The Montgomery County Volunteer Center strives to improve the quality of life in Montgomery County, Maryland, by fostering a culture of service in our community. Our programs work to promote and expand meaningful volunteer opportunities throughout the county, and to connect community members in search of volunteer activities with nonprofits and government agencies in need of assistance.
Our online database of volunteer opportunities with 1,084 organizations allows individuals and groups to search for ways to serve the community based on a variety of criteria—everything from interest area or age-appropriateness to project location or date. Then, with just another click, they can learn more and quickly connect with the organization seeking help.
890 organizations
received 37,297 referrals
from 10,356 volunteers through the website in FY2017
Special Days of Service
The Volunteer Center develops and oversees large-scale volunteer projects at multiple sites throughout the county for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service in January and the Montgomery County Community Service Week in October. These service days activities not only provide residents with a wide range of opportunities for helping their community, but they also offer our nonprofit partners an enthusiastic cadre of new volunteers.
4,265 volunteers served 8,766 hours during MLK Day 2017
3,465 volunteers served 7,296 hours throughout Community Service Week 2016
Student Service Learning
Working in partnership with Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), the Volunteer Center maintains the online searchable database of organizations and projects that have been preapproved by MCPS for student service learning (SSL) credits. SSL opportunities allow students to address a real community need while earning service hours required for high school graduation.
801 SSL-preapproved organizations featured on our website in FY2017
Retired and Senior Volunteer Program
Our Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP)—part of the national Senior Corps’ network of volunteers—connects volunteers age 55 and up with partner organizations looking for help. RSVP service opportunities help seniors thrive and allow them to use existing skills or develop new ones through volunteering.
402 RSVP volunteers
served 47,870 volunteer hours in FY2017
RSVP/AARP Tax-Aide Program
We coordinate the Montgomery County RSVP/AARP Tax-Aide Program, recruiting and training 146 hard-working volunteers annually to provide free federal and state tax preparation services for low- to moderate-income taxpayers, many of them seniors.
4,935 tax returns completed,
generating $4,464,585 in refunds for the 2016 tax year
Volunteer Communications
Every month, we reach out to county residents through our volunteer e-newsletter, providing up-to-date information highlighting volunteer opportunities, local nonprofits in need, ideas for getting involved in new causes, and more. We also regularly feature volunteer news and the latest volunteer needs on our social media sites.
28,460 subscribers received our volunteer newsletter in FY2017
In-Kind Donations
Hotlink, the Volunteer Center's weekly e-newsletter developed just for our registered agencies, features details about office equipment, furniture, medical supplies, and other items in good or better condition that local residents and businesses wish to donate to government and nonprofit organizations. This “match-making” service helps organizations large and small source needed supplies and keeps valuable goods out of the waste stream.
$36,389 worth of items donated in FY2017
Volunteer Management Training
In our aim to help nonprofits and government agencies maximize their impact, the Volunteer Center offers networking and training events throughout the year. These sessions explore a variety of critical elements of volunteer management, such as volunteer recruitment strategies, training policies, and recognition ideas.
352 nonprofit professionals attended training, networking, and orientation events in FY2017
