Volunteering is a great way to give back to the community, but many people don’t know how to get started, can’t commit to a regular schedule, don’t want to volunteer alone—the list goes on. HandsOn San Diego makes it easier for people looking to volunteer by connecting them with short- and long-term volunteer opportunities and a variety of organizations that need help.
HandsOn San Diego was founded in 2013 by a group of volunteers who saw the need for a centralized organization where people could easily sign up for volunteer opportunities that fit their interests and time constraints. In its first full year, HandsOn San Diego recruited more than 1,000 volunteers to serve at 24 nonprofit organizations.
The organization simplifies the volunteering process by removing the burden of researching specific organizations, instead offering easy sign-up opportunities and filters that help volunteers find opportunities based on cause, schedule, and distance. This approach also helps connect volunteers with smaller, grassroots organizations that might not be easily found with a simple internet search, says Jessie Case, HandsOn San Diego’s executive director.
HandsOn San Diego connected people to 10,000 different opportunities last year, and Case notes that one of its nonprofit partners, A Way Home for Dogs, was able to increase their volunteer base from around eight volunteers per week to 65 per week, allowing them to expand their adoption events.
“People who have full-time jobs or students who are pulled in a lot of different directions appreciate the low-commitment, [they can] pop in when they’re available, and they don’t have to commit to a specific organization,” Case says. “They can try different things and see what speaks to them. Usually people try different things and then latch on to something that they really care about.”
HandsOn San Diego also works with businesses, acting as an event planner for team-building activities or corporate giveback initiatives. For example, HandsOn San Diego recently organized a company’s attempt to set a Guinness World Record for packing the most military care packages for Operation Courage is Beautiful.
“It’s really neat that we can have that larger impact and support the capacity of all these different organizations so that they can achieve their missions,” says Case.
Sarah Sapeda is San Diego Magazine’s Custom Content Editor. In her 15 years in San Diego journalism, she has covered charitable events, health care, education, crime, current events, and more.
