The Volunteer Center at United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County

The Volunteer Center at United Way of Bexar County serves as a vital link in the community for people who want to volunteer and for nonprofit agencies that need volunteers.

Description:
The Volunteer Center serves as a valuable resource not only for individuals, but also for nonprofit agencies and groups needing assistance in starting and maintaining volunteer programs.

The Volunteer Center serves nonprofit agencies by offering training, technical assistance, consultations and other resources pertaining to the administration of volunteer management programs. San Antonio Volunteer Administrators (SAVA), an organization sponsored by United Way. meets every other month allowing its members to network and expand their knowledge of volunteer management through structured meetings which feature a speaker on topics of interest to this field. Every other month, brown bag workshops are held during the lunch hour focused on helping volunteer administrators at local agencies and organizations improve their volunteer management skills and volunteer programs. An annual nonprofit board volunteer orientation is also held.

A Corporate Volunteer Council (CVC)was formed in 2007 to address the needs of corporate and business workplace volunteer groups. Meetings are offered quarterly and provide opportunities to network and receive training on volunteer management in the work place. Additional information can be found at www.unitedwaysatx.org.

The Volunteer Solutions web-based software is offered to any nonprofit agency at no cost allowing them to list their volunteer opportunities. Several features such as The Board Rules allow agencies to post their specific board volunteer needs while Product Connections serves a vehicle to post different needs. Several listings are published on the United Way website and include the Ways of Caring, which is a comprehensive directory of general volunteer needs in more than 200 agencies and volunteer programs throughout San Antonio and Bexar County. In the fall, the HoliDays of Caring lists both tangible and volunteer Agency needs.
The Volunteer Center coordinates with the San Antonio Express-News to run a weekly volunteer column and with the Community Calendar Cable TV to run PSAs. These opportunities are also publicized on our website.

Several volunteer events are coordinated by the Volunteer Center. Night of a Thousand Stars is an event honoring individuals, families, groups and youth who volunteer in our community. At this gala event, awards are given to honor deserving volunteers. The Feast of Sharing is an annual event sponsored by H-E-B, in which the Volunteer Center takes a leadership role by recruiting, training and managing over 1,000 community volunteers who help serve a holiday dinner to those who are hungry or lonely. Volunteers are also recruited for the Raul Jimenez Annual Thanksgiving Dinner. The Volunteer Center also collaborates with the City of San Antonio and various corporations to sponsor large-scale volunteer projects throughout the year.

History:
The Volunteer Center merged with the United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County in January 1989 and has served the community by connecting community volunteers with opportunities to serve in a variety of service projects for nonprofit agencies, city parks, community projects and United Way events and activities. The Volunteer Center is operated as a service to the community by United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County and is the central clearinghouse for volunteer opportunities, special volunteer projects and initiatives on behalf of all sectors of our community. The Volunteer Center is a valuable resource not only for individuals, but also for nonprofit agencies and groups needing assistance in starting and maintaining volunteer programs.

Contact people:

Karen Williams, Manager, Community Projects, (210) 352-7065, (email) Esther Cantu, Director, Volunteer Programs And Services, (210) 352-7099, (email) Mary Damsgaard, Vice President, (210) 352-7050, (email)

Office fax number: (210) 224-4245

Address:

700 S. Alamo San Antonio, TX 78205 (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.unitedwaysatx.org/Pages/Voluntee%20Center.html

Directions:

Take IH-35 south to Durango. Exit and turn left (going East). Go East on Durango to S. Alamo. Turn right and see United Way on the left.

Last updated on November 23, 2009