Day of Caring Volunteer FAQs

Volunteer FAQs

How long is each volunteer opportunity? 

Project length varies based on the nature of project requests received, individual/group volunteer interests, and availability of volunteers. Most projects will take a half day from around 9:00 AM-12:00 PM.

What types of volunteer projects are available at Day of Caring?

We make sure that projects span a wide range of skills and abilities so that Day of Caring is accessible to anyone who may want to volunteer! Volunteer projects tend to fall within a few different locations including spots at residential locations, nonprofit organizations, churches, and schools and include tasks such as:

  • Painting & beautification
  • Landscaping & gardening
  • Organizing donations 
  • Office work & administrative tasks 
  • Hands-on construction or repair work (case by case basis)
  • Inside (nonprofits, churches, and schools only) or outside building clean-up 

If your Volunteer Team has specific skills (computer skills, languages, carpentry, etc.) and/or tools, we highly encourage you to include that on the SKILLS/INTERESTS section of your registration form to best match you for your project.

What areas/location will I be volunteering at?

Our project submissions come in from across beautiful Jackson County- including Seymour, Brownstown, Medora, Crothersville, Freetown, and more. If you or your group are interested in serving in a particular location, please not that in the NOTES section of your registration form.

Am I responsible for my own transportation? 

Yes. All volunteers must provide their own transportation or make arrangements to carpool to the project site. 

What if it rains? 

Our rain date for this event is Friday, May 15th. We encourage Project Hosts to have a backup plan in case of inclement weather–Volunteer Team Leaders are also welcome to ask about these plans when connecting with Project Hosts.

In the event of severe weather, our team will contact you or in you are in a group, your group leader, via email and text message by 6:00 AM. Project Hosts and Volunteer Teams are encouraged to independently reschedule the date to complete the project that works for both groups if the rain date does not work for your group. Please note that project requestors purchase all materials needed with the expectation that it will be completed. 

Can I bring kids? 

The nature of the majority of projects received on the Day of Caring are adult-focused and are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. For large groups of youths, they are welcome to join us during our Youth Day of Service in September.

Do I need to sign a waiver? 

Yes. All volunteers must sign a waiver during online registration. You will simply need to read the waiver and then click the checkbox for acknowledgment and digital signature. Every member of a group must fill out a volunteer registration form and liability waiver. 

Is there a cost to volunteer at Day of Caring?

No, there is no cost to participate in Day of Caring! Some Volunteer Teams choose to provide snacks and lunch for their group, but these expenses are optional. United Way does provide free breakfast for volunteers at the Day of Caring Kickoff Breakfast (see this year’s event page for more details). In some cases, the host of a project may include requests for commonly available items such as gardening tools or basic supplies to help complete the task, but the bulk of materials is purchased by the project requestor(s).

If your team is willing and able to contribute supplies, we encourage you to coordinate directly with the Project Host after your project has been selected. This is a great way to further help organizations who may have tasks that need completing but don’t have the necessary tools or budget!

Can I sign up as a solo volunteer?

Absolutely! While Day of Caring focuses primarily on groups, we welcome individuals to get out that day as well. You may be asked to join a group of other individuals depending on project availability and your interests/skills.

I’d like to create a Volunteer Team for my business or organization! What does this entail?

We are so happy to hear that! Each group should select a Volunteer Team Leader who will be responsible for:

  • Registering the Volunteer Team
  • Receiving volunteer updates from JCUW Engagement Director
  • Attending one informational meeting to learn how to select a project on our volunteer platform (there will be multiple dates and times available)
  • Communicating with their project site host to arrange arrival time, confirming project request list, tools that will be provided and tools volunteers should bring

For final dates and times, please refer to this year’s Day of Caring event page. Volunteer Team Leaders can expect to spend less than 1 hour per week coordinating for their team’s participation leading up the event day.

We know everyone is busy, so we try to make this process as efficient as possible while also sharing all the details, information, and guidance to make the event run smoothly. Hundreds of community members participate in Day of Caring as volunteers and/or project hosts, and United Way has a very small yet mighty team working behind the scenes to coordinate everything!

How do I register a team? 

Your team leader can sign up using the registration form. The team leader can make a note of how many volunteers they are expecting from their group. Every member of a group must fill out the registration and liability form.

How big can my team be? 

There is no limit to the size of your team, but we recommend groups of 6-8. In cases where teams have many volunteers, we strongly recommend they register multiple teams since many project sites cannot accommodate more than that number of volunteers at one time. This will ensure safety, better placement and a more satisfactory experience for team members. Teams of more than 10 people may be asked to split and multiple teams from one company will most likely be assigned to more than one project and go to different locations. 

Can I add more teams or make changes to my registration later? 

Of course! Simply reach out to our Engagement Director via email (emily@jacsy.org) or phone and she'll make the changes. Our office number is 812-522-5450 ext 4. All changes must be made by the registration deadline and members can only be removed, not added, after that deadline.

What should I wear? 

Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, we're able to provide a Day of Caring t-shirt to every volunteer. When you register, you will indicate the sizes needed, and those sizes will be ready at the project site when you arrive on May 12th. So, come comfortable and ready to throw on a Day of Caring t-shirt! 

My team has canceled - what do I do? 

We understand that sometimes due to unforeseen circumstances you might need to cancel. If you have registered a team and they are now unable to participate, call our office and let us know as soon as possible so that we can assist the agency in finding a new group to participate that day.

 

If you have unanswered questions, please email emily@jacsy.org and we'd be happy to assist you.