Open Doors for Refugees is an all-volunteer organization. Every person that steps up to help is doing a large part!
Please email volunteers@odfr.org if you’re interested in volunteering!
Current Volunteer Needs
Donation Pick Ups
The Donations Team is in need of people to help with donation pick ups. These typically occur twice a month, though some pick ups are skipped if our warehouses are full. Pick ups occur every second Tuesday morning and every fourth Wednesday evening. In winter, pick ups are in the mornings to avoid icy and dark conditions. Pick ups are done by small teams recruited from our pool of volunteers and usually require about 2-4 hours of time. Volunteers should expect to help carry heavier items such as sofas, loveseats, dressers, coffee tables, nightstands, etc. After picking up donations at each donor\'s home, volunteers will bring the furniture and household items to one of our warehouses to store until we set up our next apartment. These pick ups enable us to furnish apartments for our newly arrived refugee neighbors!
Translation
The Translation Team is seeking Arabic, Pashto, Dari, and/or Swahili speakers to translate short documents a few times per month. There is also occasional interpretation needed in person or on Zoom. The time required for this is 1-2 hours/week with flexibility to fit your schedule.
Family Events
Skill Building
Our Skill Building team is looking for a handful of committed volunteers who would like to help administer mini-grants to refugees pursuing skill enhancement activities in a broad range of areas. The grants may include requests for driving lessons, English classes, equipment for small businesses, GED tests, college coursework, etc. Applicants may also request funds to cover transportation or child care expenses in order to attend courses or enroll in a program. Grant awards pay up to 75% of funds requested, or up to a maximum of $3,000 as long as funds last. We are looking for volunteers to work one-on-one with applicants to support these goals when it is helpful and desired. Volunteers will also help to review applications and discuss adjustments to the program as needed. Volunteers that speak Arabic, Pashto, Dari, and/or Swahili are especially desired.
Community Events
Content Creators
Pick Up Trucks
If you own a truck and/or trailer and are interested in volunteering, we are looking for people to assist in the pick up and delivery of items such as bicycles. For more information, please email volunteers@odfr.org!
Child Care Team
We are seeking one or two individuals to provide child care for children of the women participating in a refugee support group on Thursdays from 10-12pm on the north side of Madison.
Social Media Coordinator
Grant/Fundraising Team
We are seeking a few volunteers to join this newly formed team to seek out grants, prepare and write grant applications, and develop and implement a fundraising strategy. Experience in non-profit grant writing and fundraising is a plus, but not a requirement. This would require availability to meet virtually with other members of the team on a regular basis.
Move-ins
Our move-in team is seeking individuals with weekday morning and afternoon availability who own trucks or who are comfortable doing heavy lifting (couches, dressers, etc.).
Get in Touch
Open Doors for Refugees is an all-volunteer organization, and we exist entirely on the strengths and efforts of our volunteers.
To get involved, please either use the form on this page or contact our volunteer coordinator at volunteers@odfr.org, and indicate within your email which team(s) you are interested in.
Our volunteer coordinator will then connect you with the appropriate team leaders and, if necessary, start a background check for you. If you have a particular skill set that you believe would be of benefit to Open Doors for Refugees, please indicate that within your message as well.
We are always happy to try and find creative ways to leverage the unique skills of our volunteers!
Background Checks
To maintain the safety and security of the populations we work with, all volunteers who are 18 or older and will have direct contact with refugees or sensitive information must complete a background check. We contract with Sterling Volunteers, a secure online agency, to perform all background checks. More information about Sterling Volunteers can be found on their website: www.sterlingvolunteers.com. Individuals involved in the transportation team are required to undergo an additional driving record check, which is done in conjunction with the background check.
Other Ways You Can Help
Please email OpenDoorsForRefugees@gmail.com if you think you can help in any of the following ways!
(or if you have any questions)
Employ Refugees
Greatest need: Entry level positions for persons with limited English proficiency.
Partner With Us
If you or your group or organization would like to discuss a joint project or event, we would too.
Provide Housing
If you own rental properies, we’d be happy to start a conversation.
Legal Assistance
Do you represent a law firm that would like to work pro-bono for refugees in need of legal assistance?
Advocate
One of the best ways to help Open Doors for Refugees is by advocating for refugees and their rights. You may read Open Doors’ response to President Trump’s executive order here.
Here are some great resources to learn about advocating for refugees the local, state, national, and international levels.
- Office of Refugee Resettlement: https://www.acf.hhs.gov/orr
- Refugee Admissions Program: https://www.state.gov/refugee-admissions/
- UN Refugee Agency: http://www.unhcr.org/en-us
- Welcoming Refugees: http://www.welcomingrefugees.org/
- Refugees International: https://www.refugeesinternational.org/
Thank you for your interest, support, and engagement. We hope that you find any involvement with Open Doors for Refugees to be a gratifying and enriching experience.