Volunteer
Make an impact by sharing your skills
Volunteer with Us
Hundreds of volunteers play a key role in the success of our entrepreneurs every year. Empowering entrepreneurs starts with community support. Volunteers have amazing talents to contribute to our organization, and we do our best to match volunteers to customized opportunities at Ventures. We occasionally have one-time or specialized volunteer opportunities, but our greatest need for volunteers are for Business Basics Course Coaches and Retail Store Volunteers.
If you’re interested in volunteering with Ventures, get started by:
- Reviewing our Volunteer Agreement.
- Completing our Online Volunteer Application.
- Following application instructions to schedule a phone interview.
Business Coach
Coaches work alongside small groups of entrepreneurs in our 8-week Business Basics Course. Coaches help students become more familiar with the business concepts they learn in class and guide them in applying those concepts to their specific businesses and situations.
Responsibilities
- Attend weekly classes that are held virtually via Zoom.
- Work one-on-one and in small groups of entrepreneurs to apply concepts and lessons to their businesses via Zoom Breakout Rooms.
- Participate in large group discussions and assist the instructor in explaining key business concepts as needed.
- Coaches are expected to attend at least six out of the eight sessions of the Business Basics Course. The Orientation that is held before the course begins is optional as well as the graduation.
Time Commitment
- Approximately 3 hours a week for six classes in an 8-week Business Basics Course.
- Class schedules vary quarterly, but classes are generally held weekday evenings.
Qualifications
- Experience starting or growing your own business or basic knowledge of at least two key areas of small business development: sales, marketing, finance, and operations.
- Passion for Ventures’ mission and belief in the abilities and potential of Ventures entrepreneurs.
- Must be able to suspend judgment and listen deeply.
- Patience and understanding of the many personal and systemic barriers to business-ownership that our business owners encounter.
Class Facilitator
The Ventures volunteer class facilitator role is a unique opportunity to use your facilitation skills, paired with a passion to empower entrepreneurs to build their business in the 8-week Business Basics Course. Specifically, facilitators help clients ask questions in class and use students’ comments from the Zoom Chatbox to create a collaborative and judgment-free learning space. We need a total of two coaches, one English-speaking and one Spanish-speaking, to fill the volunteer facilitator role.
Responsibilities
- Attend all eight classes.
- Articulate client questions and help them communicate with the instructor.
- Organize the Zoom Breakout Rooms by assigning volunteer coaches to clients.
Time Commitment
- Volunteer Orientation: Wednesday, June 24th from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. via Zoom
- English Business Basics Course: Thursdays from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. via Zoom, starting July 2 – August 20
- Spanish Business Basics Course: Wednesdays from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. via Zoom, starting July 1 – August 19
Qualifications
- Interest in and enthusiasm for Ventures’ mission to empower low-income entrepreneurs.
- Basic knowledge and/or experience that relates to entrepreneurship.
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills; ability to collaborate on projects and assignments.
- Must be able to suspend judgment and listen deeply.
- Must be patient and understanding of the many personal and systemic barriers to business ownership that our clients encounter.
To apply, please email volunteer@venturesnonprofit.org and submit your resume by Friday, June 19, 2020.
InnoVentures
InnoVentures is a unique program that provides a chance for Ventures business owners from the food, product, and service sectors to pitch an innovation that will increase efficiency and grow sales for their business to a team of judges. Contestants work with coaches to refine their ideas and a guest panel judges will score the pitches over a series of events to determine winners. Winners will earn prizes and resources to expand their enterprises. To apply for either position, email volunteer@venturesnonprofit.org to let us know that you are interested – we will begin recruiting for InnoVentures 2021 in late 2020.
Pitch Coach
The InnoVentures Pitch Coach is a unique opportunity to use coaching skills, paired with a passion to empower entrepreneurs to build their business. Specifically, coaches help contestants interpret and integrate the judges’ feedback into their pitches in a collaborative and judgment-free space for learning.
Pitch Interpreter
Volunteering as an InnoVentures Interpreter is an opportunity to use your Spanish-language skills to empower entrepreneurs on stage. You will be expected to attend each event and provide on-the-spot, simultaneous interpretation for business pitches.