Volunteer Opportunities
We joyfully invite you to join us in serving Greater Austin through disaster relief. We have opportunities for you to serve either during disaster or in times of preparation. Scroll down to read how you can serve and get involved and for current volunteer openings.
Areas of opportunity for volunteers:
Hands-On
Our hands-on volunteers like to get their hands dirty and aren’t afraid of hard work. These volunteers are our go-to squad to alleviate the strain on communities after a disaster strikes, and may even help us prepare for the next disaster.
Behind-the-scenes
Behind-the-scenes volunteers support our operation. If you’re detail-oriented, comfortable working independently or with minimum supervision, and can adapt and respond quickly to changing priorities, ADRN can use your talents.
Survivor-Facing
Our survivor-facing volunteers give our survivors emotional support. If you are empathetic, resourceful, and a good communicator, consider becoming a survivor-facing volunteer.
Public-Facing
Public-facing volunteers help us share the ADRN mission and survivor stories with the community and the media.
We love our volunteers!
In and out of disaster response, Austin Disaster Relief Network (ADRN) serves those in need. With the help of volunteers working alongside our efforts, survivors and those in crisis are able to receive relief through the compassion at the heart of EVERY volunteer serving within our organization.
Thank you for your interest in volunteering as a group with ADRN. We receive a large number of requests from companies and churches interested in volunteering together. We publish all of our upcoming volunteer opportunities here, where you can view and register for any open project.
If you still have questions about how to volunteer together as a group, please provide as many details as you can about your volunteer interests in the group interest form. Your responses will help us determine if we have any volunteer opportunities that are a good fit for your needs and interests, and to provide the best possible volunteer experience for your group.
Before filling out the group interest form, please also take a moment to review our Volunteer FAQ tab. We provide this information to help you decide whether ADRN is a good fit for the group volunteer experience you are seeking.
Section I. General Youth Guidelines
- Volunteers must be at least 12 years of age at the time they volunteer.
- Youth volunteers need to be accompanied by a parent/legal guardian/grandparent working alongside them when they volunteer, unless they are with a group. (see group guidelines below)
- All youth and at least one of his/her parents must complete the Youth Volunteer Release and Waiver of Liability form.
- To ensure safety and legal compliance, Youth are allowed to participate in the following activities: cleaning, donation sorting, debris removal during a disaster and other special projects.
- Youth are never permitted to work standing on a window sill, ladder or similar equipment, use power tools or machines (electric or gas), operate motor vehicles, be an outside helper on a motor vehicle, or do any work on or about a roof.
- An individual adult must never be alone with an individual youth, unless the adult is a family member or legal guardian of the youth. This applies to all volunteers, ADRN staff, host church staff, host church members, homeowners, etc.
- Youth should never be left alone at a work site or be allowed to leave the site without a parent/legal guardian/grandparent/chaperone.
Section II. Youth Group Volunteer Guidelines
- All Youth in the group must be at least 12 years of age at the time they volunteer.
- Youth groups must have both male and female adult leaders who are not related to each other when a group has both male and female youth members.
- Youth groups are required to have an adult leader to youth ratio of 1:3.
- Leadership for each youth group will be responsible for enforcement of all rules and instructions of ADRN. ADRN staff will address youth issues that arise with the youth leadership.
See upcoming opportunities here.
Most volunteer opportunities outside of disaster will take place at our headquarters at 1122 E. 51st street or our second Thrift Store at 13801 Burnet Road. During disasters, we have opportunities throughout Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays, Travis, Williamson counties, depending on the need.
The majority of our volunteer needs are Monday through Friday, 9am – 5pm. We have occasional work projects on Saturdays. Most volunteer shifts last 3-4 hours. See upcoming opportunities here.
There are many ways to serve at ADRN outside of disaster deployment! We have ongoing opportunities in our Call Center, Training Department, Warehouse, and more. There is always a need for Disaster Relief Shepherds; click here to find out more.
We accept volunteers 14-17 years of age with proper adult supervision. Please read our youth guidelines for more details.
Volunteers are welcome to serve as often as they’d like. There are no minimum requirements. We love volunteers that can come once a week or once a month and support one of our internal teams. For more information on joining an ADRN Support Team of volunteers, complete this form.
Group volunteer opportunities do come up from time to time, but are not typically available on an on-going basis. Click here for more information on group volunteer opportunities.
Outside of disaster, our largest regular volunteer projects are capped at 20 participants.
We do not currently create custom volunteer events for groups. If none of our currently scheduled volunteer opportunities work for you, check back at a later date and we might have more needs.
Please read our youth guidelines for more details.
To view our upcoming training dates, click here.
Most of our training is free. We offer a few advanced training courses that do have a cost and that is listed in the course description where applicable.
You do not have to attend a church in order to volunteer with ADRN. We work with many corporate and non-profit groups to bring volunteers to support our community in disasters.
ADRN Trained Volunteer Opportunities:
Click here to find out more about becoming an ADRN Trained Volunteer.
Bring hope into crisis and show the love of Jesus by serving on the Shepherd Support Team! As part of the equipped, empowered, and mobilized Network of churches, you can help us with the heart of our mission – stepping out to help families affected by disaster with basic needs and prayer. Learn how you can support families of disaster through our Shepherd Program. Click here for details.
Provide survivor care and vital resources at ADRN Headquarters in the Call Center to monitor and answer calls from disaster survivors that need information, someone to talk to, prayer, and/or sponsorship by one of the churches on our network. The Call Center is at the center of all disaster responses for ADRN and may receive up to 500 calls per day from disaster survivors during a crisis. Administrative support assistance is needed both during major disasters and outside of disaster response on a day-to-day basis.
Send an email of interest to callcenterleader@adrntx.org.
ARE YOU CREATIVE? Do you have a passion for sharing stories of God’s faithfulness through your giftings in photography, videography, editing, graphic design, or writing? If you answered yes, you’re a great fit for ADRN’s Creative Media Team (CMT). Simply fill out the CMT Interest Form and we’ll be in touch soon!
If you have any questions, contact our Creative Media Team at pr@adrntx.org
Volunteers write and mail thank you letters to supportive donors from the comfort of their own homes. No need to pick up supplies because they will be dropped off at your home for you!
Please send an email of interest to donorministries@adrntx.org
Hospitality volunteers help ADRN host special events for potential donors. Please send an email of interest to donorministries@adrntx.org
The Field Operations Department is responsible for ensuring ADRN is deployment ready in terms of both supplies and volunteer leadership, and then leading/managing ADRN’s deployment activities during times of disaster response. The Field Operations Department has a need for a support volunteer that can commit to 4 hours per week on a regular basis to assist with:
- General administrative duties
- Response inventory tracking
- Response inventory readiness
Send an email of interest to fieldopsmanager@adrntx.org.
Our front desk volunteers are the first face that someone sees when they walk through our headquarters and the last face they see before they leave. We are looking for volunteers to help on weekdays 2-5 pm as well as at other times. Send an email of interest to admin@adrntx.org
We are looking for volunteers to support all aspects of our information technology (IT) work. The IT department oversees the establishment, installation, and maintenance of computer network systems and services within our organization. We have software developers improving our systems for greater efficiency. During blue skies or during a disaster the IT team is constantly working on ensuring secure operation within every department.
Send an email of interest to ADRN.IT.Leadership@adrntx.org
Help us equip the Network of Churches with spiritual, preparedness, and response trainings. Teams are needed to help in logistics, hospitality, administration, and A/V assistance. Easy on-the-job task training, a path to serve right away, and 2-hour shifts appeal to many volunteers.
Send an email of interest to training@adrntx.org
Community Volunteer Opportunities:
If you aren’t afraid to get dirty, join us after a disaster to help with clean up, debris removal, and muck out.
Sign up for opportunities by checking our Press Room as they become available during a disaster.
The Hope Family Thrift Store was created to provide financial support to the Austin Disaster Relief Network, provide a clean, organized distribution center for disaster survivors to receive free clothing, shoes, and goods, and offer gently used quality merchandise at affordable prices to the local community. For more information on volunteering, go to https://hopefamilythrift.org/volunteer.
Survivor supplies and donations are stored in our warehouse at ADRN. We are in regular need of volunteers to help out with donation support both before and during a disaster. Volunteer days and times available: Monday through Friday between 9 AM to 4 PM. Regular monthly volunteers are needed to help with these various duties:
- Facility clean-up and donation management
- Warehouse – lifting, moving, and storing inventory (may be lifting more than 30 lbs)
- Admin – general clerical
- Inventory Valuation
- Transporting items to various locations in and around Austin
Send an email of interest to warehouse@adrntx.org
