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VOLUNTEER

Our team of caring volunteers is dedicated to supporting individuals and families in their walk out of homelessness. 

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What's It Like to Volunteer for Wings?

Wings has a well-designed structure that allows you to choose how much time you want to volunteer. We work around your schedule and availability. You tell us what deliveries or shifts you want to do - it's that simple!

For our Welcome Home Program Delivery Team:

After applying, being accepted, and doing your training you'll receive emails from our Volunteer Dispatchers who will let you know what deliveries are available and where they're located. You'll respond to the emails and let them know which deliveries you'd like to take. Then the Dispatcher will put you in touch with the people you'll coordinate the delivery specifics with. Once all the details are set, you'll go to our storage sheds, load the items for the order and deliver it to your newly housed neighbors. 

For our Welcome Home Program Basket Makers:

After applying, being accepted, and doing your training you'll let our Program Manager know your availability and then you'll work with the rest of the Basket Maker team to assemble Welcome Home Baskets for families and individuals moving out of homelessness and into housing!

For our Vital Docs Program Advocates:

After applying, being accepted, and doing your training you'll work with our Program Manager to place you in the volunteer position that best suits you. If you are a notary assistant, you'll attend our weekly "Office Hours" at the library and help people get their birth certificates. If you are a Vital Docs Administrator, you'll work remotely in our database and online to get clients their documents. You'll also contact clients to let them know their documents are ready. 

For other volunteer options:

We have many opportunities to help with event planning, photography, grant writing, business partnerships and more! See Other Volunteer Opportunities (coming soon) to find out more. 

What it's like

Open Volunteer Positions

 We have the following volunteer positions open and we really need more Spanish language speakers:

  • Vital Docs Volunteers:

    • Notaries (we can reimburse you for your training if you don't have it already) (in person)

    • Notary Assistants - help people experiencing homelessness get their birth certificates so they can get housing, employment, and benefits (in person)

    • Vital Docs Admin - communicating with clients online or by phone about their documents (remote or in person)

  • Welcome Home Volunteers:​

    • Delivery Team - Deliver move-in kits to people exiting homelessness into permanent housing (in person, various places around Santa Cruz County)​

    • Dispatcher - process case manager requests and match the requests to available volunteers (remote)

    • Basket Preparer - Prepare Welcome Home Baskets for delivery (in person at our storage units)

We really need these!

Open positions
Application
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"You get more than you give"

-Tim, Wings Delivery Team Member

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Listen

Hear more from Tim about what it's like to volunteer with Wings.

FAQ

  • What is the process for signing up to volunteer?

    • First, fill out the application. Then we'll contact you to set up an orientation (virtual), and then you'll attend our training (virtual). Once those are complete you'll get a LiveScan and then you'll work with the Program Manager to get set up in the position of your choosing. ​

  • Are all volunteer positions in person?​

    • No! We have several remote positions. ​

  • Do I have to live in Santa Cruz to volunteer?​

    • Nope, for our remote positions you can volunteer from anywhere with a phone and internet connection!​

  • What is the time commitment to volunteer?​

    • The initial time commitment is around 4 hours (orientation, training). After that, it depends on what you choose. 

    • Vital Docs volunteers' hours revolve around our office hours at the local libraries (late mornings) one to two times per week. The Vital Docs Admin position is around 3-5 hours per week with a flexible schedule. 

    • For our Delivery Team, we work around your schedule. 

    • Some people volunteer by helping us get the word out to groups and companies they are affiliated with, this kind of schedule and time commitment is entirely up to you. 

  • Do I need to have a Driver's License to volunteer?​

    • To be a Delivery Team member, yes. To volunteer in any other capacity (Vital Docs, Basket Prep, event planning, etc) you don't need a Driver's License but you do need reliable transportation to be able to get to our office hours (on bus routes) or our storage sheds (not on a bus route).

  • Can my volunteer time count for community service or education related service learning requirements?​

    • We're currently not set up to do community service hours through the courts. However, if you need community service hours as part of an education program, let us know in an email (info@wingsadvocacy.org) and we'll see if it's something we can do. ​

  • Do I need an email to volunteer?​

    • Yes, volunteering requires regular & responsive access to a personal email. We coordinate all volunteer tasks and scheduling through email, so it's important you're comfortable using it to communicate on a regular basis. ​

  • Why do you ask what company I work for on the volunteer application?​

    • Many companies give donations to organizations where their employees volunteer. We like to know which companies our volunteers work for so we can maximize investment in our mission. It isn't required, though. ​

  • I don't think I can commit to being a volunteer, are there other ways I can help Wings' mission?​

    • Absolutely! You can:

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