BirthWays is a volunteer run organization and we are always looking for volunteers, both for ongoing projects and one time opportunities. No matter how much time you have, your support is needed. If you are interested in volunteering, please fill out the form at the bottom of the page and someone will get in touch with you soon. In addition, we have several ongoing project positions that we currently are looking for volunteers to help fill. Please see the list below for detailed descriptions of these positions.
Current Volunteer Opportunities:
Volunteer Coordinator
Treasurer
Office Manager
Database Manager
Technical Editor
Volunteer Doulas – a great way to connect with mothers or gain experience
View our current paid opportunities
BirthWays is seeking a volunteer to communicate with prospective volunteers, create and monitor volunteer placements, and recruit new volunteers. BirthWays is a comprehensive pregnancy, birth and parenting education and resource center that has been in existence since 1978. As a volunteer-run nonprofit organization, our operations depend entirely on a small, dedicated team of volunteers.
We come together mobilized to empower and support families to have safe and satisfying births during a time of increased interventions and all-time high rates of cesarean births. We aim to educate women and families in the East Bay about choices and decisions they will face during pregnancy, birth, postpartum and parenting to help them have a safer and more satisfying birth and parenting experience. We strive to create a supportive environment that empowers women and families to make informed decisions that best reflect their own values.
Our educational philosophy is based on the belief that parents should have the opportunity to feel confident, informed and empowered as they prepare to welcome a new child into their family. At BirthWays, we strive to help parents achieve this goal by providing up-to-date and relevant information in a respectful, open and inclusive environment. Our classes emphasize the importance of informed choice and actively engage families to discuss the range of options available. The classes help families explore their individual values and to develop skills and strategies to facilitate their transition into parenthood.
Our services include classes, a newsletter, an online resource database, a volunteer doula program, a birth and parenting resource center with a lending library of books and DVDs, a referral line and community events.
Responsibilities:
- Respond to all volunteer inquiries (calls and emails) in a timely manner
- Connect volunteers with appropriate opportunities and check in with them about how things are going once they have been placed in a volunteer role
- Create and update a list of current volunteer opportunities (to be listed online and in our email newsletter)
- Maintain an email list of past volunteer contacts who may be interested in repeat volunteering
- Recruit volunteers to fill high-priority volunteer roles
- Attend outreach events and talk with public and prospective volunteers about how they can get involved
- Coordinate an annual volunteer-appreciation event
- Consider volunteer motivation and volunteer retention
Required:
- Interest in pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and parenting-related issues
- Ability to respond to volunteer information requests in a timely manner (email and phone)
- Energetic, organized, and good communication skills
- Desire to attend bi-annual outreach events and talk with public and prospective volunteers
- Basic proficiency with computers (comfort using email, word processing, and Google Docs)
- Comfortable working as part of a small, dedicated team of volunteers
- A minimum 1-year commitment
Preferred Experience:
- Volunteer coordination experience
- Experience working as part of a small, effective team
This position requires a commitment of approximately 3 to 6 hours per week. To apply, please email us to submit your resume and a cover letter (in the body of your email). Make sure you state the position for which you are applying in the subject of your email.
Treasurer
As a Board Member, BirthWays’ Treasurer must meet all responsibilities of board membership and be approved by the Board of Directors.
Responsibilities:
– Attend monthly Board Meetings as an active Board Member
– Request P&L’s from Accountant to be included in an Accounting Report to the Board (quarterly)
– Analyze the P&L’s and prepare presentation to the board quarterly regarding topics such as areas of growth, areas of weakness, what classes are most profitable, goals for future revenue streams or growth of existing areas, year to year comparisons, etc.
– Request updates and items for Board consideration from Accountant to prepare an Accounting Report (prior to each monthly Board Meeting)
– Work with Accountant and the Board in developing an annual budget
– Support Accountant as needed to prepare all documents necessary for BW’s taxes
– Support Accountant in gathering any financial documents necessary for grants
– In general, act as liaison between Board and Accountant
– Present an Accounting Report and sponsor items for Board consideration related to the finance of BW (at each monthly Board Meeting)
– Use Accountant’s reports to track financial trends related to classes, the online resource database (ORD), and other income sources
– Work with the President to develop annual targets and goals for all the revenue-generating activities and support President as needed in meetings with all Board Members, contractors, and volunteers responsible for these activities to discuss goals for the year and develop monthly objectives toward achieving those goals
– On leaving, assist with the selection of a replacement and train this candidate to become the next Treasurer
This position requires a minimum one-year commitment of about three to five hours per week. To apply, please email us your resume and a brief description of your interest and qualifications for the position. Be sure to include “Treasurer” in the subject line of your email.
BirthWays is seeking a volunteer office manager to maintain our administrative systems, including occasional procurement, email, mailing, and mail sorting. BirthWays is a comprehensive pregnancy, birth and parenting education and resource center that has been in existence since 1978. As a volunteer-run nonprofit organization, our operations depend entirely on a small, dedicated team of volunteers.
We come together mobilized to empower and support families to have safe and satisfying births during a time of increased interventions and all-time high rates of cesarean births. We aim to educate women and families in the East Bay about choices and decisions they will face during pregnancy, birth, postpartum and parenting to help them have a safer and more satisfying birth and parenting experience. We strive to create a supportive environment that empowers women and families to make informed decisions that best reflect their own values.
Our educational philosophy is based on the belief that parents should have the opportunity to feel confident, informed and empowered as they prepare to welcome a new child into their family. At BirthWays, we strive to help parents achieve this goal by providing up-to-date and relevant information in a respectful, open and inclusive environment. Our classes emphasize the importance of informed choice and actively engage families to discuss the range of options available. The classes help families explore their individual values and to develop skills and strategies to facilitate their transition into parenthood.
Our services include classes, a newsletter, an online resource database, a volunteer doula program, a birth and parenting resource center with a lending library of books and DVDs, a referral line and community events.
Responsibilities:
- Maintain email addresses with appropriate access and forwarding
- Assist new members of the BirthWays team with what they need to get started
- Procure supplies, as needed
- Coordinate projects related to the BirthWays classroom space
- Pick up and forward mail 2-3 times a week
Required:
- Interest in pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and parenting-related issues
- Energetic, organized, and good communication skills
- Commitment and ability to visit the classroom space regularly
- Basic proficiency with computers and network administration (configuring email, Google Docs, assisting BirthWays team with basic computing or network questions)
- Comfortable working as part of a small, dedicated team of volunteers
- A minimum 1-year commitment
Preferred Experience:
- Office management or administrative experience
- Experience working as part of a small, effective team
This position requires a commitment of approximately 3 to 4 hours per week. To apply, please email us to submit your resume and a cover letter (in the body of your email). Make sure you state the position for which you are applying in the subject of your email.
BirthWays is seeking a volunteer to become our database manager to manage our email contact list. BirthWays is a comprehensive pregnancy, birth and parenting education and resource center that has been in existence since 1978. As a volunteer-run nonprofit organization, our operations depend entirely on a small, dedicated team of volunteers.
We come together mobilized to empower and support families to have safe and satisfying births during a time of increased interventions and all-time high rates of cesarean births. We aim to educate women and families in the East Bay about choices and decisions they will face during pregnancy, birth, postpartum and parenting to help them have a safer and more satisfying birth and parenting experience. We strive to create a supportive environment that empowers women and families to make informed decisions that best reflect their own values.
Our educational philosophy is based on the belief that parents should have the opportunity to feel confident, informed and empowered as they prepare to welcome a new child into their family. At BirthWays, we strive to help parents achieve this goal by providing up-to-date and relevant information in a respectful, open and inclusive environment. Our classes emphasize the importance of informed choice and actively engage families to discuss the range of options available. The classes help families explore their individual values and to develop skills and strategies to facilitate their transition into parenthood.
Our services include classes, a newsletter, an online resource database, a volunteer doula program, a birth and parenting resource center with a lending library of books and DVDs, a referral line and community events.
Responsibilities:
- Adding new contacts to email lists
- Maintaining clean, up-to-date contact lists
- Tracking target sub-groups as segments of the contact list
- Communicating with technical support and creating a database that meets the needs of various users
Required:
- Interest in pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and parenting-related issues
- Energetic, organized, and good communication and computing skills
- Basic proficiency with computers (word processing, ability to learn new software skills)
- Comfortable working as part of a small, dedicated team of volunteers
- Basic database management familiarity or experience a plus; a desire to learn required
- A minimum 1-year commitment
- Attention to detail
Preferred Experience:
- Familiarity with database management
- Familiarity with AWeber, Constant Contact or other email newsletter software
This position requires approximately a 2 to 5-hour time commitment per week. To apply, please email us to submit your resume and a cover letter (in the body of your email) and “Database Manager” as the subject. Make sure you state the position for which you are applying in the subject of your email.
Technical Editor
- Work with Newsletter Editor to create and schedule email and website versions of quarterly newsletter content
- Maintain and update website content
This position requires a commitment of approximately 3 to 6 hours per week. To apply, please email us to submit your resume and a cover letter (in the body of your email). Make sure you state the position for which you are applying in the subject of your email.
Please fill out this form to apply to volunteer. Make sure to let us know if you have a background in: nonprofit marketing, graphic design, database management, nonprofit law, tax preparation and consulting, media relations, business plan development, or program evaluation development and implementation.
