Volunteers can help the National Capital Area Chapter continue its mission to by lending their skills and talents in any these areas:
- Helpline Volunteer
- Helpline Resource Volunteer
- Support Group Leader
- Safe Return Volunteer
- Speakers Bureau Volunteer
- Community Education Work Groups
- Conference Committee
- Training Committee
- Audio/visual Assistance
- Library Assistance and Office Support
- Health Fair Volunteers
- Outreach Team Leader
- Outreach Team Member
- Special Events Office Assistance
- Special Events Planning Volunteers
Administrative and Operations Support
Programming
Volunteers Reporting to the Helpline Manager
Helpline Volunteer
Role: Helpline volunteers have the opportunity to assist in the following areas:
- Provides non-judgmental listening and information on Alzheimer's disease and related disorders, caregiving concerns, Chapter programs, and community resources to callers at the office in Fairfax.
- Administrative assistance to support the Helpline program as needed.
- Training: Orientation required. Training provided individually by Helpline Manager.
Time Required: Minimum two-year commitment, and a shift of 3-4 hours on a weekly basis.
Helpline Resource Volunteer
Role: Assist Helpline staff in updating community resource information such as: listings of home care agencies, adult day care centers, residential care facilities, Alzheimer's research trials and other professionals that provide services to persons with Alzheimer's disease and their families.
- Most of work is done over the telephone; computer skills helpful.
- Training: Orientation required. Training provided by Helpline Manager.
- Time Required: Time commitment can be arranged with the Helpline Manager.
- Volunteers Reporting to the Support Group Manager
Support Group Leader
Peer to peer groups are offered throughout the Chapter territory and are led by trained Chapter volunteers.
Role: Support Group Leaders have the opportunity to assist in the following areas:
- Facilitates Chapter-affiliated support group, providing community resource information, emotional support and coping skills to caregivers while encouraging peer-to-peer problem solving.
- Training: Training is offered several times each year.
- Time Required: At least one support group session per month at a designated site. Preparation and planning time includes answering calls from prospective members, potentially recruiting members and planning special programs for the group when needed.
Safe Return Volunteer
Safe Return is a safety program designed to help memory-impaired adults who may become lost.
Role: Safe Return volunteers have the opportunity to assist in the following areas:
- Assists staff with planning promotional activities for the Safe Return Program.
- Assists staff with administrative activities.
- Assists in the Safe Return training of law enforcement and emergency first responders.
- Assists with Safe Return awareness / educational presentations to the community and public at large.
- Assists with enrolling families into the Safe Return Program.
- Training: Orientation required. Training provided individually by Safe Return Manager.
- Skills: Experience in adult education or public speaking is desirable.
- Time Required: Time commitment varies and can be arranged. Daytime, evening and weekend activities.
Education and Training
Volunteers Reporting to Program Director, Program Manager, or the Training Coordinator
Education/Training: Conferences, Community Education Programs, training programs and other educational programs are conducted throughout the year across the Chapter service territory. Education/Training volunteers assist in the following areas:
Speakers Bureau Volunteer:
- Educates and informs the community about Alzheimer's disease and the Chapter's services, by speaking to lay and professional groups.
- Training: Orientation and Basic training required
- Time Required: Time commitment can be arranged. Daytime, evening and weekend engagements.
Community Education Work Groups
Meet on periodic basis to plan (topics, speakers, sites) next series of forums
Conference Committee
Plan and implement conference programs
Training Committee
Review and help develop training curricula for professionals and family caregivers and assist in development of Chapter's training strategies.
- Skills: Knowledge about dementia care practices (from familial and/or professional perspective) and about issues surrounding dementia care.
- Time Required: Committees meet on a periodic basis (approx. 3 times a year), approximately two hours per meeting.
Audio/visual Assistance
On-site videotaping of selected forums and conference sessions (with camcorder provided by Chapter)
- Skills: Experience in camcorder operation
- Time Required: Varies depending on dates/time of scheduled programs (Most programs are approx. two hours in duration.)
Library Assistance and Office Support
- Assist with maintaining library collection (cataloging books, journals, videos, annotating resources, update book and video listings, etc). Help prepare (photocopy, stuff packets) materials for distribution at forums, conferences and training programs.
- Skills: Excellent organizational skills, detail oriented, typing proficiency and computer skills.
- Time Required: Varies depending on dates/time of scheduled programs 3-4 hours/week
Outreach
Volunteers reporting to the Volunteer Coordinator
Health Fair Volunteers
Role: Health Fair volunteers have the opportunity to assist in the following areas:
- Educates and informs the community about Alzheimer's disease and the Chapter's services, by staffing a booth or table at locations throughout the community.
- Coordinates pick up and drop off of materials.
- Training: Orientation and training required.
- Time Required: Time commitment can be arranged. Daytime, evening and weekend engagements
Outreach Team Leader
Role: Outreach Team Leaders have the opportunity to assist in the following areas:
- Keeps a current list of volunteers available to fill health fair requests.
- Assists with scheduling volunteers for health fairs.
- Identifies potential speaking and health fair opportunities.
- Oversees Outreach Team Members.
- Training: Orientation and Speakers Bureau/Health Fair training required.
- Time Required: Time commitment can be arranged. Work can be done from the volunteer's home.
Outreach Team Member
Role: Outreach Team Members have the opportunity to assist in the following areas:
- Makes supplies available to volunteers who provide presentations and staff health fairs in Montgomery and Prince George's Counties and the District of Columbia.
- Collects materials and give-a-ways from the corporate office and delivers them to the suburban Maryland office.
- On occasion, may have to deliver supplies directly to a health fair site and provide pick up at the close of the event.
- Training: Orientation required.
- Time Required: One pick up and delivery a month to each site. Hours can be arranged.
Government Advocacy
Volunteers Reporting to the Director of Public Policy
Government Advocacy Volunteer
Role:Volunteers have the opportunity to participate in our government advocacy campaigns in the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia and on Capitol Hill. We work to protect the financial, legal and long-term health care security of people with Alzheimer's disease and their families.
- Volunteers encourage government officials to support the Alzheimer's Association's public policy goals by joining our e-mail Alzheimer's Advocacy Action Alert Network.
- Training: Minimal orientation required.
- Time Required: Time commitment is based on individual interest.
Special Events/Fundraising
Volunteers Reporting to Financial Development Professionals
Through the year the Chapter conducts events to raise funds for programs, services and research. Special events include the Memory Walks, Tour de Canalsm Bike Challenge, the Marine Corps Marathon, our Golf Classic & other golf tournaments, the Washington Monuments Luncheon, and the Gala event. As well as many partnership events held throughout the year.
Special Events Office Assistance
Before and after our Special Events there is data entry, letter writing, and filing assistance needed.
Special Events Planning Volunteers
- Role: Special Events/ Fundraising volunteers have an opportunity to assist in the following areas:
- Assists with the event planning and implementation as a member of the planning committees.
- Assists with contacting a portion of the community soliciting sponsorships, in-kind donations, walkers and teams.
- Assists with event preparation, day-of logistics incl. set-up, hospitality, greeting, etc.
- Training: Orientation is sometimes required, depending on event.
- Time Required: Time commitment varies per event.
Public Relations
Volunteers Reporting to the Director of Development and Communications.
- Role: Public Relations volunteers have the opportunity to assist in the following areas:
- Assists staff and/or fellow volunteers in setting goals and action plans that promote public understanding, community support and participation in Alzheimer's Association activities.
- Assists in planning promotional activities for National Alzheimer's Disease Month in November, in addition to other Chapter activities.
- Provides editorial and/or graphic design support for the Chapter print materials and publications.
- Training: Orientation required.
- Skills: Experience with graphic design, media, public relations and special events.
- Time Required: Time commitment can be arranged.
Administrative and Operations Support
Volunteers Reporting to the Director of Finance and Operations
- Role: Administrative and Operations volunteers have the opportunity to assist in the following areas:
- Assists with telephone answering, copying, filing, assembling and collating documents
- Bulk Mailing - Helps with labeling, collating, stapling, bundling and sorting the Chapter's mailings of 200 or more pieces.
- Data Entry - Assists with maintenance of Chapter's databases.
- Word Processing - Assists with various projects including major mail merge/letter writing campaigns. Knowledge of Microsoft Word required.
- Training: Orientation required.
- Time Required: Number of times the volunteer needs to report will be determined by the work.
