Volunteer Opportunities for Adults

Volunteer Opportunities for Adults

Volunteering at ECHO starts with a conversation with our volunteer coordinator to discuss opportunities and expectations. Please email your name, best contact time and phone number to:  VolunteerCoordinator@echo-inc.org.

Volunteering at ECHO is very flexible and includes opportunities to perform work:

  • in the ECHO building, both within and outside of ECHO’s business hours,
  • remotely at the volunteer’s convenience, and
  • on a seasonal or temporary basis (see description below for details)

Except for holidays, ECHO business hours are:

  • Monday through Friday mornings (9:30 am – 12:30 pm),
  • Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings (7:00 pm – 9:00 pm), and
  • One Saturday morning per month (9:30 am – 12:00 pm).

Volunteers who perform tasks in the building are asked to commit to a regular schedule of at least:

  • two weekday morning shifts per month, or
  • one Saturday or one evening shift per month.
  • (several tasks require a weekly commitment)

Note: Since ECHO has no paid staff, we have limited numbers of volunteer supervisors. Therefore, ECHO is unable to accommodate those who need to accumulate court-ordered or other Community Service Hours.

Tasks performed in the ECHO building:

  • Administration Lead. Administration: provide leadership and oversight for the Admin Support Team; provide support to the Executive Committee and the ECHO Board of Directors.
      • Currently filled
  • Administrative Support: Admin Support: perform general office work such as answering phones, processing emails, maintaining administrative files and data bases; provide support to the Executive Director
      • Currently filled
  • Building and Grounds Maintenance: ensure that the ECHO facilities are maintained in a good and safe state of repair and that provisions are made for landscaping needs and snow removal.
      • Currently filled
  • Clothing: sort donated clothing for suitability, display clothing appropriate to the season, assist clients with clothing selections, and ensure clients receive clothing and household goods authorized by the Counselors.
      • Number needed:
        • 1, Tuesday evenings
        • 1, Thursday evenings
  • Consignment: assess donations of items that are not food, clothing or household goods to determine if they are suitable for client use or would be more useful to ECHO’s mission if sold for funds to be used for client assistance; transport items to be sold to consignment stores.
      • Currently filled
  • Counselor: interview prospective clients, document client needs and the amount and types of assistance provided; refer clients to other appropriate sources of assistance not provided by ECHO. Training will be provided.
      • Number needed:
        • 1, Tuesday evenings
  • Counselor Assistant: greet arriving clients, confirm client appointments, answer incoming client phone calls, and assist Counselors with general office tasks.
      • Currently filled
  • Data Entry: enter Counselor’s records of client visits into a computer database; assist with the transition to new record retention protocols.
      • Currently filled
  • Food Room: sort and shelve donated/purchased foods: assist clients as they shop for food; must be able to lift up to 40 pounds to overhead shelves.
      • Currently filled
  • Housewares: sort donated items that are not food or clothing related; assess for suitability; stock shelves with bedding, towels, cookware, dinnerware and small appliances; coordinate with clothing room to distribute needed houseware items to the clients.
      • Number needed:
        • 2, Tuesday evenings
        • 2, Thursday evenings
  • Donation Door: greet donors, educate donors about what ECHO can/cannot accept, assist with heavy or unwieldy donations, record donations, perform an initial sorting of donations by type and deliver to respective functional area of the building.
      • Currently filled
  • Technical Support: refurbish donated Windows computers (desktop and laptop) for distribution to clients.
      • Currently filled
  • Teen Program Leads (2): coordinate with ECHO Directors to organize work projects for teen volunteers; monitor ECHOTeenVolunteers@gmail.com account and create volunteer schedule; mentor/supervise volunteers as they engage in these service opportunities at ECHO during the school year on Wednesdays, 7:00-8:30, approve service verification requests as needed.
      • Number needed:
        • 1-2 volunteers to cover 1-2 Wednesdays/month

Tasks that can be performed away from the ECHO building or require driving/transport of goods:

  • Online Sellers: sell donated items online (eBay/Facebook Marketplace/Poshmark) and forward the proceeds to ECHO
      • Currently filled
  • Food Buyer: use ECHO credit card to purchase food and personal care items at local stores to fill shortages determined by the Food Room Co-Chairs
      • Currently filled
  • Communications: produce documents about ECHO for publications; plan special events; coordinate with Photographer, Historian and Social Media Coordinator to capture ECHO events; manage online platforms; and speak to community groups about ECHO.
      • Currently filled
  • Historian: capture significant activities and continue historical documentation of ECHO.
      • Currently filled
  • Photographer: coordinate with Communications, Social Media Coordinator and Historian to ensure appropriate events are captured on appropriate media.
      • Currently filled

Tasks that are Seasonal and/or Temporary (additional volunteers are generally needed for each of these activities):

  • Yard Sale Workers: Work as a member of a team responsible for the transport of sales inventory, set up and breakdown/cleanup of the yard sale site; serve as sales assistants, checkout clerks, and runners. Yard sales are held during the spring and fall, usually April and October. Contact admin@echo-inc.org to sign up.
  • Holiday Programs: purchase (with volunteer’s funds) and assemble boxes of fresh and non-perishable foods for Thanksgiving or Christmas holiday meals or provide designated clients with grocery store gift cards. Contact holidayfoodprograms@echo-inc.org for information.
  • Food Drives: assist with sorting and shelving non-perishable foods during major food drives such as Scouting for Food or Letter Carriers Stamp Out Hunger Drive. There are typically 3-4 major food drives each year. Contact Echofoodroom@gmail.com for specifics.
  • Drivers: pick up or deliver donations, yard sale items, or other materials using the ECHO cargo van or the volunteer’s own vehicle as needed. This is not a regular task. Some lifting required.
  • Summer Backpack Program organize school supplies and assemble backpacks with grade-appropriate supplies. This activity takes place during July and August on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from 2 – 5 pm. SignUp for this event at Backpacks Signup (starting Mid-June).
  • Collection Drives: hold drives to collect new household goods, selected food items, hygiene products, athletic socks and underclothes for men, women, boys, and girls in all sizes; See the ECHO Donation Drive Guidelines  to help your group get started.