Jessie Case took the reins of HandsOn San Diego (HOSD) as Executive Director in May 2025 after eight years with the organization. She first joined as an AmeriCorps Volunteer Infrastructure Program Fellow, and has since received her master’s degree in Nonprofit Leadership and Management from the University of San Diego. She is passionate about inspiring San Diegans to engage in their communities.
1) How did HandsOn San Diego start?
HOSD was founded in 2014 by Jaci Sander, who identified a gap between nonprofits and people who wanted to volunteer. After conducting community research—and supported by a University of San Diego Nonprofit Institute needs assessment calling for a centralized volunteer database—Sander and a small group of volunteers launched HOSD to connect individuals with meaningful service opportunities.
2) Most people would like to volunteer but find it hard to commit. How does HOSD differ from other nonprofits?
We make volunteering easier by gathering opportunities with organizations throughout San Diego County into one easily searchable place. We have a calendar feature that simplifies finding volunteer opportunities that work for your schedule, and you can just jump in. We have plenty of opportunities that don’t require prior training or a minimum time commitment. You can sign up for just one shift a year or one shift a week. It’s up to you and your availability.
The volunteers who can commit to regularly attending an opportunity are often rewarded with deeper connections with that organization and their fellow volunteers. It becomes a third place where they are able to find purpose while forming social connections with like-minded community members.
3) What is the greatest impact you believe that HOSD serves in San Diego and what areas would you like to see more volunteering at?
I believe HOSD’s greatest impact on San Diego is the people power we have been able to provide to smaller, grassroots organizations. Our website serves as a free volunteer management software where they are able to manage registrations, pull reports, and communicate with their volunteer base. We often hear our nonprofits sharing that with HOSD, they finally have a consistent flow of volunteers that they can count on. For example, A Way Home for Dogs reported going from 8 volunteers per week to 65 per week during their partnership with us. The increase in volunteers has provided their dogs with more opportunities for socialization and to find their forever homes.
I would like to see us increase volunteer opportunities in the North Coastal and Southern regions of the county. For every 1 volunteer we have in central San Diego, we have about 4.5 volunteer opportunities within that region, but for the North Coastal and South regions, that rate is less than 1 volunteer opportunity per active volunteer. We are working on outreach to those regions to make it easier for everyone in the county to volunteer in their own neighborhoods.
5) What is your 3-5 year plan for HOSD?
HandsOn San Diego would like to grow our support for local nonprofit organizations while engaging more San Diegans in volunteering. We will do this by building relationships with city and county government leaders, investing in marketing our volunteer opportunities to ensure potential volunteers know how they can get involved, and providing more holistic volunteer engagement support to our nonprofit partners. These goals will move us closer to our vision of a thriving community where everyone is empowered to be an active participant in creating positive change without barriers.
Visit handsonsandiego.org to register and start signing up for volunteer opportunities.
