Volunteer
Share Your Time and Talents with Treehouse
Volunteers are a critical part of how Treehouse supports youth in foster care. We welcome groups, individuals, and families to join us.
Treehouse’s commitment to diversity and equity is central to our work with youth in foster care, and our volunteers are our partners in this work. Treehouse serves youth and caregivers of many races and ethnicities, sexual orientations, gender identities, abilities, and religious beliefs. We seek volunteers who reflects that diversity. We know that everyone is at a different place in their learning about dismantling racism and other forms of oppression, but our expectation is that Treehouse volunteers bring a personal commitment to continued learning and action on these fronts.
Want to join us? Please view our volunteer opportunities below. We look forward to working with you.
One-Time / Short-Term Volunteers
Groups
Treehouse welcomes groups of volunteers year-round. The primary way we utilize groups is in our free store for youth in foster care, which is located in South Seattle. Groups work together on projects like sorting and processing incoming donations, putting tags on clothing, and preparing the store for shopping days. It is a great way to do some teambuilding, and we make sure everyone learns about Treehouse and has a chance to go on a tour of the store during their time with us.
Group Size: We are able to accommodate groups of 5-15 people per shift.
Minimum Age: 6
Youth must volunteer with adults. Our youth to adult ratio is 4:1, and adults are included in the headcount.
How to Register: It is easy to view our open shifts and request a reservation for your group online.
Step 1. Click here to go to our volunteer site.
Step 2. Filter for “Wearhouse…Group Shifts”*
Step 3. Any shift with one spot open is available to be requested by a group leader. Click the Sign-Up button.
Once you request a shift, a Treehouse representative will contact you to get your group’s information. We will provide you with confirmation details and a registration link to share with your group members.
Each volunteer must register separately at least 48-hours in advance of your shift. Volunteers who have not registered will be turned away.
*Occasionally we will have other group projects, which can be found by filtering for “Group Special Events”
Events & Seasonal Support
We have a wide variety of volunteer opportunities throughout the year that allow individuals to help us with events or during our peak seasons (back-to-school and the holidays).
Current Opportunities:
- Back-to-School Helpers in The Wearhouse through the end of September
How to Register: It is easy to view our open shifts and sign-up online.
Step 1. Click here to go to our volunteer site.
Step 2. Filter for “Special Events” or “Wearhouse…Seasonal Store Support”
Step 3. Please be sure to read through the event details, and note any age requirements. Click the Sign-Up button.
Each volunteer must register separately. Volunteers who have not registered will be turned away.
Skills-Based Volunteers & Job Shadow Hosts
About Skills-Based Volunteers
Individuals or groups of professionals can help move our work forward by providing services such as consulting, pro bono support, translation, trainings, grant writing, graphic design, tech support, retail merchandising consulting, and more. We keep an eye out for upcoming needs that might make a good skills-based project for volunteers. This a great way to engage volunteers in a capacity that fully leverages their expertise. Our process is to identify projects, and then match them with people from our pool of skills-based volunteers. If we have a project that looks like it is will be a good fit for you, we will reach out with project details to see if it is something you would like to work with us on.
About Job Shadow Hosts
One of the ways volunteers support youth in our Graduation Success program is by serving as Job Shadow Hosts. When youth express an interest in a specific career, we can help connect them with a volunteer in that field who is willing to host them for a job shadow experience. The student and their Treehouse Education Specialist will spend 2—3 hours at your workplace to learn more about what you do and what your career path looked like. The job shadow program is currently limited to King County, but we would love to start growing our list of prospective volunteers in Pierce, Spokane, and Snohomish Counties, as well.
How to Register: Click here to complete our Skills-Based Volunteers & Job Shadow Host Form
High School Students
Our Service Projects for High School Students bring students from different schools together to volunteer and help youth in foster care. Volunteers sort donations and prepare merchandise to go into The Wearhouse, Treehouse’s free store for youth in foster care. Our high school shifts allow youth to volunteer without an adult.
Minimum Age: Youth must be a current high school student (during summer months rising 9th graders are welcome to participate).
Frequency: We try to offer two shifts per month.
How to Register: Click here to view upcoming shifts and register online.
All spots are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Each volunteer must register separately. Volunteers who have not registered or do not bring their signed Parent/Guardian Authorization Forms will be turned away.
Families & Friends Events
This event series is designed with small families and groups in mind. If you don’t have the five people required to reserve a group shift in The Wearhouse, this is the opportunity for you. These shifts allow several families and/or small groups to share a group shift to come volunteer with us in The Wearhouse. (Individuals can sign-up, too.) Volunteers contribute by processing incoming donations, preparing merchandise to go into the store, and getting the store ready for shopping days.
Minimum Age: 6
Youth under 16 must volunteer with an adult.
Frequency: We try to offer an event every other month.
How to Register: Click here to view upcoming shifts and register online.
All spots are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Each volunteer must register separately. Volunteers who have not registered will be turned away.
Ongoing Volunteers
Volunteer Roles
Ambassador Program
Ambassadors help build a network of support through educating the community about foster care and Treehouse. Ambassadors represent Treehouse at community events, give presentations about our work, and engage their personal network in fundraising activities, community outreach, volunteerism, and events.
We are preparing to launch pilot programs in Pierce, Snonomish, and Spokane Counties. In King County, our Young Professionals Board fulfills this role for us (see info below). We are looking for a minimum commitment of one-year, and approximately 20 hours in total.
Front Desk
Front Desk Volunteers are vital to our office operations in Seattle! As the face of our organization, front desk volunteers make a positive first impression with clients, donors, and other guests visiting the office. In addition to answering incoming phone calls, our front desk volunteers provide administrative support for our programs. This position is ideal for a volunteer with excellent phone etiquette, great customer service skills, and basic knowledge of Microsoft Office and Outlook.
We ask volunteers to commit to a weekly four-hour shift for a minimum of three months. The morning shift runs from 9am-1pm and the afternoon shift runs from 1pm-5pm, Mondays through Fridays.
Graduation Success Volunteer Tutor
Our Graduation Success program matches volunteers to work one-on-one with middle and high school students by providing academic support in the area they need it most. Students request volunteers to help with tutoring, homework help, credit recovery support, senior project help, and more.
Volunteers must be 18 or older. Meetings take place across King County in coffee shops, libraries, and community centers.
Most volunteers and students meet once a week for one-hour between 2:30-5:30pm. We ask volunteers to commit to regular meetings with the youth through the end of the school year in which they are matched.
Holiday Magic Volunteers
Holiday Magic is a seasonal program that provides youth in foster care across the state of Washington with at least one meaningful present during the holiday season. This department operates at a full sprint from October through January, and we believe there is a great opportunity for program improvements by inviting some volunteers to help our small team this year. This role is best suited for volunteers with top-notch customer service skills and who feel comfortable working with Excel spreadsheets. Volunteers will transcribe new voicemail messages, call caregivers to confirm we have accurate shipping information and provide them with tracking numbers, answer general questions about how to submit requests, call to make sure gifts have arrived and conduct surveys for program evaluation, and more.
Wearhouse Store Assistant
Help us give over 2,000 youth a year a great experience in our free store!
Our Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday volunteers help while the store is open to clients. Their work frequently include helping shoppers in finding items, running the checkout area, maintaining store displays and restocking items.
On Wednesdays and Fridays, volunteers are focused on maintaining organization in both our store and back stock inventory. Projects include creating and restocking displays in the retail space, putting incoming items away in back stock, and helping with seasonal projects.
We ask that volunteers commit to a minimum of three months if coming on a weekly or biweekly basis, and six months if scheduling a monthly shift. Shifts are typically 2-4 hours long, within the hours listed:
- Tuesdays from 10am-4pm
- Wednesdays from 1pm-7pm
- Thursdays from 10am-4pm
- Fridays from 10am-1pm
- Saturdays from 10am-2pm
Young Professionals Board (YPB)
The Young Professionals Board is comprised of a select group of emerging leaders representing a diverse range of professions and affiliations. Our mission is to build a culture of philanthropy as ambassadors for Treehouse. The YPB carries out its mission by focusing on three pillars: Community Engagement, Ongoing Education, and Marketing and Advocacy.
YPB members are elected to a two-year term, and the average commitment is 4-6 hours per month.
The Onboarding Process
1. Apply: As a prospective ongoing volunteer, your first step is to CLICK HERE to complete our online interest form.
2. Standby: We will review applications on a weekly basis and a Treehouse representative will contact you to let you know the status of your application and next steps. Your interest form will remain active for six months. If we have an open position that looks like it is a good match for you, we will send you the details for our upcoming Volunteer Orientations.
3. Activate: Attend an orientation, pass a national background check, and get started!
