Volunteer Job Descriptions

Information and Referral Specialist Volunteer
Work alongside our Call Center Staff to provide a live voice for callers to connect to. Be the link for those we serve to the essential resources in our community. Read more…

Resource Specialist Volunteer
Contribute your research skills to the Resource Department and support our call center staff by helping them to provide callers with up-to-date community resource information. Read more…

Community Outreach Volunteer
Be an advocate by representing 2-1-1/HELPLINK at community events and/or present to community groups on how 211 helps in our community. Disperse vital information to connect Bay Area residents to the local resources they need. Read more…

Urge Congress to bring HR 211 to a vote. The Calling for 211 Act (HR211/S211) will expand the 211 community information line to all Americans.

In California, the bill supports expansion of 211 throughout the entire state – service is now available in just 26 of 58 counties. Without federal funding, expanding the Bay Area’s 211 call centers to serve growing needs will be a challenge.

Take action to support 211 today:

Visit www.liveunited.org/211, where you can quickly identify your Congressional representatives and send an email to urge them to bring HR211 to a vote.

Other Ways to Support 211

Know someone who needs help? Refer him or her to 211. 211 is available 24 hours a day to connect callers with thousands community services in our region.

Volunteer in United Way’s 211 call center.

What is 211?

Launched throughout the Bay Area in 2008, 211 is an easy-to-remember, toll-free phone number that connects callers with local community services, such as food, shelter, counseling, employment assistance, quality child care and more. During a disaster, 211 provides critical information about evacuation routes, food and shelter, as well as support with finding new jobs and permanent housing during long-term recovery. United Way operates 211 in several Bay Area counties.

Why pass HR211 now?

211 is a critical driver for economic recovery, especially for Americans who need community services to help rebuild their lives. Last year, 211 answered more than 200,000 calls in the Bay Area last year, and more than 16 million nationwide. Congress is heading toward the end of its 2010 session, and if the bill does not pass before this session ends, it will expire, and the country will lose its most significant opportunity to date to expand 211 coverage. Watch the 3-minute video from United Way’s “Pass HR211” press conference with U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo.

Read the HR211 bill.

“Pass HR211″ press conference and rally with U.S. Representative Anna Eshoo. Check it out!

Help create jobs in San Francisco.

The JOBS NOW! program needs your voice to secure federal funds that will create jobs for local families.

JOBS NOW!, a program created by the City of San Francisco, provides Federal Stimulus Funds to businesses to hire local residents. The program put over 3,500 San Franciscans back to work in the last year.

Mayor Newsom is working aggressively to obtain more Federal funds for the program.  Watch the Mayor’s weekly video update below. The Mayor talks about the success of JOBS NOW! and what needs to happen to save the funding for the program.

TAKE ACTION:

Urge your Senator to extend and increase funding for the TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) Subsidized Employment Program, which funds the San Francisco JOBS NOW! program and other similar programs in the Bay Area.

Contact your Senators today!

Senator Barbara Boxer

Call: (202) 224-3553 or Email

Senator Dianne Feinstein

Call: (202) 224-3841 or Email

Sample script: “Senator, I urge you to extend and increase funding for the TANF Subsidized Employment Program which funds my local Jobs Now program. This program has brought millions in new wages to my community and allows low-income families to be employed and gain valuable work experience.  Please extend and increase funding for the TANF Subsidized Employment Program.”

What is JOBS NOW!?

The JOBS NOW! program is a San Francisco-based subsidized jobs program. This program is known at the federal level as the TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) Subsidized Employment Program. The program is subsidized with federal funds under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (also known as ARRA or federal stimulus funds).

Why is JOBS NOW! important?

Being unemployed and trying to get a job in this tough economy is hard for many, but it’s especially difficult for low-income families. Participants of the JOBS NOW! Program are unemployed, low-income, low-skilled or have limited education. The lack of skills and education makes job attainment all the more difficult.

The JOBS NOW! program offers opportunities for these individuals to get the jobs they need and attain skills and training to be more marketable for jobs later. These jobs would not have been available for many of these individuals without the help of the JOBS NOW! program. The program reimburses the employer 100% for the wages of the JOBS NOW! employee – so it’s an incentive for employers to take the time to hire and train JOBS NOW! individuals and grow their business while helping low-income families.

Does it really work?

The TANF Subsidized Employment Program is helping tens of thousands of low-income families get back to work. JOBS NOW! is the San Francisco program, but there are similar programs in local communities nationally. Therefore cutting the funding for this program, during a time when unemployment is at an all-time high, means tens of thousands more will be unemployed.

Read an article by the San Francisco Chronicle that describes the success of the program:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/07/17/BU3D1EF216.DTL

Learn more at http://www.jobsnowsf.org/.

Many kids enter school in the fall without the basic supplies needed from paper and pens to backpacks and binders. Take part in United Way’s Backpack Drive to ensure all kids enter school ready to learn.

We will distribute them to children and teens shortly before school starts at United Way’s SparkPoint Centers throughout the Bay Area.

Three ways you can help:

1. Donate backpacks filled with supplies from the list below and deliver to United Way’s San Francisco office.
2. Donate $35 gift cards from retailers who sell school supplies and send to United Way.
3. Make a donation, which United Way will use to purchase supplies.

Make checks payable to “United Way of the Bay Area.” Write “Back to School Drive” in the memo section.

Each fully-stocked backpack costs $35.

All donations should be dropped off or mailed no later than Friday, August 21. Please send to:
United Way of the Bay Area
Attention: Aditi Aggarwal, Volunteer Manager
221 Main Street, Suite 300
San Francisco, CA 94105

Questions? Contact Aditi at aaggarwal@uwba.org or 415.808.4407

For the Elementary School backpacks, the list is pretty simple. The items are listed by price/priority:

• Backpacks
• Markers
• Crayons
• Binder paper (lined)
• Stickers
• Water-colors
• Paintbrushes
• Reading books
• Pencil boxes
• Binders
• Colored pencils
• Notebooks
• Erasers
• Rulers
• Pens
• Pencils

Many of these nonprofits wouldn’t be able to complete essential projects without this volunteer support. Projects include:

* Packing and prepping food at community food banks
* Helping connect 2-1-1 callers to vital community services
* Rebuilding parks, playgrounds and schools
* Arts and crafts with seniors
* Fostering a love of reading in young children
* Hands on projects and more

Week Caring is made possible through the generosity of our lead sponsor Chevron Corporation as well as our partnership with the Volunteer Centers of the Bay Area.

For more information visit the Week of Caring website.

United Way’s report, “Struggling to Make Ends Meet,” released today, reinforces the plight of the Bay Area’s working poor by revealing that local families require three full-time, minimum wage jobs to pay for basic necessities, when measured by the California Self-Sufficiency Standard.

The report indicates higher education continues to be a key indicator to achieving self-sufficiency. Nearly 60% of 168,556 Bay Area households headed by someone who did not complete high school have incomes below the Standard, compared to 15% of householders with a Bachelor’s degree or at least some college.

“This report raises important questions about how we can better serve the thousands of low-wage workers and families who were already struggling before the recession, whose situations are undoubtedly more precarious now,” said Anne Wilson, CEO of United Way of the Bay Area. “While United Way continues to support programs that provide emergency food, rent and utility assistance, we are also working hard to build pathways out of poverty for hardworking families, to ensure they are not left behind in the economic recovery. Low-wage workers must have access to education and training opportunities that will enable them to earn higher wages, advance up career ladders, support their families, and contribute to our region’s success over the long term.”

A press release and the full report are available here.

Related: How will the Great Recession affect California’s Children?

The Earn It! Keep It! Save It! volunteer tax preparer helped Jane claim the Earned Income Tax Credit and a refund of more than $5,500 last year.  Through her visit, Jane was introduced to other programs offered through Community Action Marin’s Prosperity Partners, which are further improving her financial situation.

Jane participated in financial management classes and enrolled in the Individual Development Accounts (IDA) matched-savings program.  She is now saving money, receiving matching funds for every dollar she saves, enabling her to more quickly reach her goal of going back to school.  Jane hopes post-secondary education will help her gain the skills necessary to earn a more competitive salary to support her children.

Further discussion with Jane revealed she was paying overdraft fees on her checking account.  Prosperity Partners was able to offer her a prepaid debit card, which eliminates overdraft charges.  She now uses this card to manage her money and pay bills.

Jane now has hope and motivation to go back to school and move toward financial stability for her and her family.

Building on our existing partnership, United Way and Community Action Marin are working together to launch the SparkPoint Marin Center this year to help even more families like Jane’s.  The Center will bring a full-range of resources together at one location to help low-income families easily access the tools and support they need to move toward financial stability.  Learn more about United Way’s SparkPoint Initiative.

Read more stories about Earn It! Keep It! $ave it!

NFL Star Nnamdi Asomugha poses with members of the MatchBridge Staff

The event, sponsored by UPS, was the final part of United Way’s Spring Professional Clothing Drive, in which employees from 12 Bay Area companies donated more than 200 suits, dresses and other professional clothing items to benefit young job seekers.

At the event, youth were matched with volunteers, who coached them through a mock interview and then helped the the teens select professional outfits and accessories. The youth were all members of MatchBridge, a program that matches youth with entry-level jobs and paid summer internships, providing coaching and support throughout the job-search process.

The event was part of our Volunteer Initiatives which gives corporate volunteers opportunities to connect with their community throughout the year. Upcoming events include our annual back-to-school backpack drive where we provide needy children with school supplies and a quality backpack; and Week of Caring, the Bay Area’s Largest Corporate volunteersim event. To find out more about either of these events or how you can connect to your community by volunteering, contact Aditi Aggarwal 415-408-4442.

Read more…

The financial well-being of the Bay Area nonprofit sector continued to erode in 2009. Fifty-one percent of survey respondents indicated that revenues declined in 2009, with 39% stating their organizations’ revenue dropped by more than 10%.

When asked if they are observing signs of recovery among their clients, only 3% of respondents indicated their clients are faring better now than they were a year ago, while 45% stated that their clients are faring worse.

Demand for services continues to surge, with 62% of nonprofits reporting an increase in service demand last year. Of that group, 40% indicated they were unable to meet increased service demand.

“We know that the families and individuals who have been hit hardest by the recession will need months, even years to fully recover and get back on their feet,” said Anne Wilson, CEO of United Way of the Bay Area. “To ensure local nonprofits can weather this storm, and serve mounting needs, it is so important for everyone who can to step up now – to give, advocate and volunteer – in support of our community.”

This results while upsetting are not surprising, and were foreshadowed by our recently released report “Struggling to Make Ends Meet,” which highlights the challenges faced by the Bay Area’s working poor. It reveals that local families require three full-time, minimum wage jobs to pay for basic necessities, when measured by the California Self-Sufficiency Standard. Read the full report.

Learn more how the Great Recession may be affecting future generations.