Volunteer Opportunities
Volunteering and Interning at Vermont 2-1-1
Volunteers and Interns support Vermont 2-1-1 in a variety of ways from direct service on phones in the call center to resource support. Individuals with good phone manners, strong computer skills and knowledge of Vermont’s health and human services are encouraged to apply for one or more of the following positions.
An initial three-hour orientation will be provided for all volunteers as well as ongoing support and training.
Emergency and Disaster-Related Volunteer (On-Call)
Individuals who like to be called upon when needed are a good match for this position. Volunteers may or may not be given 24-hour notice prior to a shift and should be prepared to volunteer in the event of a local and/or statewide emergency. Emergency and Disaster-Related Volunteers are activated to respond to high call volumes. Some examples of disasters in which a volunteer may serve include natural disasters such as extreme flooding, ice storms, and blizzards, but also man-made disasters.
Call Center Volunteer (8:00am to 4:30pm)
Individuals looking for a regular volunteer schedule at the 2-1-1 call center may like this volunteer opportunity to support call specialists by taking messages and completing calls when appropriate. At a minimum, volunteers must complete 1 shift per month. However; many regular volunteers like to sign up for 1-2 shifts per week (approximately 2 hours per shift).
Housing Volunteer (4:30pm-8:00pm)
People with a strong desire to help Vermonters who are homeless will want to volunteer as a Housing Volunteer. Vermont 2-1-1 administers the State of Vermont’s After-Hours Emergency Housing program and volunteers are always needed in the evenings to support our Housing Specialists. Housing Volunteers help by answering the phones, taking messages, completing calls and gathering preliminary information from callers with emergency housing requests. As emergency housing calls are considered “crisis” calls, a calm demeanor is necessary and experience with Vermont’s housing service providers is a plus.
Resource Volunteer (flexible hours)
The Vermont 2-1-1 Database requires constant updating. Individuals with great attention to detail who enjoy making connections with people and information are an excellent fit. Resource Volunteers spend time on various tasks to update information, and may also participate in a variety of 2-1-1 outreach/tabling opportunities. Resource Volunteers can schedule their time and/or may be time-limited based on a particular project.
Service Learning Intern (flexible hours)
Intern(s) should be of at least junior or senior standing in a Vermont institution of higher learning, have reliable transportation, an interest in emergency preparedness, response and recovery; health and human services; or social work. Interested individuals should value community collaboration, and have pleasant phone manners, as well as good record keeping and computer skills.