Volunteer
You can make a difference in your community through YWCA volunteer opportunities. There are many ways you can support women and families, including ongoing volunteering, group projects, and by hosting a drive.
Most of our opportunities are seeking volunteers looking for a long-term volunteer experience, typically involving a weekly commitment of 3-4 hours for at least 3 months. Occasionally, we have short term or one time volunteer projects for individuals. Our volunteer onboarding process can take up to two weeks and begins with applying for an open opportunity that meets your needs. Once you apply the steps include:
- Sign confidentiality and relationship forms
- Background screen
- Volunteer Interview questions
- In-person or phone interview with program supervisor
- Volunteer orientation (once application is approved)
According to the nonprofit membership organization Independent Sector, volunteer time in Washington State for 2016 was valued at $30.04 an hour. This amounts to over $912,500 of in-kind donations! We very much value our volunteers, and thank them for their time and their efforts!
Volunteer Internships
YWCA is committed to supporting the next generation of social service workers through volunteer internships. Internships are limited and are not the same as a practicum. Volunteer interns must be enrolled in a college program and able to volunteer at least 10 hours per week for the duration of the internship. Interns will earn college credit and learn skills related to working for a nonprofit organization. Volunteer interns do not provide clinical support or direct client support (practicum) and will not be directly supervised by a social worker or psychologist. Interns will provide actual community support and learn about program operations. When internships are available, they will be posted as an opportunity.
Court-Ordered Service
To complete court-ordered community service hours with YWCA, you must contact Volunteer Services and be cleared before you begin your volunteer hours. Please contact us at volunteer@ywcaworks.org and provide us with the following information:
- Reason you need court ordered community service
- Number of hours required
- Geographical location you wish to volunteer
Court ordered community service volunteers will need to complete the full onboarding process, which can take up to two weeks, BEFORE beginning volunteering.
Donation Drive Categories
When you host a drive for YWCA, your donation directly impacts the lives of the women and families in our emergency housing programs. Every donation helps a family feel more welcome in their home and fills a genuine need. Click here to select a category to see what is needed, then fill out our “Host a Drive” form above and we will contact you with more information.
Full-sized personal care products for families in our programs. We especially need items that are ethnically diverse and focus on Black/African American women (e.g., sulfate-free, paraben-free, moisturizing). We will accept some travel-sized items for our homeless women’s shelter but prefer full-sized items that are more eco-friendly and can be used by a family.
Shop our Personal Care/Hygiene wish list here!
- Shampoo – sulfate-free, paraben-free
- Leave-in conditioners and moisturizers
- Body wash & bar soap
- Body lotion
- Combs and brushes
- Women’s and men’s deodorant
- Combing and curl cremes
- Scalp and hair oils and butters
- Edge control gels and hair tools
- Satin-lined bonnets, headbands & pillowcases
- Razors & shaving gels/cremes
- Toothbrushes & toothpaste
- Personal care tools – nail clippers, tweezers
- Feminine hygiene products
- First aid kits and Band-Aids
Families come into our programs needing the most basic household items. We use your donations to furnish units and create a warm, welcoming space where families can thrive. We accept new and gently used items, but please no stains, tears, broken or non-working items.
Shop our Kitchen and Household wish list here!
- Twin/full sheet sets, bedspreads, comforters & blankets
- Towels – bath & kitchen
- Flatware
- Mugs, glasses, dishes & bowls
- Can openers & kitchen utensils
- Pots, pans & baking sheets
- Small appliances – microwaves, toasters & coffee pots
- Lamps, small trashcans & laundry baskets
- Cutting boards & mixing bowls
It takes a lot of paper products, cleaning supplies, and tools to keep a home clean. You can help our families by filling a laundry basket or storage bin with items to help keep their units tidy and comfortable. For cleaning supplies, we ask for new or almost new items.
Shop our Cleaning and Paper Products wish list here!
- Toilet paper
- Paper towels
- Laundry detergent, laundry baskets & clothes drying racks
- Dish soap & hand soap
- Sponges, gloves & cleaning cloths
- Mops, brooms, dustpans & buckets
- Kitchen and bath trashcans & garbage bags
- Cleaning products – disinfectants, window, bleach
- Toilet brush & plunger
- Small vacuums
YWCA Central Area Food Bank provides weekly bags of food to 325+ food-insecure households in Central & South Seattle, and the need continues to grow. Every Wednesday, 80+ volunteers pack and distribute over 6,000 lbs. of food. Much of our food comes from institutional and government donors like Food Lifeline, NW Harvest, and the USDA. We also rely heavily on our community for assistance – for both food and volunteers.
Please, no expired foods, opened containers, or glass jars.
Link to our food needs here!
- $25 and $50 gift cards to Safeway, Kroger/Fred Meyer, or Grocery Outlet
- Canned soup, stew & chili
- White rice
- Tuna and canned chicken
- Top ramen, pasta & canned pasta sauce
- Crackers & kid-friendly snacks
- Peanut butter, jelly, syrup & honey
- Condiments – ketchup, mayo & mustard
- Cooking oil
- Soy sauce
- Salt & pepper sets
- Sugar
- Seasonings, spices and herbs
- Ground, caffeinated coffee
- Can openers & pop-top foods for unhoused clients
YWCA provides after-school and summer programs for children in our emergency shelters as well as Passage Point, our supportive housing program for post-incarcerated individuals re-unifying with their children. We also offer Parent Child+, which is an educational home-visiting program for families with very young children. We are hoping to create memorable, interactive events for these children and increase access to opportunities they might otherwise not be able to participate in or experience.
Please, no baseball bats or play weapons.
Shop our Children’s Program wish list here!
- Tickets/entrance to events, museums, attractions & activities
- Arts & crafts kits/supplies
- Sports balls & small sports equipment
- Water fun – swimwear, beach towels & toys, sunscreen
- Movie tickets & gift cards
- Outdoor games
- Bike locks & new helmets
YWCA celebrates each Spring with goodie-filled bags/baskets for children and Mother’s Day tote bags filled with full-sized personal care products for women in our programs.
Shop our Spring Goodie Bag/Basket wish list here!
- Reusable bag or bucket
- Chocolate bunny
- Few pieces of candy
- Small toys or stuffed animal
- Art supplies – crayons or markers, coloring/activity books
- Learning games
Shop our Mother’s Day tote bag wish list here!
- Reusable tote bag
- Shampoo & conditioner
- Lotion
- Body wash/bar soap
- Deodorant, razor & shave gel
- Comb or brush
- Beauty products – eye mask, lip balm, hair bands
- Beauty tool – nail clippers or nail file
- Journal & pen
When school is out, the kids in our programs are looking for things to do. Please consider donating the following types of items to help keep kids busy and engaged this summer:
Shop our Children’s Program wish list here!
- $25 gas gift cards – For families to go and enjoy the outdoors
- Sports balls & equipment – Basketballs, footballs, baseballs, volley, soccer & tennis balls (Please NO baseball bats).
- Arts & craft kits/supplies
- Tickets or passes to games, events & attractions
- Water fun – Sunscreen, beach balls, beach towels & sand toys
As summer ends, families frantically shop for backpacks, school supplies, and new clothing as their students prepare to return to school. For families living in our YWCA emergency shelters, the needs are the same but getting these items is much more difficult.
YWCA is collecting donations and Fred Meyer/Kroger, Walmart, or Target gift cards to support the elementary, middle, and high school students in our programs across King and Snohomish counties.
And the need isn’t just in September —families move into emergency housing and out to more permanent supportive housing throughout the year, which means the start at a new school for some students is after school officially begins.
Shop our Back-to-School wish list here!
- $100 gift cards - to Target, Walmart & Fred Meyer/Kroger so that kids can pick out exactly the backpack they want and the supplies they need.
- Backpacks - 15" - 17" sizes
- Pencil pouch
- Pink Pearl erasers
- Glue sticks
- Pencil sharpeners
- 12-pack #2 pencils
- 24-pack crayons
- 12-pack colored pencils
- Rulers
- Wide-ruled spiral notebooks
- 5" blunt (kid) scissors
- Lined paper 3-hole punch
- Pocket folders
- Dry erase markers
- Sharpie permanent markers
To celebrate Thanksgiving and the Winter holidays, YWCA provides families in our Emergency Shelters grocery gift cards so families can celebrate with their own traditional dishes and foods they love, and store gift cards for each child, letting families experience the joy of choosing special gifts for their children.
When you host a drive for gift cards, we ask donors to write the amount of the gift card on the physical card itself. We can also provide you with physical or electronic gift card donation forms for individuals to fill out when they drop off their gift card donations to you.
Thanksgiving and Holiday gift cards
- Target gift cards - from $25 to $150
- Walmart gift cards - from $25 to $150
- Safeway/Albertson’s gift cards - from $25 to $150
- Fred Meyer/Kroger gift cards - from $25 to $150
Winters are especially cold and damp in our area when you can’t afford the right kind of outerwear. We especially need women’s items for our Angeline’s Day Shelter for Women but can also use men’s and children’s items for families in our programs.
Gently used items with no rips or stains are welcome.
Shop our Winter Warmth wish list here!
- Women’s, men’s & kid’s winter coats
- Adult & kid’s gloves
- Women’s, men’s & kid’s warm socks
- Adult & kid’s winter hats
- Scarves
- Hand & toe warmers
- Warm polar fleece or emergency blankets
- Boots & winter weather shoes
- Lotion, lip balms & tissue packs
- Weather-resistant tote & cinch bags
VOLUNTEER SERVICES DOCUMENTS
GROUP PROJECTS
To register your group for a project, please contact us at 206.338.9824 or tnixon@ywcaworks.org.
Work together to create a more beautiful, comfortable space for residents at Pathways for Women and Trinity Place Apartments. Depending on the season, tasks may include weeding, gardening, painting, or general cleaning. Weekdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., for groups of three or more.
Facilitate a fun family art project for Pathways residents and their children. Volunteers design the project, provide the supplies, and coordinate with Pathways staff to select a time and date. Weekdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., for groups of up to five.
Help keep the Pathways donations room looking cheerful by tidying, organizing, and updating our stock arrangement. Weekdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., for groups of up to five.
Provide warm meals to different programs in need. Opportunities every weekday for breakfast and lunch, as well as brunch on Saturdays only. Party Hosts are also part of the meal program, hosting specific fun events like ice cream parties, picnics, BBQ's etc.
Work in a recently vacated unit to clean, stock, and beautify it for the next family moving in. We provide all cleaning supplies and stocking needs, you provide some decorative items and nonperishable food. Saturdays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., for groups of five to 10.
Work in one of several sites to organize donations such as linens or dishes, unpack boxes, stock shelves, and take inventory. This weekly opportunity can be done regularly by the same group. Weekdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., for groups of four to 10.
Groups choose items they'd like to collect (food, diapers, hygiene products, etc.), and set the dates and location of where and when they'd like to host the drive. Popular host sites include neighborhoods, or churches they are associated with. We are happy to come out to meet everyone and talk more about our programs.
Groups come up with, or work with an existing program to develop, plan, supply needs, and execute an event. In the past we have had groups do: Halloween Parties, self-defense classes, budget workshops, craft classes, Mother’s Day spa days, and many more. Groups up to five.
Groups come in for specific large maintenance tasks, on the books right now we have gardening needs, mural painting, building furniture, painting, and landscaping. Weekdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., groups of up to 30.
