For 30 years Cambridge Volunteers has helped thousands of people who want to volunteer. Options are as varied as Cambridge and Somerville area nonprofits, which include tutoring organizations, art and theater groups, schools, libraries, nature and wildlife organizations, food pantries, a robotics lab, youth sports groups, a community TV station and dozens of others. There are even farm-related opportunities, where volunteers can literally get down to earth to help their neighbors.
Nearly 1 in 4 Americans worked as a volunteer in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Although some states have higher formal volunteering rates than Massachusetts – Utah was highest at 41 percent – only three of the 12 largest metro areas in the United States had higher volunteer rates than Greater Boston.
The pandemic caused a significant decline in volunteering, said Laurie Rothstein, executive director of Cambridge Volunteers. This has been especially true for long-term volunteers – those who volunteer for several months or more. Nonetheless, working for free with a local nonprofit remains popular, and at least 10,000 Cambridge and Somerville residents volunteer each year.
With more than 200 local nonprofits that rely on volunteers, finding the right match can take time. Newcomers to the area, especially, often find it challenging to learn about the vast range of available options, Rothstein said. Indeed, Cambridge Volunteers lists more than 300 volunteer jobs in its searchable online database.
One might volunteer alongside dozens of other people to pack groceries just once, or give their time as an administrative assistant, board member or in some other position to work with an agency for many years.
Helping to strengthen nonprofit agencies by helping people find the right volunteering option is the mission of Cambridge Volunteers, itself a nonprofit.
Volunteering provides opportunities for personal growth and improves civic life by building community and helping those who need help, Rothstein said. Those interested in finding the right opportunity can use the online database or attend a free Zoom session to learn about the great variety of local volunteer jobs and ask questions of staff.
Searching for opportunities
To narrow search options in the database, one or more of a dozen-plus organization types can be selected using the menu on the left side – nonprofits focusing on education, food access and material aid, new Americans/refugees/immigrants, seniors, homeless/housing or women/girls. There are also more than two dozen types of activities such as jobs one can search for, including animal care, board membership, docent/guide/tutor, financial advising, food prep/service, sports/recreation and writing/editing/reporting. The variety of local volunteer opportunities available is remarkable.
You can search using keywords you choose or by selecting organization types or activity types, or any combination of these methods. Details about each volunteer opportunity can be displayed by clicking the “view” button for that item. More information about each agency can be found through links provided in the database.
Select “Cambridge School Volunteers” and detailed information is displayed about job options there, illustrating that a single organization often offers more than one type of volunteer opportunity. Altogether, Cambridge School Volunteers relies on about 600 volunteers each year to serve roughly 1,000 students. Before the pandemic, the number of Cambridge School Volunteers was closer to 1,000, Rothstein said. Similarly, the Waltham Fields Community Farm makes use of about 600 volunteers. Most nonprofit agencies need far fewer volunteers.
Attending a Zoom session
Cambridge Volunteers offers 90-minute Zoom sessions several times each year through the Cambridge Center for Adult Education, a partner organization. The sessions are free, but registration is required. Some of the sessions are specialized, such as one focusing on “board member basics” that will be offered in October; many nonprofits are looking for board members.
Other sessions are more general. An August session began with an overview of the variety of local nonprofits looking for volunteers and shifted to short presentations from four: Tutoring Plus, Women’s Money Matters, Navigation Games and the Cambridge Science Festival. The attendees could ask questions about any aspect of volunteering, whether about these groups or others.
The session was led by Rothstein and colleague Maddie Ball, the operations manager. Both have years of experience working for and with local nonprofits.
About Cambridge Volunteers
Rothstein was recruited in 2015 by Bob Hurlbut, a co-founder of Cambridge Volunteers, when he was head of the Cambridge Community Foundation, a major financial supporter of Cambridge Volunteers. He remains a member of the board.
Cambridge Volunteers now has an advisory council as well as a board. Council members represent a diverse set of nonprofits, including the Cambridge Community Learning Center, East End House and Margaret Fuller Neighborhood House.
Cambridge Volunteers worked with Cambridge School Volunteers and the nonprofit Tutoring Plus last year to design a workshop for volunteers serving young people. Called “Showing Up Right for Youth,” it was designed to help volunteers operate effectively with the diverse population of young people in the area.
Originally working only 10 hours a week, Rothstein is now a full-time employee, assisted by volunteers. Ball was added recently as a second paid staff member. “It’s been great work,” Rothstein said. “I love the richness of it.”
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