Top 5 Reasons You Should Volunteer With Us
These days, it seems like everyone is asking for help in some way. There are a dozen little asks for our attention and resources whenever we open our inboxes. (Speaking of, you should join my newsletter! It’s only once a month.) But those little asks are just the tip of the iceberg. In Charlotte, we’re lucky enough to have an amazing number of nonprofits serving various needs in our community, and pretty much all of them request volunteer assistance in some capacity. So why should you consider volunteering with Rebuilding Together of Greater Charlotte?
We get you directly involved from day one
While keeping safety in mind, our skilled construction crew is happy to instruct and guide you on a brand new skill within your first 10 minutes on a job site. We don’t make you take a class and earn a certificate in how to swing a sledgehammer or do a practical overview of the history of the cordless drill. You get real-world experience right away.
A volunteer receives guidance and instruction from an RTGC construction staff member on how to use a table saw.
It’s a good place to meet other good-hearted people
If you’re looking to make personal and professional connections, what better place to look than at a volunteer session for a nonprofit? Our volunteers show their mettle just by signing up and showing up. All your fellow volunteers are likely to be willing to pitch in, get messy, learn something new and challenge themselves to learn new skills. And there’s just something about cutting out rotten floor joists together with two or three people you met an hour ago that fosters camaraderie unlike few other things. Sounds like a pretty solid basis for a friendship to me!
Volunteers pose for a picture outside one of RTGC's repair projects.
The impact of your work is directly, physically in front of you
One of the challenges of volunteering is feeling like what you have contributed matters. Personally as a volunteer at other organizations, I have done everything from scrubbing dirty dishes to stuffing envelopes and cold-calling constituents. Imagine walking into a house at 10 a.m. with frayed, worn carpet. When you leave that house just four hours later, it’ll have a living room’s worth of new, easy-to-clean laminate flooring — thanks to you and your fellow volunteers! You can immediately feel and see that change and its impact on the people who live there.
Volunteer lays laminate flooring inside one of our repair projects.
You’re fighting gentrification and displacement by repairing existing homes
By focusing on repairing and revitalizing existing homes, we help stabilize neighborhoods, preserving existing property values and preventing displacement. When the cost of repairs exceeds many people’s incomes, they have two choices: live in an unsafe home or sell it. They often choose to sell, and when they do, it’s regularly developers purchasing the home. They tear down the existing home and make a new one out of the price range for many people in the neighborhood. That means there’s one less affordable home in the Greater Charlotte area available to those who need it. Developers target these areas to build new homes, often with larger footprints which far exceed the previous home’s tax value. The cost of this new home’s property taxes raises the value of the homes around it and causes property taxes for their neighbors to rise, pricing existing neighbors out of their homes. A cascading effect of selling and the destruction of affordable housing then results in drastic changes to entire neighborhoods. Our targeted approach to critical home repair ensures that resources are invested where they’re needed most, generating a significant economic impact at the community level. By volunteering with us, you’re helping neighbors in need stay in their homes and communities, which prevents gentrification in and around Charlotte.
Volunteers build rails at the entry steps at one of our home repair projects.
you Help reduce the ecological impact of the construction trade
Volunteering to repair homes is better for the environment than new construction. Renovation minimizes material waste, reduces carbon footprint, and conserves resources. It fosters sustainability by enhancing energy efficiency and repurposing existing structures. Choosing renovation over new builds is a positive step, ensuring a greener, more eco-friendly impact on our planet. The collective effect of repairing existing homes aligns with a comprehensive approach to ecological responsibility, fostering a circular economy that extends the lifespan of structures and diminishes the need for the excessive use of resources associated with new development.
Staff and volunteers work on repairing the flooring of a bathroom in one of our home projects.
Are you interested in volunteering with us? Join Rebuilding Together of Greater Charlotte’s vision of safe and healthy homes and communities for everyone! Volunteer to repair homes, revitalize communities, and rebuild lives. By utilizing your DIY skills and developing new ones, you’re transforming lives, promoting sustainability, and creating lasting change in the Greater Charlotte area. Sign up now to be a part of this rewarding journey and build a better, more inclusive future for those in need.
Erin Fisher is the Community Engagement Coordinator for Rebuilding Together of Greater Charlotte. In addition to serving RTGC by managing and coordinating volunteers, Erin also likes to raise honeybees, paint various scenes, and swim like a mermaid.