Volunteer

PROJECT SUCCESS VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES  

Driver 

Volunteer drivers are critically needed to help Project Success increase access to theater opportunities and to our free classes at the Institute.

As a driver for Theater Experiences, you will use your own vehicle to pick up students and families from their homes, accompany them to the theater, share in the joy of the performance, and safely transport them back home afterward. Drivers have the flexibility to choose which theater events they can support each month, and as a token of our appreciation, will receive two complementary tickets for each selected event.

As a driver for the Institute, you will use your own vehicle to pick up students at school between 3 pm – 4:30 pm and bring students home between 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm. Institute drivers have the opportunity to stay and participate in any of the Institute classes they volunteer to drive for.

Throughout the year, there will be additional opportunities to drive for Project Success and we will keep our volunteer drivers informed of these events as they come up.

Institute Coaches

The Project Success Institute is a place where Minneapolis high school students can take free classes in subjects including bicycle tech, money management, baking, and coding. Located at our office at 1 Groveland Terrace, this program is designed to give students a deeper dive into the professional and technical life skills they need to make their way in the world. Volunteer coaches help facilitate conversations, ask questions of students to drive learning and interest, and have the opportunity to share their real-life experiences with students. See below for specific volunteering opportunities! 

Bike Tech Coach – Monday Evenings (4:30pm – 6:30pm)
Volunteer bike tech coaches help students learn to maintain their bicycles alongside a Bike Professor trained by Quality Bicycle Products’ Break the Cycle program. Topics covered during a typical trimester include how to fix a flat tire, bearing adjustments, wheel truing, and many more! No previous experience in bicycle tech is required to volunteer. 

Baking Coach – Wednesday Evenings (4:30pm – 6:30pm)
Volunteer baking coaches help students learn the basics of home baking in hands-on workshop. Topics covered during a typical trimester include baking basics, recipe reading, baking science, and many more! No previous experience in baking is required to volunteer. 

Coding Coach – Thursday Evenings (4:30pm – 6:30pm)
Volunteer coding coaches help provide students with a welcoming and enthusiastic introduction to coding. Topics covered during a typical trimester include careers available in the tech industry, fundamentals of coding, and a wide variety of coding-related topics. Coaches will work with students from all coding levels. No previous experience in coding is required to volunteer. 

Development and Administrative Support

Engagement & Outreach Committee (E&O Committee)
The Project Success Engagement and Outreach (E&O) Committee is a dynamic and passionate group of community members that meets bimonthly with Development and Communications staff to increase community awareness and support. Activities include planning and executing fund- and friend-raising events such as Dine Out nights or fitness fundraisers, social media outreach to support the organization, and providing volunteer support for larger fundraising efforts such as mailings, large fundraising events, and/or peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns. E&O Committee members also have the opportunity to host a Lunch and Learn event at their corporate office to increase visibility and spread awareness of Project Success and gain a service hour opportunity. E&O Committee members benefit from networking with each other, working with local businesses and organizations to support Project Success, and contributing to the important mission of connecting students to their purpose.   

Office, Events, and/or Administrative Support
Throughout the year, there may be volunteer support needed for administrative work at the Project Success office or out in the community at fundraising events. This work could include addressing, stuffing, and sealing envelopes for mailings, packaging up supplies or items for students and families, writing letters of encouragement to Project Success students, or a variety of other tasks. Volunteers in this category will be reached out to throughout the year on an as-needed basis by members of the PS staff team.

Program Support

BWCA Canoe Trip Leader – June and July 2024
Join Project Success’ volunteer team in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA)! We are looking for energetic leaders who enjoy working with youth and are inspired by the powerful effect that nature has on young people. Our BWCA Leaders will partner with a professional wilderness guide to support 7 middle school campers through a week-long canoe trip in the most beautiful setting in Minnesota! If you are interested in learning more about this opportunity, please email jennyb@projectsuccess.org.

Program Volunteers – As needed
Our other programs that occur outside the classroom, including college and career tours, outdoor adventures, middle school musicals, and global experiences, may have specific volunteer needs depending on a variety of factors and program schedules.  If you are interested in supporting a certain program with your expertise and time, please fill out the PS Volunteer Interest Form and a Program Manager will contact you if or when there are needs for those programs. 

PS Volunteer Interest Form

A Rewarding Experience:

“Being a volunteer for Project Success is one of the most satisfying volunteer opportunities for me. I like connecting with students during the drive to events and sitting with them. Sometimes it is just one or two students, sometimes it is a whole family. It has been interesting to meet students/families of various nationalities and cultures. We are all part of the Northside Minneapolis neighborhood, so it is good to meet the kids who will be tomorrow’s adults in my area. I try to bring a positive experience into their lives, sitting with me as an adult, having conversation, and sometimes seeing them dressing up for a special play or event. I have to say I have been quite by surprised by each and every student I have met. Every time I see them enjoy something ‘new’, and they open up, we have some wonderful conversations. They are as surprised by me as I am by them. Project Success is something special in ALL of our lives.” – Lynne Young, Volunteer Driver