Hands On Bay Area

Elite '08

238

325

Cyn W.

San Francisco, CA

Hands on Bay Area (HOBA) represents everything I love about San Francisco: a collective sense of social and civic responsibility paired with a strong dedication to improving our community.

The best part?  HOBA makes it EASY.  You don't have to go out and search for volunteer opportunities.  You just sign up on this site and they coordinate everything for you.  They tell you: what the volunteer options are, where to go, how to get there, and what to do.  They divide up volunteer opportunities by area of interest so everything is quickly accessible.   Their website has a 5 minute online orientation (they say it's 15 but it's actually 5) and waiver of liability that you sign electronically, and you're covered from then on.

Sign up now and start collecting those karma points. =)

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Elite '08

171

171

Amanda B.

San Francisco, CA

I've been with them since they were "Community Compact" in Mt. View for the last 10 years. Their Website offer all choices for you to volunteer your time, from homeless to helping domestic violence family, from reading for children to helping the elderly, from cooking at a church to sorting food for the food bank, from cooking for Thanksgiving or Christmas to helping clean up your community. It's a GREAT organization to help our community to be a better place to live.

I've met many coolest & nicest people through HOBA from the Trinity Church cooking for homeless "Breaking Bread" in Menlo Park to the "Urban Ministry" cooking for homeless in Palo Alto; from sorting Christmas gifts for the "Giving Tree" to sorting food for the "Sacred Hearts" in San Jose; I have met so many people that touch my heart & make me humble & feel so blessed with what I have in my life.

As my parents always told me since I was only 5 years old: "Volunteers are unpaid, not because they are worthless, but because they are  PRICELESS." Until this day, I couldn't agree more with my folks.

So for those out there that want to volunteer but don't know where to start or what to fit your lifestyle most, please browse HOBA website & you will definitely find something to fit your busy & hectic schedule, I guarantee it ;-) Speaking from my experience, I got 4 jobs & travel 30% of my time!!! hard to bit that ;-) hehe!

It's MUCH easier to sign a check to donate, I know I know, I used to do that because I've always been busy & have a hectic lifestyle. However the best part about volunteer of all, is that when I see a smile of a less fortunate man after he finishes his meal that I help to prepare, or tears in a mother's eyes after picking up a Christmas gift for her kids that she thought she couldn't afford, that just makes my heart jump a beat, my head lighter, & I feel like I make a different in someone else life & that feeling is INDESCRIBABLE & it makes me realize that there's a purpose in this life & life is beautiful!

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Elite '08

136

211

Linda M.

Hayward, CA

You know you want to volunteer.  You know when someone asks you what you did this weekend, it would be cool to say, "I helped pack meals for the homebound for Project Open Hand" or "I helped with some cleanup at Literacy for Environmental Justice".  But you don't feel like you have enough time.

Hands On Bay Area is such a cool vehicle for volunteering without commitment.  Sign up, show up, do your 2-3 hours and go home.  And if you find a project you really love, you can volunteer every month (most are recurring) or contact the agency to become a regular volunteer.

I do wish they had more things I could do with my very young girls.  I want to raise them to enjoy volunteering, and most of these projects only welcome older children.  But we did do a "With Seniors" visit and a good time was had by all.  Our new elderly friend Dorothy really connected with my 5 year old daughter.

Meet great people, give back to the community, have fun doing it.

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3

11

Chad B.

San Francisco, CA

If there was ever a sure thing five star review it would have to land on HOBA. Everything they do is directed at helping those who are down on their luck. The various organizations they aid run the gamut. If helping others is their # 1 priority then shortly there behind is making it easy for you to help others. So many community service organizations have positive intentions but the leg work required to sign up, attend, confirm your spot and so on makes it feel like a second job. HOBA makes it so simple, and their causes are professionally run. Just log on to their web site, go through the speedy orientation (online) and boom you are ready to lend a hand. They don't seem to overstaff or understaff a project and each member actually has a significant role in the team approach to helping others. My specific experiences have been through the Ronald McDonald House (another incredible organization by the way) so I can't speak of all the events HOBA runs but I would like to believe they are consistent across the board.

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37

145

Andrea U.

San Francisco, CA

If you have a strong desire to give back to the community but are cursed with commitment-phobia--or if your life just makes it tough to develop a regular volunteering schedule--then Hands on Bay Area is a perfect way to get involved.

As a transplant, HOBA has really been the driving force behind discovering San Francisco and what its cultural identity is really all about (because let's face it, the shopping/restaurant/bar/club scene is just a teeny-tiny sliver of what SF is actually like!).  Since March 2007, I've had the opportunity to work on service projects at Glide Memorial Church, the AIDS Memorial Grove and other parts of Golden Gate Park, and in a couple of family shelters downtown, and they've all been rewarding experiences.  You really do meet some great people whose paths you probably wouldn't cross otherwise.

The structure of the HOBA organization is great.  The quick-and-easy online project selection process is SO organized, and the staff and project leaders are fantastic and represent HOBA well at each service project.  They also do a really good job keeping in touch with their members (weekly newsletters, fundraising campaigns, and occasional get-togethers) and do their best to form this cohesive--yet commitment-phobic-friendly--family!

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Elite '08

93

304

Abby W.

Los Angeles, CA

Do you want to make a difference without making a huge commitment? It's possible here in SF becaue of Hands On. I found them a few months after moving here and I've had some amazing experiences because of them.

Here's the deal. You go to one orientation session. After that, you can sign up for volunteer opportunities that appeal to you and your interests. Most of the opportunities last for just a few hours with no long term commitment. Others may lead you to a regular gig, which is what happened to me.

Through Hands On, I found out about SF AIDS Foundation's Needle Exchange Program. For about 18 months, I was a volunteer at a needle exchange site near Civic Center. Without sounding too cliche, it changed my life, my perception of San Francisco, and my overall feelings/perceptions of homeless people and IV drug users. It also helped me decide to finally apply to nursing school.

In addition to leading me to SF AIDS Foundation, I also volutnteered for Special Olympics in SF and San Mateo (made me cry tears of joy every single time), Ronald McDonald House, and Glide Memorial Church. Oh, and I also spent an evening passing out condoms and conducting surveys in the Castro. All through Hands On Bay Area.

You can pick and choose your volunteer gigs without any minimum monthly commitment. You will forever be in the Hands On "system." If you don't volunteer for a year (or more), no big deal, just go back whenever you can swing it.

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8

31

Liver W.

San Francisco, CA

Love the whole no commitment thing.  Not in my personal life, just in my volunteering life.  My b/f and I have been involved with HOBA for the past few years.  We even remember back in the day when it was known as Community Impact.  The super cool projects and great PM's keep me coming back for more.

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11

8

Becky B.

San Francisco, CA

Hands on Bay Area is the 1st volunteering company I've used in SF but, it's a great one!
It's very user friendly, allowing you to do iniatiation, calendar, sign up etc all online.
I've done a few different events and love the variety of options.
It feels great to give back!
www.handsonbayarea.org

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Elite '08

59

309

Beth V.

San Francisco, CA

Hands On is hands down, my favorite way to volunteer in the Bay Area.  Why?  Because it's so well organized.  There's a huge variety of options, which can be searched on the easy to use website by your particular interests and locations.  If I were new to the Bay Area, I would sign up for one of the Team Works teams-where you work on projects in a particular neighborhood (Sunset, for example) with the same group of volunteers over a set amount of time as a great way to meet new people and learn about the city while giving back.

Every year I work on the Toy Sort for Glide, which is like the opportunity to work in Santa's workshop by sorting donations.  I've also voluneteered at the Edgewood Center for Families, the Hamilton House, the Giving Tree in Sunnyvale, and  gardened at the Legion of Honor.  There is no minimum time requirements, so you can volunteer based on your own schedule.

Hands On also has a Day of Service (October 14 in 2006) where they recruit just a ton of people to do work all over the Bay Area for one day.  It's incredible when you read the results of what they've accomplished.  There's also a corporate side that can put together team building activities for corporations.

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60

125

Ralph C.

Oakland, CA

I have wanted to write this review for so long, but in the 7 years I have been a member of HOBA, I had up until today volunteered for only a handful events and most of them were 7 years ago, but back when I lived in DC I was a regular with DC Cares, at the time a loosely affiliated sister organization.  

While I would love to say it was all about noble causes my first event, it really was a way of getting back on track after an ugly failed romance.  I was a tutor in an after-school program, once a week I prepared meals for the homeless, and delivered meals to homebound AIDS patients.

I recall one Christmas eve four 20 something strangers from NW DC and Bethesda delivered meals in still riot torn sections of SE DC.  Such a humbling experience to go from shell of a home to shell of home meeting the ones whose families have neglected them.  

So I was more than a little excited when I got to the Bay Area and they too had a chapter and signed up immediately.  At the time, the various "Cares" Chapters did not accept cross membership, so I attended a couple hour orientation and then I was set to volunteer away.  

I know many people have favorite organizations or causes they support, but some of us have many interest but lack the time to find organizations that align with our interest,s or maybe you just want to volunteer because you know it is a good thing to do.  

HOBA solves so many issues.  They work with a number of organizations spanning environmental, elderly, poor, homeless, new home construction, children in the Bay Area to set a fix day and time that HOBA volunteers will come volunteer.  Each event is manned by a Project Lead who works with the organization and "coordinates" the volunteers.  

It used to be back in the day that you had to either call or email the PL, but these days all that stuff is on-line, including the calendar.  Find an event that you want to volunteer, check to see if it still needs volunteers, add to calendar and voila - you are on your way to volunteering.   You can sign up as an individual or if you and a group of friends or co-workers want to sign up you can do that as well.  Maybe you want to get your growing children involved there are a number of family friendly events.  Plus once a year they have a big volunteer day with mucho corporate participation.

I can't say enough good stuff about HOBA.  To make up for lost time, I found stuff that I can do weekly from now until the end of the year.  Like my boy says, "You can either live selfishly in your own little world or get busy volunteering helping others.  I choose to get busy...and so should you!!!

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Elite '08

63

354

Wilhelm Y.

San Francisco, CA

I regularly volunteer through One Brick, but when their calendar doesn't have a project to my liking I've looked to Hands on Bay Area (HOBA) to volunteer my time.  Sign up is easy, just sign into your account and click on a tab to sign yourself up for a project.  What I like about the HOBA calendar is that projects are listed several months in advance and that makes it all the better in helping me plan ahead.

While most of my HOBA experience has been spent volunteering at the SF Conservatory of Flowers, I did have a fascinating time volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House Denim to Diamonds party in 2006 where we got to set up the banquet room and serve dessert while enjoying the wonderful displays at the Tech Museum in San Jose.

Volunteering through HOBA has been a limited experience for me, but  every project I've participated in so far has been a great one.

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Elite '08

25

132

Sarah B.

San Francisco, CA

Giving back , where it's at.

All the 5 star worthy points are made in the reviews below, so in summary: Easy, Flexible (NO long term commitment), Many options, Cool people (guys - lots of ladies!),  and fun Fundraising parties.

Been a volunteer and project leader for many years.  I tend to do my good at : Special Olympics (Softball, Volleyball, Golf, Bocce, Soccer, Track), Ronald McDonald House, Various Seasonal Volunteer Oppties, and of course  Hands On Bay Area Day (Oct 14, 2006) http://www.handsonbaya...

Have a few spare hours a month ? Dew Gude

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4

22

Jen F.

Oakland, CA

I can't say enough great things about Hands On.

In my 5 years with the organization, I've taken ivy off of buildings for SF Parks and Red, packaged unused, sterilized needles for the AIDS Foundation, made dinners for families at the Ronald McDonald House. I've done projects that I found I'm not a great fit for, and others that have made my heart and spirit soar. The holiday projects are especially terrific. Who doesn't love handing out presents to underprivileged and deserving kids?!

It's truly the best volunteer organization out there. You have free time, you check the project calendar online, you sign up. To begin volunteering with HOBA, you attend a quicky orientation to get you up to speed and then boom, you're in the database and you start volunteering.

Also, Hands On a terrific place to spread your "leadership" wings. They're constantly looking for committee members to help with recruitment, events, orientations. Need help on your public speaking? Lead an orientation for new volunteers.

www.handsonbayarea.org

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4

54

Trina E.

CA

Before HOBA, I was always like, "Yeah, I'd like to volunteer, but I just can't commit to X hours a week for six months."  What initially drew me to Hands On was the utter ease with which you can sign up for such a wide variety of events, all at your convenience...whether you choose to do an event every few months or two or three every week, from cooking meals for families staying at the Ronald McDonald House and gardening in the Edible Schoolyard to wrapping sutras of the Dhammapada for Tibetan Buddhist monks at Dharma Publishing and conversing with advanced ESL students at Santa Clara Adult Education.  Or ushering at the Fremont Symphony, photo editing at the Computer History Museum, or making star maps at a special event like the meteor shower party held in August 2006 at Don Edwards NWR.  I also liked the quality of events and the generally small size (6-10 for many, 15-20 for a few) of the volunteer groups; One Brick, which operates on a similar basis, tends to staff a lot more glitzy events like fundraisers, and involves groups of about 20-25.

I love how HOBA lets me see and experiences places I might not have otherwise, too, and enables me to meet some really cool people.  Not to mention volunteering just feels good, of course, but it's fantastic to be able to find projects from 1.5 hours to all day long to fit into your sked whenever you've got the time.  

And you can volunteer on short notice or plan months in advance; HOBA's calendar of events makes it so easy to figure out.  In addition I like the nature of HOBA projects; they tend to run smaller and have established relationships with associate nonprofits, so even though you might not be able to make it to every project occurrence, there's regularity built in that helps you connect with both the associate organization as well as other vols who gravitate toward that project on a regular basis.  

Really, I can't say enough good things about it...just do the online orientation and boom, you're ready to go.  It's like, you first sign up with HOBA because you like being able to fit in projects here and there when you have time, but pretty soon you find yourself *making* the time for projects...and then, as everyone says, you just get hooked on volunteerism.  It's fabulous.

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Elite '08

154

90

Shanna M.

Union City, CA

Let me just say that I've only volunteered several times with them, and each time has been an invigorating experience. If you're anything like me and have a relatively busy work schedule, it's hard to make a six month commitment, go through a painful screening process, and yada yada yada. Solution: Hands On Bay Area makes giving such a simple and efficient process that you really have no excuse not to volunteer now!  All you do is go to thier orientation and you're set to go: their website is easy to navigate by county and preference, they send you reminders and all the info you need to get you set up!
So far I've cooked breakfast for seriously at-risk teens, where you sit down, eat and talk with them; I've prepared meals for Open Hand in East Oakland; and today I cooked and served meals to the homeless in East Palo Alto--
Nothing feels as good as giving back...really :)

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40

46

NoirJet M.

Mill Valley, CA

Makes volunteering an addicting habit!  Can't be that bad!

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22

58

Kevin J.

San Francisco, CA

Hands On is a fantastic volunteer program that is set up to allow people to make contributions to their community in a wide variety of ways.  Whether you want to help preserve the looks and feel of the environment with beach cleanups or park preservation, support the elderly by volunteering to read or play board games, dish out food at a soup kitchen or help mentor children who need our help, Hands On makes it easy, flexible and fun to participate in.  If you have always wanted to do more but just don't know how you want to carry it out, check out their website, peruse the options and sign on.  See you out there!

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0

20

Leah B.

San Francisco, CA

This is the best way to volunteer.  You complete an online orientation(the equivalent of a 3 minute PowerPoint presentation) and then sign up for one-time projects that interest you.  There's no commitment, and you can try out as many different things as you want.  I love that it's all online.

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