Non-Mentoring Volunteer Position Opportunities with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Minnesota


Activity Planning Specialist – Volunteer Position

Purpose: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Minnesota needs a creative volunteer to provide volunteer Bigs (mentors) with practical activity ideas to help strengthen their match relationship while having fun! Following training, you will create a visually appealing e-mail that will be sent to Bigs monthly. Start Something Big today by contacting Maija Schmelzer at mschmelzer@bbbscentralmn.org or 320-258-4535.

Duties and Responsibilities:

  • Provide Bigs with creative tools/ideas on how to spend time with their Littles.
  • Brainstorm ideas for Bigs/Littles to do together each month
  • Help plan, supervise and promote activities for a large group
  • Write articles for the newsletter, e-blasts and Facebook
  • Contact resources in the community that would offer free/low cost activities for a large group

Time Commitment:
Flexible, depends on activity
Minimum of 6 months
10 hours per month

Qualifications:

  1. Creative
  2. Experience with children’s activity planning/education preferred
  3. Ability and commitment to abide by confidentiality rules
  4. Ability to create a clear and visually appealing e-mail

Clubhouse Assistant – Volunteer Position

Purpose: Over half of the children in our community are unsupervised and unengaged after school. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Minnesota offers a positive environment each week at the Bel Clare Community Clubhouse which gives children a safe place to play and grow. This is a fun and creative way to get involved while helping the at-risk youth in our community. The volunteer in this position will develop leadership skills while supervising and guiding the youth who come to the Clubhouse each week. Start Something Big today by contacting Maija Schmelzer at mschmelzer@bbbscentralmn.org or 320-258-4535.

Duties and Responsibilities:

  • Check children into the Clubhouse
  • Provide information as needed
  • Schedule, organize and supervise “free play” activities
  • Attend Bel Clare Collaborative meetings and events if available

Time Commitment:
1.5 hours per week
Monday nights at 6:00pm
Minimum of 6 months

Qualifications:

  1. Enjoys interacting with children and is able to have fun
  2. Must be responsible, dependable and consistent
  3. Ability and commitment to abide by confidentiality rules
  4. Must provide own transportation to Bel Clare (33 Claroma Drive, St. Cloud, MN 56301).

Other Information: Big Brothers Big Sisters will provide training for this volunteer position


Data Entry Specialist – Volunteer Position

Purpose: During 2010, Big Brothers Big Sisters served 1,000 youth in Central Minnesota. We want to reach even more young people. By volunteering as a Data Entry Specialist, you can help us reach this goal and serve more children in Central Minnesota. We will provide the training; you can set your own hours. Start Something Big today by contacting Maija Schmelzer at mschmelzer@bbbscentralmn.org or 320-258-4535.

Duties and Responsibilities:

  • Enter new volunteer and child applications
  • Enter surveys and evaluations into our database

Time Commitment:
2-5 hours per week
Flexible with volunteer’s schedule, within the business day (M-F, 8:00am – 5:00pm)
Minimum of 6 months

Qualifications:

  1. Attention to detail
  2. Self-motivated
  3. Able to focus on a continuous task with accuracy
  4. Ability and commitment to abide by confidentiality rules

Other Information:
BBBS will provide training for this volunteer position


Enrollment Specialist – Volunteer Position

Purpose: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Minnesota has 150 children waiting for mentors. By volunteering your time you can maintain their contact information and help them become matched with a Big (mentor). The volunteer will improve communication and writing skills. Join a great team and make a difference in a child’s life. Start Something Big today by contacting Maija Schmelzer at mschmelzer@bbbscentralmn.org or 320-258-4535.

Duties and Responsibilities:

  • Schedule interviews
  • Interview children, parents and volunteers
  • Call to get updates on the Littles who are waiting to be matched with a Big
  • Call references
  • Write assessments
  • Data entry

Time Commitment:
Minimum of 3 hours per week
Flexible hours within the business day (M-F, 8:00am – 5:00pm)
Minimum of 6 months

Qualifications:

  1. Ability to relate to people in person as well as over the phone
  2. Detail oriented
  3. Reliable and dedicated
  4. Ability and commitment to abide by confidentiality rules
  5. Must have a Bachelors Degree

Other Information:
BBBS will provide all necessary training for this volunteer position.


Website & PR Specialist – Volunteer Position

Purpose: There are many at-risk youth in the Central Minnesota community that need a positive mentor in their lives. With a creative and marketable website, Big Brothers Big Sisters can reach out to more potential mentors that can become positive role models in children’s lives. This volunteer will assist in raising awareness and funds for our organization, making it possible to match more children with mentors. Start Something Big today by contacting Maija Schmelzer at mschmelzer@bbbscentralmn.org or 320-258-4535.

Duties and Responsibilities:

  • Create eye-catching items for the website
  • Write articles for events, activities and announcements for the e-newsletter, Facebook, radio spots, press releases, etc.
  • Update and improve website to make it visually appealing, more informative and include better resources

Time Commitment:
5-10 hours per week
Minimum of 6 months
Flexible with volunteer’s schedule within the hours of a business day (M-F, 8:00am – 5:00pm)

Qualifications:

  1. Strong writing, communication and marketing skills needed
  2. Knowledge of social media
  3. Articulate and self motivated
  4. Must be technology savvy and have experience working on a website in a web content management system
  5. Ability and commitment to abide by confidentiality rules

Internship Opportunities with
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Minnesota


Program Internship-Ongoing

These internship opportunities allow you hands-on experience working in the human services field with a large focus on client and volunteer support and management. As an intern you would have the opportunity to observe and conduct (while being observed by a qualified staff ) volunteer interviews, parent and child interviews, reference calls, match support calls, in person check ins, writing assessments, as well as annual meetings between the parent, child and volunteer. You would be an integral part of the team, and would participate in staff and program meetings, while also having the opportunity to work with many other youth serving/non-profit agencies and area schools.

You would have the opportunity to further develop your interviewing, critical thinking, oral and written communication skills, as well as have a well rounded picture of the inner workings of a small non-profit organization.

Majors in the Human Service field are preferred, such as Social work, Psychology, Criminal Justice, Child and Family Studies, Youth Ministry, etc.

If interested, please contact Ann Matvick via email at amatvick@bbbscentralmn.org with letter of interest and resume.


Executive Internship

This internship would be strongly focused on preparing and implementing the groundwork for fundraising events. As an intern, you would work closely with the special events committee to plan, design, organize, create the event(s) as well as develop partnerships with businesses and support.

Other opportunities may include helping prepare for presentations to companies, data entry, developing a varsity mail list to share short success stories,  attending committee meetings and networking events, and coordination of smaller projects.

All majors are considered for this internship, with an emphasis on business and/or marketing. The schedule/times can be flexible, however, approximately 15 - 20 hours a week is expected.

If interested, please email Jackie Johnson at jjohnson@bbbscentralmn.org with letter of interest and resume.