Ready to Volunteer?
Syracuse Habitat for Humanity utilizes Civic Champs for our Volunteer Scheduling. Click the button below to see our Volunteer Calendar and create your Civic Champs account. Creating an account will also add you to our mailing list to receive updates when we have new individual volunteer opportunities available.
For more information on volunteering, please contact Bill at 315-422-2230 or bill@syracusehabitat.org
Volunteer Opportunities
Syracuse Habitat for Humanity has so many ways you can volunteer and help support our work and mission. Click the options below to explore each opportunity:
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PLEASE NOTE: All of these positions are unpaid, unless otherwise stated. Check out our opportunities below and decide what is best for you
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Build Site
Habitat for Humanity is best known for enlisting the help of skilled and unskilled volunteers to build our houses. Syracuse Habitat for Humanity build site volunteers report feeling a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day. There are many different activities that volunteers can do on build sites, including painting, installing windows, and framing. Here are a few things to consider when thinking about volunteering at a build site:
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Our work week runs from Wednesday to Saturday, 9am-4pm.
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Volunteers must be at least 16 years old to work on site.
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All volunteers are expected to follow all rules and guidelines as set by Syracuse Habitat staff while on site.
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On the day you are volunteering, wear weather appropriate clothes and close toed shoes.
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ReStore
The ReStore is our retail space where people donate new or used building materials, fixtures, appliances, tools, and other architectural pieces and we resell them at a discounted price. The ReStore is open to the general public. We are always looking for volunteers to help is in the store.
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Opportunities include:
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Organizing inventory
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Preparing new materials for display
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Customer assistance
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Office Work
It’s more than just swinging hammers here at Syracuse Habitat for Humanity. It takes a lot of work behind the scenes to make sure every house goes up, and a dedicated office staff to make it happen. So if you’re looking for volunteer opportunities beyond the build site, or want to stay involved between builds, consider helping out in the Syracuse Habitat office.
Office Helper:
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Answer incoming calls and route them to the appropriate personnel.
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Answer questions regarding Syracuse Habitat for Humanity and its mission.
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Data entry, filing and various office tasks.
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Writing thank you letters and processing donations.
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Assisting with special projects in the office.
Mailing Helper:​
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Volunteers are needed to fold, stuff, address, and prepare our newsletter and other mailings. Sometimes we can provide packages of materials for you to pick up, assemble and return to our office.
If you are interesting in helping out, let us know! Send us an email at adminassist@syracusehabitat.org or look at current shifts on your VolunteerUp page.
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Special Events
Syracuse Habitat for Humanity hosts, or takes part in several Special Events throughout the year, and are always looking for people to help out. Some of the Special Events we host include our Bowl-A-Thon, Brews for Builds,
Women Build events, and our Annual Summer Picnic! We also man information tables at local events, including the Home and Garden Show, Veterans Day Expo, Volunteer Fairs, and the Parade of Homes.
Volunteer needs vary by event so if you are interested in being notified of
upcoming events, make sure that you have registered as a volunteer to be
included on our e-blasts.
You may also contact Lisa Palleschi at adminassist@syracusehabitat.org to
inquire about upcoming opportunities.
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Committees
Syracuse Habitat has an incredibly small staff and relies on volunteers to serve on committees to make things happen behind the scenes.
Family Selection and Support Committee
Members meet monthly to either review homeowner applicants or act as a support partner for homeowner applicants. Responsibilities include conducting qualification and verification checks of the homeowner applications, interviewing applicants, and recommending potential homeowners.
As a support partner, responsibilities also include assisting approved applicants with they sweat equity hours, helping plan homeowner celebrations (home-blessing ceremonies, etc.), and being a resource and guidance on home-ownership readiness. Committee meetings have been put on hold during COVID-19. If you are interested in being a part of this committee, please email Lisa Palleschi at adminassist@syracusehabitat.org. You will receive a notification once meetings resume.
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A Few Things to Keep in Mind
Be Patient.
Our volunteers are our most important asset. But there are lots of you and very few of us. If you email us with a question or to change a volunteer date it may take us a bit to get back with you. So please be persistent, check in regularly, but please be kind. If it’s urgent give us a call in addition to emailing.
Be flexible.
Construction is unpredictable, and volunteer based construction can be even more unpredictable. So we ask for your understanding. Our staff is good, but it is nearly impossible to say exactly what you will be doing on site until that morning, and even then it may change. We can’t always count on materials arriving on time, we can’t control the weather, and can’t change the speed of a crew or how long it takes to get permits. The build site is full of unknowns that affect our progress and all we can do is ask for your flexibility.
Be understanding.
Things change every day and every hour, and sometimes every minute. The work we do is contingent on the weather, how many volunteers we have, and whether or not we have the materials and tools we need. So if things aren’t moving as you think they should please understand that we are doing our best. Also keep in mind that everyone has their good and bad days: you, us, fellow volunteers. So please remember and respect this.