I have felt a strong call to service all my life, but it can be hard to get out there and do something, especially on my own. Habitat for Humanity gave me the opportunity to serve in an organized community of volunteers, with positive results that I could see every day I participated. There’s so many ways to help. Picking up a hammer and building homes is the most direct and visible way to work with Habitat, but there’s an underlying infrastructure of support with a variety of opportunities. -Jesse Schoch, Volunteer Manager
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Habitat for Humanity of North Idaho is a volunteer-driven organization. We welcome people from all walks of life to join us as we build simple, decent, affordable houses in partnership with God and families in need. Though the vast majority has no construction experience or building skills, volunteers are involved in most phases of construction. By working side-by-side with the family who will live in the house, our volunteers experience for themselves the joy created when a family is able to realize their dream of home ownership.
The sense of hope, joy and pride felt by both partner families and volunteers is very much alive at the Habitat for Humanity. Our volunteers are crucial to the success of our mission and we are blessed to have the best volunteers in the world with which to work every day.
When most people think of volunteering with Habitat, they think of building homes. We’d like to expand that thought into the other areas of Habitat. It has been said that it takes 17 hours of volunteer effort behind the scenes to support one hour of construction on our job sites. If you have a few hours a week, or if you are looking for a regularly scheduled time to volunteer with us, please give us a call to explore all of our opportunities.
Habitat volunteers contribute more than muscle. Creativity, strategy and technical skills are among the many invaluable traits volunteers bring to our organization. With a minimal staff, the Habitat depends upon volunteer support with committees like Family Selection, Family Partner, Public Relations, Volunteer Coordination, Building, Finance, Site Selection and Fund Raising. Time commitments vary; some volunteers dedicate every day of the week and others spend just a few hours each month working on projects. You may choose to volunteer as little or as often as you would like by helping us build, serve on a committee or help with special projects. All volunteer positions directly or indirectly result in the construction of simple, decent homes.
The following items are the main categories of volunteer positions at Habitat for Humanity of North Idaho. When expressing interest in volunteering to us, telling us what specific areas interest you in particular will help us find the best place in our team for you.Resource Development
Habitat needs charitable financial support to build homes and keep things running. Help secure these funds by seeking out sources of donations and help writing grants.
Public Relations and Publicity
Help get the message out. Develop materials and presentations to trumpet our cause and raise awareness of our needs.
Church Partnership
Habitat for Humanity is a Christian ministry, and not surprisingly area churches play a crucial support role in our cause. You can serve as a liaison between Habitat and your own church to foster a mutually beneficial relationship.
Hospitality
Prepare and provide food our hard-working volunteers to keep them energized. Provide hospitality services at special events.
Habitat ReStore
The ReStore, provider of discount building supplies, is our biggest consistent fundraiser. The ReStore accepts donations of materials and appliances and sells them at a low price. Opportunities to help with inventory, sales, and warehouse duties are available. Gleaners, which are drivers and helpers that pick up donated items, are needed.
Office
Help keep us organized. Answer phones, provide information and referral, input data, and work on projects as needed.
Board of Directors
Serve on our governing board. Share your leadership, expertise, and vision.
Volunteer Coordination
Recruit and facilitate the work of our indispensable workers. Work with other boards to match upcoming needs with good candidates and contact them. Keep our information about our volunteers up to date. Become involved with the development of training and orientation materials and events. Capture feedback from volunteers to find ways to improve our volunteer program.
Family Selection
We can only build so many houses for our families, so our Family Selection board chooses the best candidates to become home recipients and partners in our cause. The board interviews, screens, and presents applications to the Board of Directors for approval.
Family Partnership
Family partners work with our homeowners-to-be to ensure they are meeting all requirements and getting any help they need.
Site Selection
The Site Selection board is instrumental in acquiring land for our homes. Members help find the most useful and economic locations for our future construction projects.
Construction
Come out to the construction site and learn as you work. Crew leaders and supervisors will share their knowledge and skills with you as you work together to build a Habitat home.
Our construction sessions take place on Saturday and Wednesday, from 9am to 3pm. New walk-on volunteers are encouraged to come in 15-30 minutes early to have the opportunity to fill out some paperwork and get acquainted with the build site.
Due to the inherent risk of construction work, volunteers must be at least 16 years of age to participate in most construction activities, and those under 18 are prohibited from doing tasks deemed ultra-hazardous.
Volunteer opportunities are available to individuals who need to complete court-ordered compensatory community service requirements. Please call the store manager at (208) 762-4352 to make arrangements prior to beginning your volunteer service for this purpose. Some restrictions may apply.