VOLUNTEER CENTER OF WASHINGTON COUNTY

THE CORE OF OUR MISSION IS CONNECTING THOSE WHO CAN HELP TO THOSE WHO NEED NONPROFIT PARTNER SERVICES ARE CENTRAL TO OUR ORGANIZATION. WE CONTINUOUSLY COLLABORATE WITH OUR 50+ LOCAL NONPROFIT PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS TO IDENTIFY AND PROMOTE THEIR VOLUNTEER NEEDS AND DRIVE AWARENESS TO SUPPORT THEIR MISSIONS. IN 2023, WE HAD 94% OF OUR NONPROFIT PARTNERS RENEW MEMBERSHIP EARLY, INDICATING THAT THEY RECOGNIZE THE VALUE AND BENEFIT OF BEING A MEMBER/PARTNER OF THE VOLUNTEER CENTER. TOGETHER WITH OUR NONPROFIT PARTNERS, WE KNOW THAT WE CAN DO MORE FOR OUR COMMUNITIES BY WORKING TOGETHER. WE USE OUR MARKETING CHANNELS AND OUTREACH PROGRAMS TO GUIDE COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO OUR WEBSITE, WHERE THEY CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR NONPROFIT PARTNERS AND THE MANY VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE. THROUGH OUR GET CONNECTED PROGRAM, EACH NONPROFIT PARTNER HAS A DEDICATED PROFILE PAGE WHERE THEY CAN LIST ALL VOLUNTEER OPENINGS. THIS CENTRALIZED PLATFORM MAKES IT EASY FOR COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO SEARCH AND FIND VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES ACROSS VARIOUS ORGANIZATIONS THAT ALIGN WITH THEIR PASSIONS, SKILLS, INTERESTS, AND SCHEDULES. OVER THE PAST YEAR, OUR WEBSITE SAW MORE THAN 53,000 VIEWS OF VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES-A GROWTH OF 18% FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR-AND OVER 16,300 VIEWS OF PARTNER PROFILE PAGES, MARKING A 6% INCREASE. THIS RISING TRAFFIC REFLECTS A STRONG INTEREST IN EXPLORING VOLUNTEER ROLES, OFTEN THE FIRST STEP TOWARD A COMMITMENT TO SERVE. ANOTHER KEY PROGRAM, OUR DO GOOD BUS, ORGANIZES AND FACILITATES GROUP VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCES. BY RECRUITING GROUPS OF VOLUNTEERS, WE'RE ABLE TO TACKLE LARGE-SCALE PROJECTS FOR OUR NONPROFIT PARTNERS-OFTEN CONTRIBUTING 80+ COLLECTIVE HOURS TO A SINGLE PROJECT THAT MIGHT OTHERWISE GO UNFINISHED OR TAKE WEEKS FOR THE NONPROFIT TO COMPLETE ALONE. THROUGH CONNECTIONS WITH EMPLOYERS, CHURCH GROUPS, YOUTH GROUPS, AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS, WE'VE ENGAGED OVER 4,200 PARTICIPANTS TO DATE. THESE VOLUNTEERS HAVE CONTRIBUTED MORE THAN 14,200 HOURS OF SERVICE, COMPLETING OVER 230 MAJOR PROJECTS THAT HAVE PROVIDED ESSENTIAL SUPPORT TO LOCAL NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS. CAMP SUPERHERO IS A PROGRAM DESIGNED TO ENGAGE YOUTH IN VOLUNTEERING. WE WELCOME STUDENTS IN GRADES FIVE THROUGH EIGHT AS OUR CAMPERS AND WE INVITE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TO SERVE AS OUR CAMP LEADERS. WE RUN TWO SEPARATE WEEK-LONG CAMPS AND EACH DAY OF CAMP INVOLVES HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES AND INTERACTIONS WITH DIFFERENT NONPROFITS IN OUR COMMUNITY. IN 2023, 72 CAMPERS PARTICIPATED, SHARING 1,244 HOURS OF VOLUNTEER SERVICE. SEVEN DIFFERENT NONPROFITS COLLABORATED WITH US AND ALSO BENEFITED FROM THE CAMPER INTERACTIONS. CAMP SUPERHERO AIMS TO INSPIRE OUR YOUTH FOR A LIFETIME OF COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT AND OUR GOAL IS TO CONTINUE TO GROW OVERALL YOUTH ENGAGEMENT AND PROGRAMMING, WITH CAMP SUPERHERO AS AN INTRODUCTION TO SERVICE. SOCIAL GOOD BREWS IS A FOR-PURPOSE COFFEE SHOP THAT INVITES COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO GATHER, CONNECT, AND SERVE. THE COFFEE SHOP STAFF INCLUDES 60+ ACTIVE VOLUNTEERS, MANY RETIREES, WHO SERVE AS BAKERS, BARISTAS, KITCHEN SUPPORT, AND MORE. SINCE 2018, NEARLY 44,000 VOLUNTEER HOURS HAVE BEEN CONTRIBUTED TO THIS COMMUNITY GATHERING SPACE AND OVER 214,000 IN TIPS WERE DONATED BY OUR COMMUNITY TO BE SHARED BETWEEN THE VOLUNTEER CENTER AND OUR NONPROFIT PARTNERS. THE HUB IS HOME TO OUR MISSION-DRIVEN COFFEE SHOP, SOCIAL GOOD BREWS, AND THE VOLUNTEER CENTER'S OFFICES. IT PROVIDES A WARM, WELCOMING SPACE FOR THE COMMUNITY, HIGHLIGHTING THE WORK OF OUR 50+ NONPROFIT PARTNERS AND THEIR VOLUNTEER NEEDS. THE HUB ALSO OFFERS THE 'GIVE BACK GALLERY' SPACE, A VENUE FOR VOLUNTEER AND NONPROFIT GATHERINGS, COMMUNITY EVENTS, RENTALS, AND MORE. IN 2023, OVER 200 GROUPS GATHERED HERE, USING OUR "COMMUNITY TABLE- AND VENUE SPACE TO COLLABORATE, NETWORK, AND BUILD RELATIONSHIPS THAT ALL HELPED TO STRENGTHEN OUR COMMUNITY.