference

 

Translator Services Needed

Speak more than one language? Offer your help.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeVA-hJ8hkECZhGEifzq0lzyKE0wbL_9_m_tpD5fpPCDq34wg/viewform

 

Hungry to Help

Just type in the city and check for specific volunteer needs and local service opportunities for that area.

http://justserve.org

 

Avoid Scams

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hurricane-harvey-insurance-scams-homeowners/

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/28/us/donate-harvey-charities-scams.html

Smashin' Summer Service Ideas!

 

What have you been up to this summer? Family vacation? BBQ block parties? Trips to the movies and the mall? If these are the same old activities you do every summer and you'd like to give back to spice things up, consider some summertime volunteering.

With August and Back-to-School here before you know it, save a few days of your last days of summer to volunteer as a family and teach your kids the joy and importance of giving back to the community. We have some special volunteer activities that will turn into surefire summertime traditions for your family and friends. These kid-friendly activities are fun and rewarding for all-ages, not just the kiddos, but will definitely bring out the kid in everyone!

• Summertime Storyteller: Volunteer as a storyteller at your local library with your kiddo as an assistant. Be extra animated with voices and costumes. Make sure your "helper" is involved and having fun too! Summer is a busy time for libraries since they are busy planning read-a-thons and other fun events for kids to grow their love of reading. Taking time to volunteer as a guest storyteller will give the library an extra hand and cultivate your own child's interest in reading. 

• Snow Cone for a Cause: Raise money with a few friends selling icy snow cones at community centers or places of worship. Donate the money to a charity of your choice. Make sure to get approval from the place you'll be selling from first. 

• Vacation Bible School Volunteer: If you're inspired, ask your church if they need help for Vacation Bible School (VBS) this summer. It takes A LOT to make VBS run smoothly and safely, so churches need as much as they can get. Other than being a VBS teacher, you can join the decorating committee, music committee, craft/food committee, volunteer recognition committee, and much more. This event is perfect for those who can help a little or a lot and involves parents and kids.

• Community Garden Helper: Contact your local community garden and sign-up to volunteer. It's a great way to get your hands down and dirty for the community. This is a great opportunity to teach kids about teamwork and healthy living.

• Park Preservation Vacation: If you're an outdoorsy person, gather your friends or family for a national park preservation vacation where you can rebuild trails, clean up trash and campsites, and remove non-native plants. You can spend your time in the great outdoors with your loved ones, while giving back to the environment. Organizations like Sierra Club host these vacations annually.

Give us a shout out and tell us what you did this summer to give back to your community in our Comments section.

Stay cool and do good this summer!

5 Summer Volunteering Ideas for Tweens & Teens

Teen Volunteer Ideas

Don't miss these 5 unique volunteering ideas, great for older kids and teenagers, that will have them helping others and picking up a few lessons along the way this summer:

Coach or Mentor

Encourage your young athlete or bookworm to share his or her expertise with kids from your neighborhood, faith group or local children's organization. Teaching free lessons, mentoring or even tutoring is a great way for teens to give back using the skills and knowledge they already have.

Book Drive

Summer months don't always have to be lazy! Encourage your tweens and teens to coordinate a book drive with their friends and neighbors that involves collection, sorting and donating to the local library or children's shelter.

Feeding Others

Summertime for many kids in this country means months without access to meals which were provided by the cafeteria during the school year. Find an organization near your family with a mission to help feed children in the community who would otherwise go hungry and find out how your tween or teen can get involved whether by donating or volunteering their time.

Green Movements

While the warm summer days allow for more outside play, think even greener with volunteer opportunities for your family that help the environment. Whether it's a new recycling or composting initiative in your own house, or a neighborhood project to coordinate a monthly clean sweep of green spaces and the local park, the eco-friendly ideas are on trend for teens and tweens looking to make a difference.

Kindness Scavenger Hunt

Host a kindness scavenger hunt, promoting small acts of kindness in your community! From holding the door for someone to recycling to leaving a friendly note for a neighbor, spreading kindness through this challenge will be fun and thought-provoking. Have your tweens or teens come up with the hunt challenges themselves, or work with fellow parents to design the framework for the adventure.

 

Related Posts:

Using Social Media to Build Volunteer Communities

Meaningful Summer Volunteer Ideas for Kids

Family Volunteering

5 Tech Tools to Organize Your Social Good Project

Make Doing Good Easier Than Ever

Want to put a little more good into the world this holiday season, but don’t know where to start? Try these mobile apps for size to organize your own fundraisers, drives or other service projects to fulfill those good-deed desires. Find a project that suits you and warm up some hearts in the meantime.

SignUp.com

Plan your projects and coordinate schedules like never before with SignUp.com's free, online SignUps and easy coordination solutions. Schedule deliveries and communicate all the required information needed through VolunteerSpot’s functions. Even send friendly reminders to make sure everyone involved is on the same page with the reminder aspect of as well.

Trello

Meet the ultimate planner that has everything for you in high-tech fashion. Say goodbye to misplaced post-it notes and endless spreadsheets that are difficult to read. Trello is a free software program made up of different customized boards that let you know what you’ve done and what you still need to do. Keep everyone in the loop with Trello!

Join.Me

Service projects take an immense amount of planning and making sure everyone sees the project for themselves instead of leaving visuals to the imagination. However, sometimes it’s hard to get everyone in the same place at the same time. Join.Me lets you have those meetings from the comfort of where you are. Share a screen with multiple participants and enjoy a meeting out of the office.

Dropbox

Delete those strenuous email drafts filled with content you want to share. Dropbox allows you to share content with the drop of a click to insert files to another user’s Dropbox account. Pictures, files or documents – share them instantly from your computer or phone anytime of day.

VolunteerMatch

Know you want to give back, but need a place to look? Visit VolunteerMatch to find your perfect project find to give back to your community. Search for volunteer projects in your surrounding area and choose which one you want to participate in. You can even find virtual projects to contribute to. 

5 Rainy Day Volunteer Ideas

Make the Most of a Rainy Day | Family Volunteer Ideas

Rainy days don't have to ruin your kid's summer schedule! If you find yourself cooped up inside because it's too wet outside to play, turn your rainy day into a day of doing GOOD for others.

1. Clean your closets. Rainy days are the perfect reason to stay in and get organized. Spend the time to empty and sort your closets, getting rid of old clothes that don’t fit your kids anymore. In the meantime, your kids can sort through toys to get rid of things they don’t play with or have outgrown. At the end of the day, box up your gently used clothes and toys and donate them to a local charity, like the Salvation Army, Goodwill, or St. Judes.

2. Bake sweets for your neighbors. Make the best of a rainy afternoon indoors by baking some sweet treats for your neighbors, be it an elderly neighbor who lives by themselves, a new mom, you name it. Incorporate summer learning math and science lessons by asking kids to help count and measure ingredients, set timers, stir, mix, etc. At the end of the day, keep a few treats for home, and have your kids deliver the rest to neighbors. (See more: 4 Ways to Help Your Elderly Neighbor)

3. Write cards to a nursing home or homeless shelter. Brighten a strangers day with a simple handwritten card! This rainy day volunteer activity is a great boredom buster too, encouraging kids to get creative and use all the arts and crafts supplies at their disposal. When they’re finished, have them seal the cards in envelopes and practice addressing the letters to a local nursing home or children's shelter.

4. Get some shopping done, while doing good. If you're stuck inside and getting some online shopping done anyways, why not give back at the same time? There are a ton of online platforms that support "cause shopping" where by with each purchase you make, you donate to a cause or group you care about. Sites like Amazon Smile and iGive are great example - find these and more in our Shopping for Good blog post. You can get everything you need purchased online, while knowing  you made a difference too.

5. Pack "Blessing Bags". Add a few items to your next grocery list - small toiletries, granola bars, bottles of water, socks, gum, etc. Store somewhere dry for your next rainy day inside with the kids so that you have everything you need to pack "blessings bags." Pack a couple of each item in a gallon size plastic bag with a handwritten note saying "Hi, hope you have a GOOD day!". Next time you're out running errands, hand out these bags to the homeless or other people you see in need on the streets, on the sides of the highways, etc.More ideas for goodies here. 

 

 

Read More: 

Summer Volunteering for Teens and Tweens

DIY Summer Games for Kids

Family Summer Tech Plan

3 Quotes for your Memorial Day

We hope your Memorial Day is full of good weather, good food, and good company!

Every year, Memorial Day gives us a chance to relax with our family and friends and appreciate our time together. During this day of grilling and poolside fun, take some time to remember those who lost their lives in the line of service to afford us our freedoms.

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Read More: 

Memorial Day Printables

Volunteer This Memorial Day

Make a Difference This Memorial Day

Family Volunteer Opportunities

5 Youth Service Ideas for Spring

Springtime is the time for getting out and doing good with your kids! Here are a few key opportunities for kids and teens to pitch in and help someone in need this season:

1. National Volunteer Week (April 6 - 10, 2016) > The long celebrated National Volunteer Week is a great time for families to connect with local organizations and causes they care about to support a specific volunteer project in their community. The week-long celebration also encourages volunteer appreciation and media coverage of year-round opportunities for volunteers to pitch in and help others. Learn more and access a free National Volunteer Week toolkit over on PointsofLight.org.

2. Global Youth Service Day (April 15 - 17, 2016) > With a special focus on the contributions of children and youth in their community, GYSD (sponsored by Youth Service America) is the largest service event in the world. It's easy for families to get involved > visit the Global Youth Service Day website and work with your kids to pick, plan, post and promote a service project that will impact their neighborhood or community.

3. Earth Day (April 22, 2016) > Earth Day falls on a Friday this year and what better way to engage children in stewardship of the environment than with service and volunteer projects that weekend? Whether volunteering at an Earth festival or celebration in your city, pitching in at the community or school learning garden, or simply beautifying the green space of a local nonprofit, there are tons of 'green' ways to get involved, see more here.

    Related: 6 Eco-friendly Service Ideas

4. Teacher Appreciation Week (May 2 - 6, 2016) > This treasured week to recognize and thank teachers is a great way to involve kids in acts of kindness and generosity. Handwriting thank you cards and creating giftbaskets or baking sweet treats for the teacher together are simple ways kids can take action in showing their appreciation. Check out more teacher appreciation ideas here.

5. Hasbro Community Action Hero Award > Know a young person already making a difference in their community? You can nominate them for the Hasbro Community Action Hero Award, a program of GenerationOn. With nominations opening soon, it's a great time to think about the outstanding children (5 - 18 yrs) who you know that are making an extraordinary mark on their community through service, advocacy or innovation. Learn more here.

 

Also see:

10 Tips for Volunteering as a Family

5 Summer Volunteer Ideas for Teens and Tweens

How to Encourage Teens to Volunteer

10 Family Service Ideas

 

 

Easter Egg Hunt Sign-up Sheet

Free, Online Sign-ups for Easter Egg Hunts and Potlucks

Coordinating an Easter Egg Hunt this spring? Ditch the paper sign-up sheet, reply-all emails and last minute phone calls and get organized in a snap with free, online sign-ups from VolunteerSpot!

No matter what your church or group needs help with at your hunt:

• Filling eggs
• Hiding eggs
• Dyeing eggs with the kids
• Bringing food for a luncheon
• Setting and cleaning up
• Taking pictures
• You name it

VolunteerSpot's free online sign-ups with reminders are your answer! It's super easy for organizers and committee chairs to set up their sign-ups in minutes and invite church members via email or social media to fill the spots. Start planning now

Participants can sign up anywhere, at anytime, on any device - no passwords required! Plus they'll love the ability to sync to their online calendar and receive automated email reminders prior to the event. No more no-shows!

    Related: How to Host the Best Easter Egg Hunt

And if you're group is collecting contributions to help pull the entire event off, VolunteerSpot still has you covered! Free, online contributions sign-ups give groups a fast, easy and secure way to collect money online and get more people pitching in. Learn more here

 

Related:

10 Spring Bulletin Board Ideas

4 Messy Spring Carnival Booths

Spring Sports Scheduling & Sign-ups

 

 

 

Organizing Tournament Volunteers

Team Scheduling & Sign-ups Made Easy

Break out the jerseys and whistles, spring sports season is just around the corner! Save time, stress less and get more done this spring with free online team volunteer sign-ups and scheduling tools from VolunteerSpot. Start Planning

Gone are the days of 'reply-all' email chains, last-minute phone calls and crumpled, grass-stained paper sign-up sheets. With VolunteerSpot, it's SO easy to coordinate:

• Team meals and parties
• Snack schedules
• Score-keeping
• Tournament volunteering
• Carpool
• You name it!

With fast, intuitive scheduling tools, coaches and team parents can create sign-ups and snack schedules in minutes. They post the schedule on the team webpage or via email or social media, and team parents can sign up 24/7 from their computer or mobile device. eCalendar syncing and automated reminders help keep everyone on track too!

Did you know you can also collect money using VolunteerSpot? With the Collect Contributions feature, it's easy for team  parents and coaches to collect uniform dues, tournament registration fees, coach gift contributions, you name it. Learn more

Get more team parents pitching in this season than ever before! Get started

 

Related:

5 Steps to Team Snack Success

Fun Kids Snack Ideas

 

MLK Day 2016

Celebrating the Legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Join your neighbors, friends and community this MLK Day to serve others and carry on the legacy of his dream. Check out our top resources below:

 

5 MLK Day Activities for Families

10 Family Volunteer Ideas

4 MLK Day Activities for Kids

MLK Day Service Ideas for Kids

NobelPrize.org - MLK, Jr.

 

 

5 Ways for Families to Live Generously

Teaching Generosity with Kids

Thanks to Thrivent Financial for this guest post!

How will generosity take form with your family this season? It’s important to teach kids that generosity is expressed not just as money and offerings, but as time, physical contributions and even simple acts of kindness.

“Generosity is like a muscle; you can start small and build it up – but the important thing is to start.”

Need ideas for ways your family can practice kindness and compassion? Consider these 5 generous acts:
 

1. Volunteer Together: Whether it's doing a special holiday service project together or simply practicing kindness towards friends, neighbors and the community, your family’s time volunteering together will be a well-spent lesson in generosity. These 10 Family Volunteer Tips will help your family get started.

A new, innovative way families and community members are making a difference is through Thrivent Action Teams – volunteer teams led by Thrivent members that address unmet community needs. With seed money and promotional supplies provided by Thrivent Financial, a leading financial services organization "connecting faith and finances for good," Thrivent Action Teams are an incredible way for Thrivent members to make an impact where they live, work and worship. Learn more.

2. Give What You Get: For each gift your family members receive this holiday season (kids and parents included), make it a new tradition to give one gift back. Your “gift” can be anything, from volunteer time to a hug, a special card, a sweet treat … you name it! Valuing the importance of giving as much as getting can be a recurring mantra for your generous family. Check out “Four Simple Ways to Give” from Thrivent Financial, click here.

3. Know What You Need: Easy, intuitive ways for young children to learn generosity is through understanding needs and wants. Take time as a family to sift through gently used clothes, books and toys and donate them to nonprofit organizations. This is an active way to practice generosity and give back to the community. Bonus idea: Shopping for a big holiday dinner? Ask your kids to help pick out a few delicious, nonperishable items to give to the local foodbank, too.

4. Be Thoughtful: A generous approach to giving is a thoughtful one. Find out what unmet needs resource-limited families in your community have this season. Maybe they need heating assistance, gently used blankets and coats for winter or specific foods. Connect with organizations that can help your family’s contribution make a real-world impact and follow up to find out how your donation or assistance will help.

5. Make it a Priority: Your kids will know giving back is an important part of your family’s priorities when it is a regularly scheduled occurrence. With parties, performances and travel, volunteering and helping others can become an afterthought. Add generosity to your family calendar with a special service project or appropriate acts of kindness during the season (e.g., shoveling an elderly neighbor’s walkway or baking cookies for the local fire department).

More resources from Thrivent Financial:

Find the Time (and Right Fit) to Give

Making a Plan to Budget for Charities