The Process for Becoming a Volunteer at 826michigan

1. To volunteer at 826michigan, you must first fill out an application. The application can be submitted online, downloaded and printed and sent in, or filled out in person at our storefront, the Liberty Street Robot Supply & Repair. There's a link to the application, but we'll get to it in a minute. First things first: we are here to explain to you all the steps to become a volunteer.

2. Our staff will review your application and run a background check. If everything checks out and we have volunteer openings, we'll contact you.

3. At this time, the time where we contact you, we'll invite you to a Volunteer Information Session. You will be cordially and enthusiastically asked to attend this monthly -- sometimes multi-monthly -- meeting. At this session, we'll go over where we came from, all of our programs, and how you can help. Do you have questions? We'll answer those, too.

3a. In the event that you can't attend a session, we'll will set up an informational meeting that works better with your schedule. Generally, we do these in smaller groups of new volunteers at a time that works for everyone.

4. We'll add you to our volunteer database. This means that you'll get two emails a month that will tell you every little thing going on at 826michigan and how you can be involved. Congrats! You're now an 826michigan volunteer!

Click here to fill out our online volunteer application.

Or, click here to download a printable volunteer application.

Please note that we require all volunteers to be high-school graduates!

How You Can Help

Tutor: We offer tutoring throughout the school year, Monday through Thursday from 3:30 to 5:30. We train our tutors (through a program that Eastern Michigan has helped create), so there is no experience required. Any time you can give, from one hour a month to three hours a day, will directly improve a student's life. And you will be directly responsible for said improvement. Good for you!

Workshop Leader: Got an idea for a great workshop? Contact us and we'll help you set it up, fill the attendance sheet, and make everything work. Everyone loves a teacher!

Workshop Helper: Help make a good workshop great! Helpers help (get it?) with every part of a workshop, including working one-on-one or with small groups of students.

In-Schools Projects: Assist teachers where they need it most: in their classrooms! In-schools projects vary from teaching to editing to providing back-up. If students can't get to us, we'll come to them!

Store Staff: Store helpers are our face to the world, and get to see everything that goes on at 826. It is also one of the only volunteer opportunities that involves reading a book or doing homework.

Intern: Straight-up volunteering just not enough of a time commitment? Looking to move in? Apply for an internship. Interns do all sorts of things. All John (a former 826 Valencia intern) will say is that they do "everything. They do, like, everything." Then he started saying something about blood in a giant monster. Now he's saying something about how if people are into something, like art or writing, then we can steer that intern in that direction. Whatever. If you've got 15-20 hours a week to hang out here, apply.

Volunteer Coordinator: Help us keep in touch with our greatest asset — you! Well, other people too, but they will be people like you. And we need that.

Fundraising: Have experience as a grant writer? We need you. Want to help plan and organize fundraising events? We need you. Have connections to people like the Rockefeller Family? Oh yes, we need you.

Field trips: Have time open during the day? We need volunteers to help conduct field trips to 826. Anyone with writing, drawing, copyediting, book layout, or publishing experience or interest who can help would be greeted with much rejoicing, and possibly a flower necklace.

We also need skilled individuals willing to help us out with smaller projects.

Carpenters and painters are needed to help us make our space unique. We want your ideas.

Maintenance and housekeeping duties are available for anyone who loves us just that much.

 
Tell The World!

For anyone who loves 826michigan and wants to support what we do here: Be an 826 advocate! Tell your friends, their friends, and everyone on your Facebook/MySpace/Friendster accounts. Know someone whose kids are spending all summer playing video games? Encourage them to try out their creativity here! Have a younger sister looking for something to do between semesters at school? Tell her to tutor, volunteer, or intern for 826! Is someone giving away a perfectly good chalkboard/desk/couch/hammock? Send them our way.

You’ve always wanted to be an ambassador, right? Well, of course you have. Who hasn’t? So do it, then. All it takes is a little enthusiasm and a little charm. To be an ambassador, you simply need to tell others about our fine organization and let them know how they can get involved and have a lot of fun. Show them the 826michigan website. Tell them about tutoring and how bright and funny the students are, and how they benefit from one-on-one interaction. We know you can do it. You’re a superstar, Ambassador. (This message is approved by Ambassador Gleason, giraffecat.)

826 is here for the entire Southeast Michigan community. Not just Ann Arbor, but all over, from Detroit on out. We want everyone to know who we are. So if you like us, you can help us by making sure everyone you know knows about us. And you do like us, don’t you?