Chicago Shares is comprised solely of volunteers sharing their time and talent in an effort to strengthen their community by helping the homeless and feeding the hungry.
There are many great opportunities to get involved with Chicago Shares and we encourage you to read through the options below and find the one that best suits you.
Current Volunteer Opportunities:
Sell Vouchers
- Assist Holy Name Cathedral sell vouchers on the 3rd Sunday of every month.
- To volunteer at another location that sells vouchers, contact them directly.
Average commitment: varies by vendor
Vendor Recruiter
- Identifies new vendors that would be good candidates to sell Chicago Shares
- Click here to view the PDF with information about what vendors need to do to participate.
Average commitment: 1-2 hours per week
Merchant Recruiter
- Identifies new merchants that would be good candidates to accept Chicago Shares
- Contacts prospects (in-person, by phone and/or email) and explains the program
- Follows-up to answer questions and encourage participation
Average commitment: 1-2 hours per week
Merchant Liaison
- Visits monthly one or more participating merchants to collect the Shares presented for purchases
- Submits a check request for the reimbursement of the merchant; picks up the reimbursement check and delivers it to the merchant
- Serves as the Chicago Shares representative by answering questions and asking for ongoing feedback
Average commitment: 1-2 hours per week
Sale Location Recruiter
- Recruits churches, other religious institutions, and non-profit organizations to sell Chicago Shares
- Answers questions and coordinates the purchase of an allotment of Shares for resale
- Assists in organizing the sale of the Shares at this location
Average commitment: 1-2 hours per week
Assistant Voucher Coordinator
- When the Voucher Coordinator is unavailable, responds to requests for vouchers from churches and other sellers of Shares; fills orders from individual purchasers
- Deposits proceeds of voucher sales into organization’s checking account; maintains appropriate reports and documentation
- May require delivering to various parts of downtown Chicago including, but not limited to South & West Loop and near North Side.
(Volunteer is reimbursed for the cost of postage and paper for printing Vendor lists as needed.)
Average commitment: 1-2 hours per week
Publicity Committee Member
- Meets on average three times a year (90 minute meetings) to develop ideas on how to best communicate Chicago Shares to the general public.
- Writes (or assists in writing) press releases, draft copy for the websites, brochure and other communications; reaches out to the media and other stakeholders to increase visibility of Chicago Shares
Average commitment: 1-2 hours per week
Webmaster
- Manage the web content strategy, including posting of articles and pictures.
- Find newsworthy stories to publish regularly on the Chicago Shares website, write articles for the website, and provide an analysis of key website metrics.
Average commitment: 1-2 hours per week
Young Leaders Board Members
The Chicago Shares Young Leaders Board is a group of Chicago young professionals that help build awareness around the Chicago Shares mission. The goals and objectives of the Chicago Shares Young Leaders are as follows:
- Build awareness around the Chicago Shares mission
- Engage young people in serving Chicago Shares
- Develop a communication strategy for Chicago Shares
- Identify a tactical plan to build general awareness
- Execute on tactics including those surrounding specific events such as the 20th Anniversary of the organization in 2013
Average commitment: 1-2 hours per week