Volunteer with Appalachia Relief
We provide crowdsourced, vetted, reliable info for rebuilding & recovery in Southern Appalachia.
Our approach is flexible and volunteer-driven, allowing anyone to contribute based on their skills and resources.
Learn more about our mission here.
Remote & In-Person
We have both remote and & in-person volunteer opportunities.
Flexible & Accessible
Join our volunteer pool and offer your skills for specific tasks and projects as you’re able, and take breaks from volunteering as needed.
Our Teams
We’re also looking for volunteers with special skills.
Get Started
Learn more about how to get started.
Connect to Our Community
Meet others in the disaster relief and recovery space by joining us on Discord. Learn more.
Other Opportunities
To learn more about other volunteer opportunities in Southern Appalachia, click here.
Our Teams
Creative and Communications Team
Amplify our crowdsourced, vetted, reliable info for rebuilding & recovery in Southern Appalachia.
We’re looking for skills including:
- Copywriting: Strong writing and editing skills to craft clear and engaging content.
- Graphic Design: Proficiency with tools like Canva and/or Adobe Creative Suite to design visuals.
- Social Media: Experience managing platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
- Story Creation: A knack for storytelling to document and share impactful narratives.
Here are some specific examples of ways volunteers have recently contributed:
- Content creation: Translating information, resources, or stories from Southern Appalachia into social media content for our Facebook and Instagram.
- Graphic creation: Creating graphics that can be used by our partner organizations. For example, one of our volunteers recently created a graphic for an application being developed for R4 Relief.
- Print flyer creation: Translating information and resources into printable flyers that can be easily distributed in person to impacted communities. See our RV Living Flyer for an example.
- Storytelling meet-up: Helping facilitate a weekly meet-up for storytelling creatives generating diverse content to amplify voices from Southern Appalachia, in region and beyond.
Coordination / Collaboration Team
Streamline our work across our internal teams and with partner organizations in Southern Appalachia to crowdsource reliable info for rebuilding & recovery.
We’re looking for skills including:
- Project management: Organizational skills to juggle timelines, tasks, and teams.
- Collaboration: Ability to foster teamwork across diverse groups.
- Strategic planning: Problem-solving and prioritization for efficient coordination.
- Cultural competence: Ability to interact effectively with people from diverse cultures within Southern Appalachia and beyond, including understanding and respecting differences in beliefs, values, and communication styles.
Here are some specific examples of ways volunteers have recently contributed:
- Facilitating partnerships: Connecting to organizers on the ground in Southern Appalachia to align resources and technical support for housing and recovery efforts.
- Grassroots networking: Coordinating efforts across local, regional, and national organizations to secure funding, streamline mutual aid operations, and bridge gaps between grassroots initiatives and government support for recovery in Southern Appalachia.
- Exploring creative solutions: Conducting outreach to vacation rental owners to inquire about converting to long-term housing for displaced families.
Ground Operations Team
Ensure our crowd-sourced info is accurate and up-to-date by confirming things in person on the ground in Southern Appalachia when details are fuzzy.
We’re looking for skills including:
- Local knowledge: Ability to navigate local areas to gather critical information.
- Investigation: Attention to detail for verifying facts.
- Communication: Ability to make calls or talk to people in-person.
- Cultural competence: Ability to interact effectively with people from diverse cultures within Southern Appalachia and beyond, including understanding and respecting differences in beliefs, values, and communication styles.
Here are some specific examples of ways volunteers have recently contributed:
- Direct support updates: Obtaining updated info for key supply distribution points, such as food and emergency aid location.
- Community connections: Confirming the legitimacy of drop-off locations for donated items like winter coats and toys.
Resource Vetting Team
Maintain the accuracy and organization of “The Document,” which drives our website of crowdsourced info for rebuilding & recovery in Southern Appalachia.
We’re looking for skills including:
- Data entry and management: Attention to detail and familiarity with Google Workspace, particularly Google Docs and Google Sheets.
- Research: Ability to locate and verify resources through direct inquiry by phone or online searches.
*For this role, the ability to use and/or learn how to use Discord for team communication is required. If you are new to Discord, this document is a good place to start.
Here are some specific examples of ways volunteers have recently contributed:
- Resource updates: Verifying the accuracy of shelter information in western NC, ensuring reliability for those in need.
- PSAs: Developing PSAs for critically needed community information using vetted resources, including our PSAs on Abuse & Trafficking, Fire Safety, Staying Warm, Housing, Mold & Mud Toxicity, RV Living, Scammers, and Water Safety.
- Fundraiser vetting: Vetting local fundraisers to ensure donations are going to local individuals, families, and businesses working to rebuild and recover.
Technical Team
Improve and sustain the digital backbone of our operations as we provide crowdsourced info for rebuilding & recovery in Southern Appalachia.
We’re looking for skills including:
- Web development/digital automation: Experience with coding, APIs, or workflow optimization.
- Discord expertise: Knowledge of community moderation and support for new users.
- IT support: Technical problem-solving to keep systems running smoothly.
*For this role, the ability to use and/or learn how to use Discord for team communication is required. If you are new to Discord, this document is a good place to start.
Here are some specific examples of ways volunteers have recently contributed:
- GIS/data mapping: Enhancing resource maps by adding, organizing, and layering data for easier navigation of key resources such as ATMs, gas stations, and water points.
- IT support: Addressing vulnerabilities in admin accounts and ensuring secure technical infrastructure for volunteer operations.
- Technical problem-solving: Developing scripts and tools to verify data accuracy, such as checking address consistency in spreadsheets and integrating automation for stale entry removal.
- Workflow optimizations: Collaborating on workflow optimizations, including connecting tools like Airtable to streamline data sharing across platforms.
Other Special Skills
- Accessibility: Skills to make our crowdsourced info for rebuilding & recovery in Southern Appalachia more accessible to users with disabilities, including users with auditory, cognitive, neurological, physical, speech, and visual disabilities.
- Legal expertise: Expertise regarding nonprofit partnership, liability issues, or other legal matters.
- Translation services: Fluency in Spanish, Hmong, ASL, and other needed languages to make our crowdsourced info for rebuilding & recovery in Southern Appalachia more accessible to communities in Southern Appalachia and beyond.
Get Started
Ready to volunteer? Here’s how to get plugged in.
Step 1: Fill out our Volunteer Intake Form.
Tell us a little more about you by completing our Volunteer Intake Form.
Step 2: Schedule a chat with a Volunteer Manager.
Select a time that works for you on our Calendy, or email us at volunteer@ashevillerelief.org to find an alternate time.
Step 3: Sign our Confidentiality Agreement.
As we sometimes encounter disaster survivors’ sensitive personal info, we ask all onboarding volunteers to sign a simple Confidentiality Agreement. Preview it here.
Step 4: Begin volunteering!
Once you’ve chatted with a Volunteer Manager and signed the Confidentiality Agreement, you’ll be connected to one of our teams / projects supporting crowdsourced info for rebuilding & recovery in Southern Appalachia. Let the volunteering begin!
Join our Discord!
You don’t have to wait to be fully onboarded as a volunteer to begin connecting to our community!
Meet others in the disaster relief and recovery space by joining us on Discord. Click through the “Welcome” prompts to get started, and say hi in the #Introductions channel.
About Discord
Discord is a platform for voice, video, and text chat. We use Discord for team conversation and project management. If you are new to Discord, this document is a good place to start.
Do I have to join Discord to volunteer?
Using Discord is required for Resource Vetting and Technical Team volunteers and optional for Creative/Communications, Coordination/Collaboration, and Ground Operations volunteers. It’s a great place to build community and communicate quickly, so we highly encourage all volunteers to join — but if you’re not on the Resource Vetting or Technical Teams, it’s optional.
Questions?
Contact us at volunteer@ashevillerelief.org.