Volunteer Opportunities

The Scottsdale Adaptive Recreation Bobcats are your hometown Special Olympics team! Special Olympics adaptive sports programs use sports as a vehicle to give people of all ability levels the opportunity to integrate in their communities and be part of something larger than themselves as well as reap the benefits of regular exercise and staying active. Volunteer duties include assisting our coaching staff, mentoring Adaptive Recreation athletes, attending weekly team practices and participating in Special Olympics competitions and tournaments with the team. Currently our sports include bowling, aquatics, bocce ball, golf, basketball, flag football, power lifting, volleyball and track & field. Additional opportunities to volunteer in social, life skills and recreation programs are also available.

The Adopt-a-Family program provides income-eligible families a Thanksgiving meal and gifts for the winter holidays. Sponsors are needed to "adopt" a family and shop for items on their wish list.

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Litter-free streets and roadways are a point of pride for the community and a reflection of local citizens' dedication to their quality of life. Select Scottsdale streets and roads are available for adoption by those enrolling in the program or those wishing to clean on a one-time basis. A litter clean up makes a great community service project with a big impact! Free vests, gloves and bags are provided, as well as project tips. Click the "Learn more" button to view available roadways and to sign up.

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The Adopt-a-Senior program serves low-income, homebound, isolated seniors in Scottsdale. The program starts accepting donations in October and culminates with the delivering of gift bags during the holidays. We are looking for sponsors to adopt seniors by fulfilling their wish lists for our program.

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The City Council nominates candidates for vacant positions from the Scottsdale residents that apply to serve on the City's Board and Commissions. The Council relies on these citizen-based Boards and Commissions to research issues, listen to community input and recommend to the City Council policy direction on a variety of important city issues.

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The Scottsdale Career Center provides job development services for job seekers. Volunteers help individuals on a walk-in basis by providing assistance to job seekers with diverse skills and backgrounds and a variety of needs. Volunteers also maintain statistics, prepare data entry updates and reports, provide career guidance, and assist with the use of computers.

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Must be 18 years or older to participate. Court ordered community restitution is available to individuals on an appointment basis only. Tasks include litter removal, cleaning picnic sites and equipment, painting, and other maintenance duties. Physical labor is required. Work is conducted indoors/outdoors and under the oversight of Park staff. A typical shift schedule is 4 hours. The program is under no obligation to accept all interested applicants. Your failure to make a full and accurate disclosure of any prior conviction(s), or to answer the questions fully and accurately, may result in the rejection of any pending application or offer for court ordered community restitution work, or dismissal of court ordered community restitution assignment, as applicable. The city will request a criminal history report by performing a background check before considering assignment. The City of Scottsdale does not allow individuals to participate in the court ordered community restitution program who have been convicted of a violent crime, a sex offense or a crime of dishonesty. A criminal conviction(s) however, does not constitute an automatic bar from participation. Factors considered in this regard include, but are not limited to, time of offense(s), the nature of the offense(s), and the relationship between the offense(s) and the assignment(s) for which you are seeking.

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Volunteers are needed to help people who are experiencing homelessness feel dignified and respected. The city of Scottsdale operates a Day Relief Center on Fridays from 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. The Day Relief Center provides people experiencing homelessness with meals, showers, hygiene products, clothing, and navigators who help them connect with additional services. Around 10-25 people visit the Day Relief Centers every week. Volunteers help with set-up and break-down, shower trailer operations, making and packing meals, sorting donations, and packing and distributing hygiene items. Shifts will be a minimum of two hours.

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Scottsdale Fire Department volunteers work directly with the public presenting programs that address community risks. These include fall and fire prevention for older adults, safety presentations for children, hiker safety efforts, and classes for bleeding emergency response and cardiac events. Volunteers also work at events sharing program and safety information and at our Headquarters taking care of administrative and customer service assignments.

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The Vista del Camino food bank is licensed by Maricopa County Health Services. The food bank serves individuals and families who live in Scottsdale and who are having difficulty meeting their food needs. Volunteers accept and sort donations, make food boxes, and assist with daily operations of the food bank.

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The library is an exciting place to volunteer, with many opportunities available between our four locations. We have volunteer jobs for those who like to work with people, such as assisting or conducting story times, working in our Library Shops, providing triage customer service, doing outreach, assisting customers with computer questions and teaching computer classes. We also have a variety of jobs for those who like to be more behind the scenes, such as checking in materials, organizing and shelving books, pulling customer holds and merchandising our library.

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The city of Scottsdale partners with the Scottsdale Historical Society, a non-profit organization that serves as the primary historical resource for the greater Scottsdale community. It provides support for the Scottsdale Historical Museum (the Little Red Schoolhouse), whose mission is to present, preserve, and interpret through research, exhibits, and educational programming, the prehistory, history, and cultural heritage of Scottsdale and the Southwest. The museum's volunteer docents are the face of the museum. They greet and orient visitors to the museum, answer questions, and encourage people to browse the gift shop. It's a great way to meet people from nearby and from around the world while learning more about this community's rich heritage. Other volunteer opportunities with the museum include assisting with archiving documents and pictures, and helping with fundraising activities.

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Be a part of the Railroad Park’s Track Pack volunteer team! We have a variety of roles: Station Stewards greet park visitors, provide general information about the park and its attractions, and direct guests to the park’s many ramadas, which can be reserved for birthday parties and other gatherings. Depot Docents stroll the grounds and share with guests the rich history of the park’s depots, Pullman cars, railroad memorabilia, and other major attractions, like the Arizona Merci boxcar and the Magma No. 6 Engine. Special Event volunteers assist with the many fun events that the park stages throughout the year, like Railfair, Halloween Spook-Track-Ula, Holiday Lights, Red, White and Choo Choo, and a variety of concerts.

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The city of Scottsdale partners with the private, non-profit organization McDowell Sonoran Conservancy, which provides stewards for the preserve, educational programs, and hikes. Volunteer opportunities in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve cover a wide range of activities - almost all of which are outdoors in the preserve itself. Projects such as cactus salvage and revegetation, mitigation of damaged or scarred areas within the preserve, trail maintenance and sometimes minor trail construction, trash and litter pick-up and removal, invasive weed removal, natural habitat improvement, sign and fence installation, to name a few of the categories. Projects are completed in groups, most of which are trained, experienced preserve volunteers. Preserve staff provide all tools, materials and training to do the work - we just ask that you bring a good pair of work gloves, a water bottle (we have water for refills) and good, sturdy, closed toed shoes or hiking boots. Dress appropriate to weather conditions and work assignment.

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Mediators assist with simple neighbor-to-neighbor issues by allowing two parties to come together in a safe environment and helping them to come to an agreed-upon resolution. The mediators do not make any decisions but are a facilitator of dialogue.

Are you people oriented? Excited about Old Town Scottsdale? Interested in sharing your excitement and knowledge with visitors who are new to the Old Town? Then consider volunteering as an Old Town Ambassador. Ambassador volunteers are asked to fulfill a 3-hour shifts at one of two information sidewalk carts, with time slots available between 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. or 1 to 4 p.m. During your shift, you will have the opportunity to interact with visitors to the Old Town area providing information on various restaurants, sites to visit and shopping venues.

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This program provides assistance to qualifying homeowners or tenants who are physically or financially unable to maintain their properties. Operation Fix It teams volunteers and local businesses to provide labor and materials.

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Pinnacle Peak Park is always seeking fellow hikers, trail runners, rock climbers, or nature enthusiasts who love Pinnacle Peak Park and want to give back by joining our dynamic team of volunteers. Opportunities include but are not limited to: Trail Rovers: Engage with other hikers along the trail. Trail Sweepers: Prior to closing, hike the trail and “sweep” visitors toward the parking lot to help ensure everyone is safely off the peak and out of the park at closing. Trail Maintenance: Repair and maintain the trail, keeping it safe and enjoyable for visitors. Visitor Center Attendant: Actively engage with park visitors. Interpretive Leaders: Lead interpretive hikes along the trail, or talks in the ramada.

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Police volunteers work within several divisions of the department in clerical support positions and assist patrol in vehicle transport. Volunteers must be citizen academy graduates before being eligible for any positions that may be available. Citizen academy applications can be located in the police section of the website and two sessions are held each year. Volunteer applications are only accepted if a position is available and any and all openings are posted on the police website.

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Scottsdale Senior Services provides an integrated system of services, resources and opportunities to help people improve their lives, neighborhoods and community through recreation, social services, and health and wellness services. Both Scottsdale senior centers, Via Linda Senior Center and Granite Reef Senior Center, offer various volunteer opportunities for you to make a difference. Some examples include concierge, blood pressure screeners, intergenerational programs, home delivered meals, lunch program, computer lab, peer support program, and special events.

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Special Events host several events throughout the year including Fall Festival, Family Fun Nights, and Paws in the park. The events usually take place on Saturday evenings and are located in parks thorough the city. Volunteers help in multiple areas including surveys, game booths, line attendants, and general event support. Volunteers are needed for the day of event support.

Upcoming Events