Community Thread

Mission:  Our mission is to promote, support and encourage volunteerism to serve the needs of the community. Through direct and indirect services we impact issues of poverty, volunteer management, and senior involvement and isolation. We sustain volunteerism by connecting people and enriching lives.

Programs and Services:  The Volunteer Center serves individuals and organizations in Washington County, MN and Pierce, Polk and St. Croix Counties, WI. We have four main functions:
Connecting People: We work hard to connect people who want to give of their time to volunteer opportunities that fit their skills and needs. Potential volunteers can access over 500 volunteer opportunities through our online database, 1-800-Volunteer.org. We also work personally with individuals and groups to find opportunities that fit their schedules.
Building Capacity:  We have nearly 50 partner nonprofit organizations that post opportunities with us and come to us with specific volunteer needs. We offer a number of services to these organizations and their volunteer managers, including training and networking opportunities. We seek to give nonprofit organizations all the volunteer management resources they need, so that volunteers find their experiences worthwhile!
Promoting Volunteerism:  Our hope is that, in our service area, everyone who would like to volunteer is able to find a suitable opportunity, and every organization that needs volunteers is able to meet that need. We promote volunteerism through outreach events, newspaper announcements and other activities so that people will understand and appreciate the impact of volunteerism, and consider giving back themselves.
Service Initiatives:  Annual service initiatives are a fun way to get involved in the community with friends, family or work groups. Our current initiatives include the Spring Into Service Event in May, Rake a Difference Day in October, and the Holiday Bureau program in December. These events help to meet seasonal needs in our community and are a great way for new or busy volunteers to get involved.