What if every child received malnutrition treatment so that no child dies of hunger? What if girls across Afghanistan could access education? What if communities could adapt to climate change instead of being displaced because of it?
There is a lot to hope for in the new year. But at the IRC, we don’t just hope. With your support, we turn hope into action.
Together, we help girls like Zahra in Afghanistan go to school and chase dreams of becoming engineers and doctors. We deliver malnutrition treatment in the most remote places so babies like Fatima in Chad can have the futures they deserve. And we help communities adapt to the changing climate so Syrian farmers like Anwar can grow crops to feed their families in any climate.
This holiday season, help us turn hope into action so we can change more lives in 2025 and beyond.
Join Us
From meaningful, one-time engagements to hands-on, longer-term commitments, volunteers provide vital skills, resources, and energy that enable our programs to reach more people in need when every second counts.
These are our current employee volunteer opportunities, which are available based on our needs:
Learning, Advocacy, and Social Action
By upskilling your staff and empowering them to become refugee advocates, you are championing our cause and spreading vital awareness about the global displacement crisis when time is of the essence. These events will offer your employees a unique opportunity to unite as a team to support humanity, enhance team morale, provide positive brand association, and have an indelible impact on the lives of the people we serve.
Refugee champion training*
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Refugee champion training*
Host an IRC expert in person or online to lead an interactive training on how to become a better advocate for refugees and other newcomers in your community. The workshop will include an action-packed, moderated discussion and a refugee champion guide. Participants can expect to acquire new knowledge and resources on how to welcome displaced people into their community.
Fold peace cranes, make a wish, and spread awareness
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Fold peace cranes, make a wish, and spread awareness
Gather a group to fold origami peace cranes and learn about this ancient Japanese tradition while discussing the connection between war and its effect on displacing communities. Then use IRC’s resources to learn how we turn hope into action, and how you can join us. Complete the exercise by displaying your peace cranes in a visible location in your office to spread beauty and awareness about the global refugee crisis, and ways everyone at your company can support displaced people.
Host a learning session with an IRC expert*
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Host a learning session with an IRC expert*
Host an IRC expert in person or online to inspire and inform your staff on one of the world’s most pressing issues—global displacement. Dive deep into a wide range of topics—from our core focus areas, like economic wellbeing and health to one of the places where the IRC works, like Syria or Mexico. Pair a learning session with a game of IRC trivia, letter writing or another volunteer offering.
This election season hold an advocacy postcard writing party (U.S. only)*
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This election season hold an advocacy postcard writing party (U.S. only)*
Protecting newcomers has never been more vital and we need your help to advocate for their rights! Invite an IRC advocacy expert to conduct an advocacy training session for your group. Participants will learn about the rights of refugees and asylum seekers, current U.S. policies and the IRC’s advocacy efforts. Then attendees will turn hope into action and populate fill-in-the-blank advocacy postcards that urge the U.S. government to expand its protection of newcomers.
Honor a colleague who has defied the odds
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Honor a colleague who has defied the odds
In places where landscapes have been reshaped by droughts and floods, streets and buildings bear the scars of war, and people are fleeing home for the sake of their children, IRC staff and clients defy the odds every single day.How do your employees defy the odds? Launch an interactive, awareness-building, storytelling campaign that invites employees to learn about IRC staff and clients who’ve defied the odds. Then ask your staff to nominate colleagues who have also defied the odds in their own way. Upon nominated employees’ approval, display the inspiring stories on your intranet or in your office along with a fundraising campaign for the IRC.
Fundraise, compete, repeat
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Fundraise, compete, repeat
Boost your team’s morale and foster relationship-building among employees by hosting a charity game-a-thon or livestream for the IRC with Tiltify. Tiltify’s easy customization and interactive tools, such as polls, will allow employees to donate to vote on opportunities that incentivize and inspire participation.
Skills-based Volunteering
Use Drupal to build a website or app for the IRC
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Use Drupal to build a website or app for the IRC
Employees with Drupal experience can help us transform our Economic Recovery and Development team’s cash resources catalog from an Excel spreadsheet into a user-friendly app or website. We are seeking skilled volunteers to upgrade our Drupal-based Knowledge Management System (KMS) to Drupal 10, customize the KMS interface, develop an API with AI capabilities, automate content retrieval and uploads, integrate Azure authentication, and improve and maintain the platform.
Translate technical tools from English into Spanish, French and Arabic
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Translate technical tools from English into Spanish, French and Arabic
The IRC’s Education and Economic Recovery and Development teams are seeking skilled volunteers who can provide written translations on an ad-hoc basis. By contributing translation services, volunteers will help the IRC to provide our clients with agency and faster comprehension of materials when English is not their primary language.
Lend your graphic design skills to support the IRC’s programs
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Lend your graphic design skills to support the IRC’s programs
The IRC’s Education and Economic Recovery and Development teams are seeking skilled volunteers who can design technical materials, presentations, and fundraising assets on an ad-hoc basis. Volunteers will help our teams fill current gaps and beautify our materials.
Direct Service
Get your hands dirty at a New Roots garden*
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Get your hands dirty at a New Roots garden*
Small groups can volunteer to help grow nutritious food at their local New Roots farm in Seattle, Oakland, Sacramento, San Diego, Dallas, Phoenix, Tucson, NYC, Charlottesville, Atlanta, Denver and Salt Lake City. These agricultural sites provide community members with the opportunity to grow their own food, reconnect with their cultural heritage and gain transferable skills through our farm-based job readiness programs. Volunteer days often consist of weeding, planting, mulching and/or clean-up. (Date availability may vary, especially during extreme weather months).
Send messages of support to frontline humanitarians
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Send messages of support to frontline humanitarians
Humanitarian aid workers are on the frontlines of the world’s most pressing disasters, devoting their lives to supporting those who are experiencing their darkest days. Share a note, poem or video message that demonstrates your gratitude toward these hard-working individuals. This activity can provide the recipients with much-needed hope and courage to continue their difficult work.
Host a job readiness workshop*
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Host a job readiness workshop*
For newly arriving refugees, achieving financial stability is the first step towards a thriving future. Your employees can support IRC clients prepare for employment through resume reviews, interview preparation, learning how to navigate the job market, creating LinkedIn and Indeed profiles and applying for jobs.
Employee Engagement & Workplace Giving Case Studies
Learn how other partners have achieved success with their employees and request to see our case studies. Gain insights from inspiring employee engagement and workplace giving case studies and learn how dedicated partners help the IRC deliver on its promise to respond to the world’s worst humanitarian crises. We will help you find the perfect opportunity for your employees.
“I don’t have a design background and had never done anything like this before, but I was really touched by the work that the IRC is doing. I also thought it would be a good way for me to learn new tools and skills— to educate myself and find design strategies that might help with my own work.”
— IRC volunteer
How to Take Part
We offer in person, hybrid and remote employee engagement activities and regularly develop new ones. To demonstrate your company’s values while addressing core humanitarian challenges, consider pairing your employee engagement opportunity with a workplace giving campaign and match all gifts.
To join us, please reach out to your primary IRC contact.
Additionally, we have opportunities for individuals who wish to volunteer independently across the United States.
*A $5,000 - 10,000 USD unrestricted donation is requested to cover the costs of implementing these engagements, which rely on our program teams.
