Current opportunities

How to become an IRC volunteer

Thank you for your interest in welcoming refugees to your community. By volunteering with the IRC in Richmond, VA, you use your skills to help people who have fled violence and persecution to rebuild their lives in America. See below for the latest volunteer opportunities and how to apply.

Volunteer process

  1. Familiarize yourself with the IRC and review our current available volunteer positions. Choose 3 that best fit your interests, skills, and schedule.

  2. Complete a volunteer application by following thislink. Once your application has been received, you will be contacted within 10 business days regarding upcoming Volunteer Orientation dates.

  3. After attending an informational Orientation, you will be invited to complete the necessary background checks.* To protect our clients, we require background checks for all our volunteers, and we ask volunteers to make a $43 donation to cover a portion of associated costs. Currently, 92% of our funding goes directly to our clients, and your help to cover this cost allows us to continue providing the best service possible. The background check process usually takes 7-10 days.

  4. After you have attended a Volunteer Orientation and your background check is complete, you will be invited to the office for a one-on-one interview and training session. The training session includes a review of the Volunteer Policies and instructions for reporting volunteer hours.

  5. Once you sign the necessary paperwork and receive your volunteer badge, you're ready to get started! Depending on your role, you'll either start receiving volunteer assignments or be matched with a family.

Additional information

*You must be 18 years or older to volunteer and complete a background check. For High School Opportunities, please email [email protected].

Most positions require at least a 6 month volunteer commitment with up to 5 hours per week. If this is not feasible for you, please email us about our on-call opportunities.

Please email [email protected] with any questions.