Lakeside welcomes volunteers to assist with special projects, participate in workshops, community activities, and to assist in our office. Volunteers are asked to commit to a specific project or activity listed below and to abide by the regulations of the volunteer program (see orientation package below). Lakeside provides opportunities for paid and unpaid internships and federal work study for students.Volunteer placements can be short-term or long-term.

Some of our current volunteer opportunities include:

Administrative Volunteer: Lakeside needs people who can provide our staff with an extra pair of hands to complete mailings, restock informational materials, make copies, and do other general office tasks. Sometimes, our administrative volunteers are assigned to specific programs and work on special projects. Other times, we ask them to fill in where we need help and the tasks can change day-to-day. If you have some extra time and want to get out of the house - or the office, come spend some time with us.

Volunteer Writer and Editor: Lakeside needs experienced writers to help generate articles for our website and newsletters. We also enlist writers to produce periodic reports and grant requests. If writing is your passion, contact us and see how we can help you build your portfolio, while you build our organization!

Media Relations Volunteer: Is media relations your talent? Help Lakeside with periodic press outreach, which can include drafting and sending out press advisories, developing specific media campaigns, and providing in-house training to staff. Lakeside is often in the news and it’s partly because we make ourselves available to editors and reporters on a regular basis. You can help us boost our visibility and get more Lakeside news in the published!

Social Media Volunteer: Lakeside is on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. If you like social media and want to use it to make a difference for a deserving nonprofit, why not help Lakeside? Our social media volunteers help extend our social media networks, make updates, and post items for staff on an ongoing basis. If you are an experienced social media maven, we also welcome special projects to update our strategy and make sure we are making the best use of the latest tools and technology.

Fundraising Committee: Lakeside is seeking motivated volunteers to assist with agency fundraising activities, including event planning, donor outreach, and volunteer leadership development. Our current campaigns is for the 2nd annual Art of Home, which will take place October 18, 2012. Event committee volunteers help plan and execute the events, including: selling donor packages and individual tickets, securing in-kind donations, generating publicity and media coverage, and more. To make a successful event, we are looking for people with different skills and interests.

Client Services Volunteer: If you are a people person and want to make a difference, volunteer as a client services volunteer. We’ll train you how to answer phones, conduct basic informational interviews, and greet our clients when they come for appointments and workshops. Our client services volunteers are the face and voice of Lakeside, so we are looking for people who want to make a regular commitment to this function.

General Outreach Volunteer: Lakeside covers a service area comprising portions of 8 community areas. That’s a lot of ground for a small organization like ours. As a general outreach volunteer, we will train you to be a Lakeside ambassador and attend community events and meetings. Your role: pass out information, share news and updates on programs, and help us keep track of important activities in the neighborhoods. If you are a people person and would rather spend your evenings meeting your neighbors, rather than plopped in front of the TV, this is the role for you.Volunteer Orientation Select to download the Volunteer Orientation 

For more information contact Kurt Krahn at (773) 381-5253 or [email protected].