Volunteer

Giving the gift of your time is one of the best, and most rewarding, ways to help the community. There is almost an endless number of ways to get involved, depending on your interests and availability, and you can often use your own creativity to find new ways to give back. Read on for ways to volunteer with United Way, or check out VolunteerSLO for more organizations and opportunities.

Be a Volunteer Grant Reader – Each spring, United Way of SLO County receives around 50 grant applications from local nonprofits. Volunteers sign up to be a part of the panels that read and score the grants, and eventually make funding recommendations to the Board of Directors. The review process takes place during the month of April, including a 2 hour orientation and a 3 hour panel meeting. Contact Kara Edwall at (805) 541-1234 ext. 16 or kedwall@unitedwayslo.org for more information.

On Sunday, July 25th, UWSLO will be partnering with Kohl’s in Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo to bring KidSpree back to the Central Coast. Participating Children are given a $100 gift card, and are paired with a community volunteer, who assists them in shopping for the items they most need. Our goal is to send 300 kids on shopping sprees this year. Are you interested in volunteering or donating? Download our Interest Form, visit www.VolunteerSLO.org to sign up, or email kidspree@unitedwayslo.org for more information. Volunteers must be fingerprinted before the event.

Make a Difference Day – This national day of service is organized locally by United Way and the Community CENTER at Cal Poly. On the fourth Saturday of October each year, participants spend 4 hours in the community helping a local organization with a variety of needs. Projects often include food drives, painting, yard work and gardening, cleaning, or spending time with clients. To sign up, contact the Community CENTER at (805) 756-5834.

Join a Committee – United Way is always looking for eager and talented individuals to serve on our committees and task forces. Prior experience with nonprofits or United Way is helpful, but not necessary; call the United Way office to see how you can put your skills to work to benefit the community.