United Way volunteers are essential to the services and programs we provide to our communities through our funding programs. Thousands of hours are volunteered each year to support our work.

Volunteers are ordinary, caring people of all ages who donate their most valuable gifts –time, experience and skills. Their contributions augment our limited administrative resources. They bring fresh, creative ideas about how to best serve our communities. In return they learn employable skills, enjoy great experiences, make new friends, and learn more about their communities. If you want to be one of these people, we’d love to hear from you.

Be a United Way volunteer. Here’s how:

Be a Student / Youth Volunteer

In Ontario, the Ministry of Education requires 40 hours of community service for high school graduation. We may be able to help you meet this requirement. Depending on operational needs, we engage students in a variety of administrative and fund-raising event tasks, usually on weekends when we schedule most of our events. Help at a 24-hour ball marathon or night-time golf tournament where players use glow balls. If you’re a trivia buff, enter a team in our annual Trivia Challenge. Call us today to see what opportunities are available. All we require is your parent’s written permission to participate, and their willingness to provide transportation to and from the event.

If you’re a young person between the ages of 18 and 35 years, have a bit of time on your hands and are interested in creative activities, we’d like to talk to you. We can provide networking opportunities that might help you secure a job or obtain employable skills. We can provide focus for your passion about your community and a channel for your unique energy levels by providing opportunities for you to do something concrete that will help create real change.

Bring fresh ideas and perspectives to our decision-making process by participating on our Generation Next (GenNext) Cabinet. Click here to find out how!
 

Be a Community Fundraiser

Join a local Community Campaign Committee and help raise the funds necessary to support a range of health and social needs in your area. These committees are the back-bone of our fund-raising efforts. We’ve got a great range of events but are always looking for fun, innovative new ways to raise funds for people in need.

Active campaign committees are currently working hard in Pembroke-Petawawa, Deep River District and Arnprior & Area. Committees are forming in Renfrew & Area, Cobden/Eganville & Area, and Killaloe-Barry’s Bay & Area. But in all cases, we are looking for additional members. The more help we get, the more we can do for our communities.

No previous experience is necessary – just a love of community and a willingness to work towards improving the lives of people. The time commitment is minimal – you choose how much time you can devote and when. And if you’re planning your retirement and know you’ll have time on your hands, – let us be part of your future so that you can stay active and connected.
 

Be a Decision Maker

Renfrew County United Way is governed by a sixteen-member Board of Directors. These directors are people from various walks of life who care about their communities and want to bring about change. Membership on our Board is broadly based with county-wide representation. Our Board members come from various life experiences and bring a variety of skills to the decision-making table. They get involved in a number of important tasks related to finance, policy development, communications, fundraising, community relations and more.

From time to time, vacancies on the Board of Directors become available. If you are interested in representing your community area, please contact the Executive Director at [email protected].
 

Be a Workplace Campaign Volunteer

You’ve been thinking about volunteering in the community to help a local charity but you hesitate to commit because you have little time after work to attend meetings and participate in fundraising activities.

If this scenario sounds familiar, the United Way may have a solution. Why not consider getting involved in your workplace United Way campaign as a canvasser or by taking on the role as chair of the workplace campaign committee. Besides helping your community and getting to know fellow employees better, it could also be fun organizing awareness activities, such as dress-down days, breakfasts, marathons or bake sales. Such involvement is usually sanctioned by your employer, so you may be allowed to participate on company time. If not, then during lunch or coffee breaks.

If your workplace doesn’t have a United Way campaigns, talk to your employer. You may find him or her receptive, particularly if you and some of your colleagues offer to organize it. It’s easy, takes little time and we can help. Call us today and we’d be happy to tell you how.

Workplace giving is easy and convenient. Donors can contribute money on the spot or, for less than a dollar a day, you can pledge through payroll deduction over the period of a year. It would be like buying a coffee and a donut a day (which you probably do anyway), but with more rewards for your community. And remember, your donation is tax deductible, so it really doesn’t cost you as much as you may think.
 

Be a Bingo Volunteer

Renfrew County United Way is one of many charities that share in the proceeds generated at Pembroke’s Bingo County. We sponsor bingos every Tuesday evening, alternating each week at 5:15 PM or 8:15 PM. We provide a minimum of four volunteers at each bingo session to sell bingo cards. If you are eighteen years of age or over, have transportation and can add numbers and make change, like people and want the occasional night out, we’ve got the job for you. The funds we earn are put back into the community to address important health and social needs. Call us and we can schedule you in.
 

Be a Door-to-Door Canvasser

If you’re a resident of North Renfrew, the United Way could use your volunteer services to canvass for donations door-to-door. The annual canvass takes place during our Campaign Blitz period – usually during one month in the Fall. Door-to-door canvassing for the United Way is a community-sanctioned activity that has been strongly supported since the United Way began serving communities between Deux Rivieres and Chalk River in the 1950s. The Deep River District Campaign Committee organizes the initiative and assigns short routes (usually a street or part of a subdivision) to each volunteer. All supplies are provided, including route sheets containing addresses, receipt books, and brochures describing United Way-funded programs. Interested in helping? Call us.