Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteer with Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area (LSSNCA)

https://lssnca.org/get_involved/volunteer/volunteer-opportunities.html

Refugee & Immigration Services

Family Mentor (Maryland & Virginia): Volunteers will spend time with refugee families and help them get acclimated to their new homes. Duties vary, but tend to focus on English language learning and searching for jobs. This position requires a 6 month commitment. While it’s not required that volunteers provide their own vehicle for transportation, the location of our clients’ homes make public transportation impractical. (Time commitment: 10 hours per month for 6 months, meeting in the home of the client. 2 volunteers will be placed with each family.)

Immigration Services Volunteer (Fairfax, VA): Immigration Services volunteer works with Immigration Program Manager to directly assist clients in processing and filing of applications for lawful permanent residence, family reunification, affidavits of relationship, and other immigration petitions necessary to receive legal residency in the United States and reunite family members. Spanish language proficiency preferred. (Flexible time commitment but needed during work hours in our Virginia office.)

Refugee Youth Tutor (Virginia): Volunteers are paired with refugee children and youth (ages 5 - 18 years), assisting in literacy attainment and homework help. They work with students to establish good study skills and support parental involvement in their child’s education. This opportunity will take place in the client’s home in the evenings or on the weekends. If a youth client is under the age of 15, a parent must be present in the home. This opportunity requires volunteers to enjoy working with kids and with youth education. The majority of our youth are located in Alexandria, Prince William County, and Fairfax. (This position requires a weekly/bi-weekly time commitment.)

Refugee Youth Mentor (Maryland & Virginia): Volunteers are paired with refugee youth (ages 16-24 in MD; 15-24 in VA) to assist with career development and empowerment. Duties vary based on the goals and interests of the youth, but tend to focus on exploring career and educational opportunities, identifying career pathways, assisting with the job search and application process (resumé, cover letter, application, interview), and setting short and long term goals. The goal of the mentorship is to allow the youth to have a mentor that can help navigate US systems, promote civic engagement and leadership opportunities, and provide guidance with various questions and ideas as they begin thinking about future careers or education. Mentor play an integral role in showing mentees the vast array of opportunities that may be available to them in the US, as well as supporting and empowering them to explore these opportunities. Volunteers are encouraged to meet youth outside of their homes at coffee shops such as Starbucks. (10 hours per month for 6 months for Refugee Youth Career Pathways program in MD; at least once per month for 6 months for MYVA program in VA.)

Employment Assistant (Maryland & Virginia): Volunteer assists job developers in our resettlement offices. Employment assistants will help clients explore career options according to their experience and education and will help the job developers on LSS’s staff with job searches. Volunteers must pass a background check, and be knowledgeable in employment search and resume building. Volunteers must also be willing to report the amount of hours worked to LSSNCA. Volunteers should have the ability to drive clients. This position may include taking clients to job fairs, to apply for jobs, and to interviews. (Time commitment: 4-8 hours per week between the hours of 9am – 5pm.)

Administrative Assistant (Maryland & Virginia): Volunteers provide assistance with general office tasks and data entry. Support to complete reports, paperwork, and proper filing is vital to providing the best service possible to our clients. Some work in office organization will be required. This position requires volunteers to be organized, patient, welcoming, and detail-oriented. (Time commitment: 2 hours per week.)

Volunteer Driver (Maryland & Virginia): Volunteers drive refugee clients to appointments (e.g., cultural orientations, health appointments, English classes), especially in the first few months of resettlement. Volunteers should be friendly, supportive, and flexible in picking up/dropping off and driving clients. This is an on-call position sometimes with a few days’ notice. Volunteers are added to volunteer driver email list and notified of driving needs once or twice per month. (Varies based on volunteer’s availability.)

Muscle Mover: Volunteers assist with moving large, heavy donated items from the homes of donors to the LSSNCA storage facility in Northern Virginia or directly to clients’ homes. Volunteers must be able to lift and carry large items (e.g., sofas, mattresses, dressers) and drive an LSSNCA van. Furniture pick-ups take place on weekends, or Mondays during the daytime. Volunteers are added to muscle mover email list and notified of furniture pick-up needs per week. (Varies based on volunteer’s availability.)

Supply Coordinator (Maryland & Virginia): Volunteers purchase or collect supplies needed for refugee families and children. Supply coordinators are encouraged to ask friends or colleagues and use their network to gather donations to be given to refugee families. Volunteers are added to supply coordinator email list and notified of donation needs a few times per month, based on ongoing needs of refugee families. (Varies based on volunteer’s availability.)

Unaccompanied Refugee Minor (URM) Program Outreach (Remote): LSSNCA’s URM Foster Program is seeking volunteer help for program outreach to help recruit new foster parents to the program. Position would include reaching out to churches and community groups with information about the program and becoming a foster parents, as well as, distributing recruitment flyers. These flyers can be handed out in a public location; distributed at your work, church, or community group; placed on vehicle windshields in your area; and more. Occasionally, may need to assist in information gathering, responding to inquiries, and foster parent information sessions.

Youth Development & Wellness

Youth Counselor (Washington, DC & Maryland): Opportunity for volunteers to engage the youth in our YDW program through overnight retreat counseling and monthly programming. Counselors and participants will attend wellness, team building, and family events and potentially engage with participants outside of group activities. Activities take place monthly during two-hour time blocks on weekends. Volunteers must pass a background check and be willing to report the number of hours worked to LSSNCA (Time commitment: up to 3 hours per week, but flexible based on scheduling of events)* Next camp won’t take place until February 2020 for teen camp. Applicants must be 25 yrs+.)

YDW Program Assistant (Washington, DC): Volunteers will assist with program development and implementation for LSSNCA's children and youth programs. Programs take place on weekday evenings and weekends. Volunteers must pass a background check and DC clearances and be willing to report the number of hours worked to LSSNCA. (Time commitment: varies. Daytime, weekend, and evenings available. All work will be done in Washington, DC.)

YDW Outreach Assistant (Washington, DC & Remote): The Youth Development and Wellness program is seeking a part-time volunteer to assist with outreach to both potential clients and program partners. Additionally, the program is looking for someone to assist in the creation of a resource manual for clients and their families in the DC and PG County areas. This manual would include places of referral for clients’ needs: food banks, financial assistance, job/employment development, college prep, scholarship assistance, housing, etc. Position is needed on an at-need basis and can be done remotely.

Administration

Event Planning Assistant (Washington, DC and remote): LSSNCA is seeking committed volunteers to assist with the planning and execution of community engagement events and fundraisers. Events include the Expressions of Abundance breakfasts in both Maryland and Virginia, World Refugee Day, Welcoming Week, Dine for a Cause, and more. Volunteers will assist with identifying event locations, building and maintaining guest lists, reaching out to the community for sponsorship and donations, and recruit volunteers and maintain volunteer tasks, among other administrative tasks. During the week of each event, the volunteers will help coordinate and execute the events. (Time commitment and location varies.)

Administration Aide (Washington, DC): Volunteers will assist our team with administrative tasks, data entry, event promotion, direct mail, and receptionist tasks. Volunteer must be proficient in Microsoft Word and Excel. Some volunteer positions require that the individual must pass a background check and be willing to report the number of hours worked to LSSNCA. (Time commitment: amount of time is flexible, all hours will be between 9:00 am 5:00 pm on Monday through Friday.)

Receptionist (Washington, DC): The LSSNCA D.C. office is looking for volunteers to help at our reception desk. This would be a once or twice a week commitment and will require a friendly and welcoming volunteer who can help direct phone calls and visitors to staff within the office. (Time commitment varies. This is a weekday commitment from 9-5pm.)

Blogger (remote): Join our blogging team. Self-assign to blog topics that interest you from our pre-scheduled and determined range of topic areas. Respond to local/national news, interview our staff, or share inspiring stories or quotes related to LSSNCA services. Volunteers will work directly with the Director of Communications.

Thank You Crew Volunteer (remote and Washington, DC): LSSNCA is powered by the cash and in-kind donations and volunteer time given by our loyal supporters. We are looking for volunteers to help us recognize this generous support by providing a personal touch to our messages of gratitude. Help us recognize donors and volunteers with notes, cards, and thank you calls. We have so much to be thankful for but not a lot of staff to express how grateful we are or how much we appreciate our donors and volunteers.

Volunteer Management Assistant (remote and varies on location): Currently seeking a committed and organized volunteer to assist in the management of volunteer onboarding and placement. The Volunteer Management Assistant will assist in scheduling monthly volunteer intake orientations and participate in leading these general volunteer trainings. This assistant will help with data entry for background checks and maintaining the LSSNCA volunteer database through Better Impact. Additionally, the volunteer may assist in outreach events, such as tabling at university career/intern fairs. (Time commitment: Flexible, at least 2 hours per week is preferred.)

Outreach Team (various location): LSSNCA is frequently invited to have a table or booth at events, fairs and festivals in the community. Outreach Team volunteers represent LSS/NCA and answer questions at these tabling events. The volunteers are provided with the informational materials to set up at the table and with answers to FAQs. Tabling events generally last two to three hours and may be in the evening or on a weekend. This position allows for a flexible and on-call time commitment. Volunteers should be friendly, personable, and excited to share the work of all of LSSNCA’s programs with the community.

Grant Support Volunteer (Washington, DC): LSSNCA has an aggressive grant program with the target of submitting 2 grant applications per month and is seeking an assistant for our Grant Development Director. Grant related tasks include: identifying and researching grant opportunities, researching grants at the Foundation Center, maintaining the grants calendar, scheduling meetings and conducting preliminary work on matching grants to programs and finding precedent in earlier submitted grants, collaborating on and contributing to grant narratives, and general administrative tasks. While some of the work is administrative, there are tasks which will help prepare the volunteer to write grants for submission. Time demands are flexible but actual grant submissions require working to a deadline. (Time commitment: varies.)

Scholarship Panel Member/ Scholarship Judge (Remote): The LSSNCA scholarship panel is comprised of volunteers and other community members who are interested in helping clients achieve their educational goals. LSSNCA clients can apply for financial assistance through Bold Journey and Weisburger scholarships to attend higher education or vocational education programs. Scholarship judges meet as a committee, review and score applications, and provide input for financial award decisions. Scholarship judges should have some background or experience in education, scholarships, nonprofit work, or a general interest in supporting refugees towards education and employment. (In addition to 7-10 hours for thoughtful review of scholarship applications (in May), scholarship judges are expected to participate in two scholarship panel meetings either in person or by phone (in February and May) and be responsive to panel updates and discussions.)

Internships

Interested in interning with LSSNCA? Check out our careers & internship page for updated listings of internship opportunities.