HandsOn Bay Area

My company had a great experience with with Hands on Bay Area. They are a nonprofit that works with other nonprofits to find corporations to volunteer with them. The day of our event was great; it ran smoothly and the team really enjoyed their volunteer day. I look forward to working with them again!

Are you out of your mind!!! You want me to pay $ 25. to volunteer my time to help others? How outrageous! I don’t care that it’s tax-​deductible and I’m certainly NOT going to make a plea to have the «donation» waived or if I can show PROOF of hardship. This is NOT a loan application. I’m sure there are plenty of organizations that are grateful for people dedicating their time and services. Do your research… go elsewhere. If you have an extra $ 25 to burn, donate it to your favorite charity and/​or food bank.

I found HOBA through a Google search while looking for NorCal alternatives for the Riordan program for non-​profit leadership. I found the mission of HOBA to be pretty compelling since volunteering is a hassle and anything to reduce that burden or to feel that you made an impact is definitely worth helping out.
The staff are very friendly and always want to help you out. But they have a work-​pile a mile high and responses can be slow at times. But through all odds, they pull off an amazing job with so many projects on their plates. Their main job is to work with Corporations to do their Day (s) of Service which helps fund their primary implement: the main calendar program for the general public. Their website calendar is very easy to use and people sign up for one-​and-​done projects making a spare afternoon into a rewarding opportunity. Most people’s gripe is the $ 25 sign up charge.
But most people don’t know is you can still sign up on major events like 9 – 11 weekend and first weekend of the month free to try it out. And each event has a project lead taking care of you versus other alternatives just drop you in there without much guidance. Though, I do suggest ponying up the spare change since I see how much blood and sweat goes into putting on these events and its not free.
I applied and got into their LIFT leadership development program. Its a rigorous but self-​driven approach to learning how a non-​profit operates at every level. You work with the LIFT team to build your own mini-​nonprofit and put on events and fundraisers. In the team, I got to meet such interesting people from all walks of life with the same passion in non-​profits and giving back to the community. Its tough but its very rewarding.
Up to now, almost all of their publicity has been mainly through word of mouth. They almost have no budget for any marketing whatsoever. So «random Google search» is actually not an uncommon reason for taking an interest. Definitely a hidden gem.

Their volunteer sign up process is absurd. They expect you to «pay» $ 25 to be a volunteer. Yeah. If you can’t «afford» it, then you may «Apply for a waiver.» Wait, all this BS just to be granted the privilege of giving up my FREE time for them? No thank you.

I was really excited to find this organization. I volunteered with one just like it in Boston called Boston Cares. The whole setup was easy, there were tons of opportunities, and there were even social events (book clubs, outings, etc.) mixed in there so you could meet fellow volunteers. I was heavily involved with Boston Cares and enjoyed every minute of it.
The disappointment with HandsOn Bay Area hit when I was stepping through the orientation and found out they require you to pay $ 25 to volunteer with them! $ 25?!? To volunteer my time? If I want to volunteer with my husband, that’s $ 50 for the two of us! We have many reasons to volunteer, one of them is because it gives us an activity to do that allows us to meet new people for free. It’s disheartening because they have so many great opportunities at HandsOn, especially compared to other volunteer organizations, but I’m going to pass. Maybe if it were $ 5 I might overlook the fact I’m getting charged, but certainly not for $ 25. I’m really bummed. If they decide to change their policy in the future then I’ll be happy to volunteer, but until that happens I’m going to go volunteer with another organization.

If you’re looking for volunteer opportunities, HOBA is your best bet! I first found HOBA through a google search back in 2005. I was impressed to see so many volunteer project opportunities around the Bay Area. I had heard of the National Hands On Network before, so I was confident that HOBA was a legit organization.
Signing up for a volunteer project is very simple and efficient. All you have to do is register on their website. As soon as you do that, you have access to the volunteer project calendar. All the projects have a description, so you know what you’re getting into. Sign up for a project and you get a confirmation email with all the information you need for the project. If necessary, the project leader may email you with additional details. You are also connected to the project leader in case you have any questions or concerns. When the project date rolls around, just show up and volunteer! It’ so simple!
All the project leaders and HOBA staff are incredibly organized. Once at the project, they’ll sign you in and usually start with a brief orientation with the agency you’re volunteering at. After the project, they regroup as well. Many of the projects are on-​going, so you can really get to know the agency and people that you’re helping if you attend the same project over time.
There are projects in all impact areas: Youth Outreach, Women’s Needs, Special Needs, Homelessness, Education/​Literacy, Families, Seniors, Animal/​Pet Needs, Environmental, etc. Whatever you’re interested in, there’s a volunteer project just for you! They have projects in all over the Bay Area. There’s a project every day of the year. If you want to volunteer at more than one project per day, you can be super volunteer since there are several projects in the same day.
The HOBA staff is super welcoming to newbies. You feel right at home. It’s a great opportunity to meet people in you community as well. Bring a friend or volunteer alone, you’ll be sure to meet new friends either way. HOBA provides rewarding opportunities to make a difference in the community. They make volunteering fun but more importantly, meaningful!

I’ve been volunteering with HOBA for over 3 years; they are amazing!
You are able to sign up for as many and as often events as you’d like. They don’t ask for a commitment and you can go months without volunteering and never get harassed. The events are diverse, easy and fun. You meet great people from all walks of life and help the community.
My only complain is not enough East Bay volunteering opportunities :(

I went to my 1^st Hand On Bay Area volunteer project at Edgewood and I LOVED Edgewood and their Staff and kids but Hand On Bay Area, No bueno! It is easy to sign up online months in advance (I refuse to pay them so I’m doing the free days on the calendar). Then the leader would email a reminder a week before the event, which was nice. I had a smooth process with them until I showed up at the event. I followed the signs to a room where we all gathered, sat down and started talking to some volunteers. We all sat there waiting and waiting and waiting with NO direction. Half the volunteers we were waiting for never showed up and I was tired of waiting and wanted some direction. I then realized where is our Hands on Bay Area leader? In the middle of other volunteers complaining on what’s going on? 20minutes have passed from the time we were supposed to start, I said out loud where is our leader? That’s when this girl said to me with attitude, «That’s ME!» Then went silent again for the rest of the time we were there. I don’t know what kind of leader doesn’t introduce herself or tell us what going on, maybe HOBA needs to train her again. Then to top it off, I saw her falling asleep at the table when the Edgewood staff was telling us about their foundation, so NOT professional.
Unfortunately the only way to volunteer at Edgewood is to go through HOBA so I guess I’ll have to stick with them. I just hope I get a better leader next time. I was hesitant on posting this if I get her again but hey who cares! People should know what happened.

**************** REVIEW 427 ******************
I’ve been with Hands on Bay Area when it was Community Impact in Mountain View in 1999. Hands on Bay Area offer volunteers many options of the volunteer opportunities that match their interests, such as:
— Adult education and literacy,
— Animal support,
— Children & youth (- Enrichment and recreations, tutoring, etc)
— Community enrichment,
— Environment,
— Heath & wellness,
— Homelessness and Hungers,
You can choose from location different counties such as: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marine, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, & Santa Clara Counties!
HOBA has a great website, that user friendly, you can RSVP your project that fits you & they email you the info and also reminder for you! You don’t need any skill to volunteer!
Hands on Bay Area website makes it really easy to do it & if you are new, they will make you go to an orientation, but it’s easy & you get to meet many wonderful hearts just like yourself!
So lend a hand, make a different in your community!

If you want to volunteer but don’t know where to begin, HandsOn Bay Area is totally, absolutely perfect for you, and you should sign up right this second.
You sign up for stuff online, you show up, you help for 2 – 4 hours, and you leave feeling awesome. It’s as simple as that. But it’s easy to get sucked in and end up doing way more and feeling even more awesome.
Here’s my story: I started with volunteering with HOBA at OBUGS (Oakland Based Urban Gardens), despite having whatever the opposite of a green thumb is. My HOBA project leader and the representative from OBUGS told us how important we were to their programs, which bring lessons about nutrition, science and gardening to kids in West Oakland. (One day, they scheduled a truck FULL of dirt on the same day HOBA volunteers were coming — if we weren’t there, those poor two guys would have spent at least 8 hours spreading dirt and mulch!!)
Then we worked for 3 hours in the nice, warm sun, with butterflies flying and birds chirping, while neighbor kids stopped by to help out (and ask a million questions, like kids do).
The best thing ever was sharing a carrot with a neighborhood kid who had pulled it out of the ground right there. It’s easy to get disconnected from where food comes from — especially for kids living in the food desert that is West Oakland — and OBUGS totally helped me center. Now I lead the project once a month (please come! meet me! it’s fun!) and volunteer with them even more often, when they need it. I also found a job in food access and I feel like this is where I want to be.
All this might seem like it distracts from HOBA, but I really think it says great things about them. HOBA began a ripple effect that changed my life. If it weren’t for HOBA, I likely wouldn’t have done any volunteering at all — and now it’s one of the things I look forward to most.

I love the concept of Hands On Bay Area, it’s very similar to OneBrick with whom I’ve also done volunteer events with. I love being able to pick a day that’s convenient for me and sign up, I’m busy so although I can’t commit to a regular schedule, I’m happy to give 4−8hrs here and there.
I signed up for Be The Change Day and worked at Full Circle Farm in Sunnyvale and had a great time. I had so much fun I wanted to sign up for more events, so I went to HOBA’s website only to find that if I want to sign up for other events (other than the first Saturday of the month), I have to pay $ 25. Sure it’s a tax deductible donation and it goes to a non-​profit but something doesn’t sit well with me that they require you to pay in order to volunteer… I’m still on the fence about whether or not I’m going to pay the fee to get access to the Full Circle Farm events (held on the 2^nd and 4^th Saturday of the month).
Bottom line, I love giving back to my community whenever I can but making volunteers pay money to sign up for events doesn’t seem right.

Hands on Bay Area rocks my socks off!
I have always wanted to volunteer, but have a hard time committing to 6-​month or 1-​year stints, which is what most organizations ask for. I love the concept of HOBA: volunteer where you want, when you want. No long term commitments of any kind. It’s perfect for anyone with a busy schedule. No there can be no excuses for not volunteering! You don’t even have to set aside the time when you choose when to volunteer. And, registering and signing up for a volunteer project is a piece of cake on their website.
So what are you waiting for? Go sign up! :)

I love it when volunteering is made easy with a simple online calendar. Choose your own adventure!

This is a great organization!
I’ve always wanted to help out whenever I can but I am always fearing being over committed. In this case you never have to!
You go to their website– register for free and look for a project in your area, sign up, and then show up!
There are plenty of events but they do fill up quick. Check back often though because if people can’t make it they will remove themselves from the event.
Today I went to my first event and it was in the Santa Clara county.
I volunteered at A Place At The Table with InnVision Peninsula Program at the Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Menlo Park. The shift was pretty short for 12:30 to 4:30pm but we actually ended at 3:30pm. The task at hand was to come help prepare and serve a hot meal to the East Palo Alto homeless community.
The Project Leader Paul had e mailed me several times to make sure I was going to show up, give me directions, and what to prepare for which was great.
There were about 9 people volunteering to serve a hot meal for up to 90 people. We made spaghetti and meatballs, corn, ceasar salad, pastries, and coffee.
I really liked my first time experience because everyone was willing to get their hands dirty. Some were chopping onions, tossing the salad, scooping the spaghetti, serving to the clients, etc.
I look forward to signing up for more events on the website! Its so easy!

Very well run organization — lots of opportunities to volunteer through them each month — good variety in what they assist with.
For a few years I helped out at a place which made and delivered meals as well as other projects including de-​weeding and planting.

I just started volunteering with HandsOn Bay Area this year, but it has been a great experience. I sign up for everything online, which is super easy. I originally signed up with them because I never have a set schedule for more than a few months at a time and they did not require that I make a long term commitment. What they do is post a calendar online that lists several organizations and their volunteer events months ahead of time. This allows me to sign up way in advance or even at the last minute if the events are not filled. I can sign up as much, or as little as I need to and I get to checkout several charitable organizations.

Let’s face it — more people would volunteer if it were convenient and hassle free — and HoBA has a great system which makes volunteering both. Set up an account online and you can view the project calender and simply choose a project then sign-​up! It’s online, convenient, and simple to use.
One of the things I appreciate is you don’t have to commit yourself weeks in advance. My schedule can fluctuate a lot and I like the idea that if I notice I have free time coming up — I can just go online and sign up for a project up until the night before (I am pretty sure online sign-​up lasts until the night before, it could be up to 24 hours before).
Be the Change Day 2009 was my first event with HoBA and it was almost therapeutic to do something out of my normal routine (i.e. gardening and being up early). The staff was friendly, well organized and I’m looking forward to doing this more often!

Love Hands on Bay Area! The diversity of projects and ease of entry make it difficult to come up with excuses for NOT volunteering.
I heard about Hands On from a friend who participated in Hands on Atlanta and Hands on Miami.
I highly recommend with one caveat: sign up early cuz they fill up fast and make sure you show up to your scheduled event as I’ve been told they have a lot of no-​shows.
I’m considering taking the training to be a group leader. the ones I have worked with have been great.

Went to the SPRUCE UP the San Francisco Zoo last SAT, 10-​JAN-​09.
Aside, I have done volunteer work at Boys & Girls Club in Silicon Valley, CA and Project Open Hand in Atlanta, GA but wanted to try something different for the next project go around.
It was my first event and really enjoyed helping out. BTW added bonus working with nice people (Zoo employees as well as HOBA volunteers). Signed up for the next one on 14-​FEB-​09.

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. =)

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.