Are you a local organization (Hollis, Brookline and surrounding towns) that has ongoing or one-time-event volunteer needs? Yes, you might post your need on your website, or perhaps even Craigslist. Yes, members of your organization reach out to family and friends to volunteer. But it’s always the same people which can create burnout and under-staffing at times.

The good news is there is actually a LOT of people out there that want to volunteer their time and talent! It’s just a matter of you finding them and them finding you! They are often busy and don’t have time to search around for opportunities, or don’t even know where to begin their search.

Now, thanks to social media, it’s been made easier! A Facebook group has been created called Hollis Brookline Volunteers (facebook.com/groups/HBVolunteers/) specifically for you to post your volunteer needs so want-to-be volunteers can find you! All you need is one person in your group to have a Facebook account and they can request to join the group. Once the group administrator has approved their request (typically in less than an hour), you can post your ongoing and/or specific event volunteer needs.

Please be sure to be as specific as possible when creating the Facebook post requesting volunteers. Is there a minimum age requirement? Is a backgrounds check required? Is a driver’s license required? Is it ongoing or a specific event volunteer need? What day(s), date(s), time(s)? What kinds of tasks are involved? Who should they contact or how do they go about volunteering? A link to a website or Facebook page with more information is very helpful, especially if an application is required. Keyword(s) in the post are also very helpful for people who search the group to find opportunities that they are specifically interested in (i.e. if your group is a veteran group, put the word “veteran” and “military” somewhere in the post). Perhaps provide some information about your organization and their mission.

So organizations, start posting your volunteer needs today!

– Submitted by

Cindy Ryherd, Hollis