The Move Out Project is a monumental effort, and our volunteers are the central component to making it all happen. Whether it be picking up donations from student’s homes, sorting the donations back at our central facility, or helping out with special initiatives, our work would not be possible without the gracious help of our volunteers. See below for more information on the types of tasks we typically need help with and how you can get involved.
Drivers
The main role of the Driver is to pick up donations from students at various locations within the community. They will need to use their own vehicle. Most donations will be waiting for them on a porch or similar covered area, but they may be required to go into an apartment to help move a large or heavy object. Drivers will also help deliver items to organizations for donation once they have been sorted.
Main responsibilities:
- Getting to the pickup locations at their scheduled pickup time.
- Loading donations into their vehicle and transporting them to the dropoff location.
- Possibly lifting heavy objects.
- Possibly calling student donors, if donations are not ready for pickup or there are complications.
- Delivering items to organizations for donation once they have been sorted.
Volunteer time frame:
- Pick up appointments typically take place between 12-6pm every day throughout the duration of the project, which is typically a 10 day window. Drivers are only scheduled during their given hours of availability.
- Volunteers will be scheduled as much as they are willing and needed to do so.
Sorters
The Sorter’s main role is to sort the donations that drivers are bringing in from their pick up appointments. This takes place at our central facility. Items are sorted based on the category of donation (i.e. furniture or clothing) and then weighed and logged.
Main responsibilities:
- Receiving donations from drivers
- Sorting donations into appropriate piles (clothing, furniture, electronics, etc.)
- Tracking donations by weight and category
- Removal and disposal of unusable materials and waste
- Preparing items for delivery
Volunteer time frame:
- Flexible volunteer hours
- Could assume to sort late evening when most items have been picked up and dropped off. Could also sort on weekends.
- Volunteers will be scheduled as much as they are willing and needed to do so.
Other Involvement Opportunities
As a young organization we are constantly evolving and adding new layers to make our operation more effective and far-reaching. With this often comes a need for additional volunteers. Below are some of the ways you can help out outside of our traditional volunteer roles, though, rest assured, many more will pop up along the way!
- Help divert waste from on-campus students by staffing one of our collection tents on campus during a designated move out day. This is a great opportunity for volunteers who have limited schedules and who would like to interact with more of our student donors.
- As we approach the start of our active project cycle each Spring we rely heavily on our network to get the word out to students who may want to donate, community members who may want to volunteer, and organizations who may want to receive some of the donations. Please consider sharing on social media, sending a message to your network, or hanging up a few flyers for us in your place of work and other places that you frequent.
- We don’t have any internship opportunities for Spring 2024, but check back with us in the future!