Back in December, my New Year’s resolution was to get more involved in my community. Should be easy, I thought.
With over 600 nonprofit charitable organizations, Missoula is an exceptionally giving community. Each day, organizations attempt to fill vital volunteer positions. Meanwhile, many Missoulians like me don’t know where to begin in their volunteering endeavor.
But now there is an easy way to find—and communicate with—the right nonprofit for you with Volunteer Missoula, a website that matches volunteers with charitable organizations.
I learned about Volunteer Missoula when I visited my college advisor to find a volunteer opportunity. She assured me there were hundreds of volunteer opportunities in Missoula, but I couldn’t find them, and she could not point me to a single one.
Needless to say, I was baffled by how hard it was to do a good deed. Shouldn’t there be one place to find volunteer opportunities?
In late 2012, nonprofits, businesses and government organizations got together to find a solution to this problem. In 2014, Volunteer Missoula emerged as a facilitator of communication between organizations and volunteers in Missoula. After learning about the website through a friend, I went online and set up a profile. Within no-time, I found many opportunities which sparked my interest. I even responded to Volunteer Missoula’s need and went to work for them, to help others find the perfect volunteer opportunity.
So, for those of us who are seeking to help others more in 2015, Volunteer Missoula is truly a one-stop-shop for all of your needs. It assists you in finding volunteer opportunities. Volunteer Missoula offers opportunities as diverse as Missoula. From face painting to construction, you are bound to find an opportunity on Volunteer Missoula that works for you.
For organizations around Missoula, Volunteer Missoula is an easy way to market your organization’s needs. As an organization, you also have the opportunity to be selected as our organization of the month and be featured on this blog!
If you are looking to get involved with Volunteer Missoula, think about joining us on our advisory board as our new finance/fundraising director. For more information about the opportunities Volunteer Missoula offers, see our profile on Volunteer Missoula.
This is how you can meet your goal in 2015. First, go to www.volunteermissoula.org and set up a profile. Second, stay tuned to this blog to learn more about the organizations in Missoula.
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Volunteer Missoula is a complete, streamlined volunteer management service for volunteers, nonprofits and businesses in Missoula County. We are web-based nonprofit organization operating under the fiscal sponsorship of United Way of Missoula County. Volunteer Missoula was created and is currently operated by Missoula community members dedicated to promoting volunteerism as a solution to meeting community needs. Volunteer Missoula is partnering with Make It Missoula to help 
the community learn more about the great work of local nonprofits as well as spread the word about exciting volunteer opportunities available to Missoulians. Every month we will feature a blog about an “Organization of the Month” chosen from our list of website users. Our mission is to promote and expand volunteerism as a viable means to fill service gaps in Missoula by connecting volunteers, nonprofits, businesses and individuals in need of service through an interactive and comprehensive website. Volunteer Missoula’s website connects volunteers with Missoula-based nonprofit organizations. We make volunteering easy. For more information about our program or how to become an Organization of the Month, please visit VolunteerMissoula.org or email us at volunteermissoula@gmail.com. Step Up. Help Out.
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Jennifer Pepprock, Volunteer Missoula Outreach Intern
Jennifer Pepprock is a junior at the University of Montana studying history and political science. She is from the small Bitterroot Valley town of Stevensville where she attended school and participated in debate and student government. During college, Jennifer volunteers for the American Legion, coached debate at her old high school and also works as a waitress at a local Mexican restaurant. In her spare time she likes to camp, fish and kayak in and around Montana. Because weather doesn’t always permit these things, she also enjoys archival research and reading. Her passions include education reform and children’s issues. After graduation, she plans to attend law school and become a lobbyist or family lawyer. She is very excited to continue working for Volunteer Missoula and appreciates the opportunity to help make volunteering in Missoula easier and more fulfilling!