Lifeline

Volunteer

Volunteer Opportunities with Home of the Sparrow

Check out Home of the Sparrow’s individual, business/group, and high school volunteer opportunities in the sections below. Every day, Home of the Sparrow volunteers make a difference in the community. In fiscal year 2021 (ending June 30, 2021), Home of the Sparrow had over 784+ individual volunteers who dedicated over 58,867+ service hours! Volunteers are the heart of the agency and dedicate their time and talents volunteering at Home of the Sparrow’s fundraiser events, Headquarters Office, housing unit and shelter maintenance, yard work at the housing units, and at the Sparrow’s Nest Thrift Stores and Community Threads across Northern Illinois. Thank you all for supporting our mission!

Questions about volunteering? Contact Volunteer@hosparrow.org or call 815-271-5444 x260.

TEEN (14-17) VOLUNTEER APPLICATION
ADULT VOLUNTEER APPLICATION
GROUP VOLUNTEER APPLICATION
TEEN (14-17) COURT ORDERED COMMUNITY SERVICE VOLUNTEER APPLICATION
ADULT COURT ORDERED COMMUNITY SERVICE VOLUNTEER APPLICATION

Individual Volunteer Opportunities

Community Threads
Thrift Store

Volunteers at our stores provide assistance throughout all areas of the store.
Primary duties and qualifications include, but are not limited to:

- Accepting, sorting, cleaning, pricing, and displaying donated merchandise
- Positions in specialized areas such as cashiering, floral arrangement, window dressing, and store
design are also available.
- Ability to commit to a minimum of 3-4 hours weekly.
Located in Arlington Heights; Shifts available Monday-Saturday; 10:00AM - 6:00PM

Sparrow's Nest
Thrift Store

Volunteers at our stores provide assistance throughout all areas of the store.
Primary duties and qualifications include, but are not limited to:

- Accepting, sorting, cleaning, pricing, and displaying donated merchandise
- Positions in specialized areas such as cashiering, floral arrangement, window dressing, and store design are also available.
- Ability to commit to a minimum of 3-4 hours weekly.

Locations: Cary, McHenry, Mundelein, Palatine, Third Lake and Woodstock; Shifts available Monday-Saturday; 10:00AM - 5:00PM

Thrift Store Donation Photographer

Home of the Sparrow is looking for individuals who can make our Sparrow's Nest Thrift Store donations look good online through their photography skills.
Primary duties and qualifications include:

-Take and stage photos for our social media platforms
-Help boost sales and engage customers at the Sparrow’s Nest stores
-Ability to commit to 2-3 hours per week and assist store most convenient to you.
-Videography skills are a bonus!

Locations: Arlington Heights, Cary, McHenry, Mundelein, Palatine, Third Lake and Woodstock; Flexible schedule between 10:00AM - 5:00PM

HQ Moving/Packing Volunteer

Help Home of the Sparrow prepare for our Headquarters relocation! Sign up for a shift to help us pack up our current headquarters office.

Sign Up for a Shift Here!

Event Committee Members

Seeking energetic, dedicated individuals to assist with planning and execution of all of our annual fundraisers. Ideal candidates will be available for monthly/bimonthly meetings, would be comfortable seeking donors and participants for our annual events, and enjoy sharing ideas in a team setting.

General Event Committee Needs:
- Collect items for Silent Auction and Raffle Baskets
- Solicit sponsorships from local businesses
- Collaborate with Development staff on theme ideas, event activities, etc.
- Lead day of event activities: supporting volunteers, helping with registration, putting together raffle baskets, etc.
- Spread the word about the event and Home of the Sparrow!

Childcare Volunteers

Home of the Sparrow’s is looking for volunteers that will bring smiles to some really important kids.

While moms are working hard in programming to make life better for their family, volunteers provide a safe caring environment for their kids.
Join the journey of a child in the transition out of homelessness. We have a great fenced in play area outdoors, and plenty to do inside. Help make some good memories for these kids!

HOS Ambassador

As an Ambassador, you will volunteer at various events throughout the year!

Volunteers represent HOS in the community by manning our booth at special events, and speaking to groups such as schools, churches, clubs and organizations.
Ambassador training begins at Home of the Sparrow Headquarters and includes visits to various housing units and Sparrow's Nest Thrift Stores.
This is a great way to utilize your networking skills while helping women and children as they journey to self-sufficiency.

Headquarters Front Desk

Volunteers are needed to support our staff at our headquarters front desk in McHenry.
Primary duties and qualifications include:

- Answering the front door and greeting visitors
- Answering the phones; answering questions from the community, clients, donors etc.; making referrals as needed
- Filling orders for our Move-In/Move Out clients
- Sorting, organizing, and documenting donations
- Helping with general office tasks, clerical work and/or various data entry
- Opportunity may include heavy lifting, but is not required.

Shifts available: Tuesday, Thursday and Friday between 9:00AM - 4:00PM, minimum 3-4 Hour per week commitment.

Additional Volunteer Opportunities

Host a Community Event to Beneift HOS

If you’re interested in hosting a community fundraising event or hosting a donation drive to benefit Home of the Sparrow,
please contact Volunteer@hosparrow.org for details. Thank you!

High School Volunteer Program

Our High School Volunteer Program offers students the opportunity to volunteer at our thrift store locations and with special projects at our Headquarters in McHenry.  For those completing school-mandated hours, you can sign up for shifts. It’s easy and accessible! 

Fill out an application above for more information and to indicate where you would like to volunteer.

 

Volunteer with a Group, Corporation, or Team!

Based on availability, groups can help volunteer throughout the year in a variety of ways.

  • Outdoor projects at the transitional shelter and various housing units: weeding, mulching, cleaning up plant beds, general gardening/planting flowers, pressure washing, staining play equipment/decks, etc.
  • Interior painting: patching and painting interior walls of housing units
  • Holiday support: Setting up holiday giving trees, putting together wishlist ornaments, general donation sorting, etc.
  • Headquarters support: special projects as needed
  • Host a donation drive!  Collect items from our Shelter Needs Wish List or learn more by submitting an inquiry form by clicking here.
  • Events: Volunteer at one of Home of the Sparrow’s annual events

Contact Volunteer@hosparrow.org for more information about getting your group involved and connected to Home of the Sparrow!

 

Employee Giving

Develop an employee giving/match program for employees to donate to Home of the Sparrow. For more information about Employee Giving, please contact Allyson Gluth at agluth@hosparrow.org or 815-271-5444 x224

 

Community Awareness and Speaking Engagements

Invite Home of the Sparrow to speak to your company, church, school, or group to raise awareness about our organization, and share our current volunteer opportunities. 

Contact Allyson Gluth, agluth@hosparrow.org or 815271-5444 x224 for more information.

Interested in Group Volunteer Opportunities? Contact Volunteer@hosparrow.org or 815-271-5444 x260

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