Hands On Nashville Day volunteers have the most fun…
YOU ROCK for wanting to dive in and get involved in Hands On Nashville Day, our city’s biggest day of volunteerism that benefits Metro Schools. To sign up as an individual, you’ll need to follow a few simple steps, all outlined below. If you’d rather sign up a team, read about how to do that here. If someone is going to invite you to be a part of their team, you will receive email instructions telling you what to do.
1. Create an account / Log in to your account. > Click here to create your HON.org account. (If you already have a HON.org account, simply log in using the green ‘login’ button in the upper right corner of the site and go to step #2. If you have an account, but have not volunteered with us since last year, please reset your password by clicking ‘login/forgot password’ in the upper right corner.)
2. Browse schools and SIGN UP! > Click here to get started. (Remember, you must first be logged in to your account to sign up for a school site.) From this page, you can either browse school sites on the Google map…
… or in a list view by clicking the green button.
Once you find the school you want and click SIGN UP, you will receive an email confirmation with additional details about about exactly where to go on Sept. 22, etc.
3. Support volunteerism & Hands On Nashville. > Make your gift here.
This is our largest annual fundraiser. A $25 donation per participant is suggested. All gifts support HON’s work to connect record numbers of volunteers to critical community needs such as hunger, homelessness, and animal welfare. > Or start a personal fundraising page here.
4. Tell your friends.
Please spread the word about this awesome, uplifting community event! Whether your preferred mode of communication is Facebook, Twitter, email, or carrier pigeon, you can inspire others to join in. (Please be sure to tag us — www.facebook.com/HONashville, @HONashville — and use #HONDay12 as the Twitter hashtag).
Hands On Nashville Day, Nashville’s biggest day of service benefiting Metro schools, is right around the corner. On Saturday, September 22, 2,000 volunteers will help makeover nearly 60 Metro Nashville Public Schools. Are you ready for this big adventure?
We’re looking for team captains to rally their friends, coworkers, neighbors, and anyone who wants to join in the fun. Here are a few helpful hints to get your helping hands in gear and create a team using our system.
1. Create an account / Log in to your account. (If you already have a HON.org account, simply log in using the green ‘login’ button in the upper right corner of our site, and go to step #2.) > Click here to create your HON.org account.
After completing the form, click submit and you will be automatically logged into your account.
2. Create a team. And yes, YOU are the team captain. (Thanks for stepping up!) When you are logged in, click on the My Account section in the blue menu bar.
To the left, click on Create a New Team. You will then be asked to enter simple information about your team. No lie detectors, we promise. Remember: As the team captain, you are automatically added to the team. This means, you do NOT need to add yourself as a team member.
Click Create Team at the bottom of the page. Pause for a minute to let the hamsters in the wheel do their work before you click again… our system needs a little time to create your team. Once the system is done, you’ll see a confirmation page. WAY TO GO, you have made a team! If only all things in life were this easy. All of your team members will receive an email with instructions for how to accept the invitation.
** Starting on Tues., Sept. 4, you’ll be able to sign up your team for a specific HON Day school site (see #6 for more info). Creating a team does NOT mean your team is signed up for HON Day. You must also sign up when registration opens on Sept. 4.
3. Update team information.
If you find yourself wanting to add additional team members because you’re incredibly popular, charming, or just plain awesome, follow these steps:
Log in to your volunteer account, go to the My Account section and click on My Teams.
Identify which volunteer team you would like to update, and click the plus sign (+) next to that team name. Click Manage Team.
Click Add New Members to add people. To remove a team member, select the individual and click Remove Member.
To make another member a team captain, select the individual and click Make A Captain. They will now get to manage the roster and pump up the group.
4. Sign your team up for a school.
Starting on Sept. 4, you’ll be able to sign up your team for a HON Day school site at HON.org. Schools fill up fast and the early bird gets the worm. Ready to sign up? Follow these simple steps:
Log into your account. Click on the Hands On Nashville Day link in the blue menu bar. Click on Register Now.
Browse the HON Day school options and pick the one want to sign up for. Click on the Or sign up with a team link at the bottom of the volunteer opportunity page (next to the large green Sign Up button).
In the Option 1 box, use the scroll-down menu to select which volunteer team will take part. A pop-up window will appear. Choose which team members will take part in HON Day.
Click SIGN UP. You and your teammates will receive an email confirmation with additional details about where to go for your project, etc. We encourage you to also email your team to make sure everyone has all the info they need.
(If you do not have firm commitments from all of the people you’ve invited to be on your team, that’s ok. You can still go ahead and sign your team up for a school. The people who are “pending” will get a slot. But it is important that you confirm these volunteers as either a yes or a no at least one week before HON Day, and then go in and remove the names of those who are not joining you, so that other volunteers can fill in those slots! Under ‘My Account’ / ‘Upcoming Opportunities’ look for the HON Day opportunity and click on ‘Manage My Team.’ A pop-up window with team member names will come up. Select the people who have confirmed that they WILL be joining you for HON Day. Click ‘Submit.’)
5. Support volunteerism & Hands On Nashville. (optional) > Make your gift here. This is our largest annual fundraiser. A $25 donation per participant is suggested. All gifts support HON’s work to connect record numbers of volunteers to critical community needs such as hunger, homelessness, and animal welfare. > Or start a team fundraising page here. Raise more than $1,000 and get extra perks as a Team Challenge participant. Email HONDay@hon.org to learn more.
6. Communicate with your team.
Pumped to tell your team about this awesome event and plan your matching outfits for the day? You are now able to send out mass messages to your members. Here’s how:
Log into your account. In the My Account section, click on My Teams.
Click the plus sign (+) next to the team name. Click Manage Team and select which members you’d like to email and click Email Members.
Write your message and hit Submit to send.
7. HON Day projects take place at 50+ school sites on Saturday, Sept. 22 from 8 a.m. to noon.
When you’re done with the landscaping and painting, be sure and plan to attend the CMT One Country Celebration at Limelight including complimentary lunch, door prizes, and music til 2 p.m.
Whew! That’s it. You now know everything you need to conquer the world… or, at least make it a better place. Questions about creating or managing a team? More instructions can be found here. You can also call us at (615) 298-1108 or e-mail us at support@hon.org.
This sentiment from one of the greatest 60’s pop songs, The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy) is just as relevant today at Hands On Nashville as it was 40 years ago. We often get calls the day after you volunteer, wondering why your hours aren’t posted yet. We applaud your enthusiasm! But we want to take a moment to explain the process and encourage you to slow down (and make the morning last). The reason your hours aren’t up yet is simple: Hands On Nashville projects are managed by people! HON Volunteer Leaders – those dedicated souls who commit to leading a volunteer project on a regular basis – lead the projects, and these same people are responsible for updating volunteer hours. So at the end of the day, when the food is sorted, the garden has been weeded and another great meal has been served, sit back. Relax. Your Volunteer Leader is probably doing the same thing. Take a beat to reflect on what you accomplished, and please wait two weeks for your hours to be updated. Thank you for your volunteerism!
Do you long for freedom and flexibility in your life? HON can help! While we can’t institute four day weekends or get rid of speed limits, we CAN offer flexible volunteer opportunities that allow you to work with a nonprofit to determine a mutually beneficial time for completing the needed task.
Rather than being scheduled for a pre-determined time and date (which is what you see if you look on our Opportunity Calendar), these allow for a bit more scheduling flexibility. Also called To-Be-Scheduled Opportunities, these allow a volunteer to set a schedule based on their availability and the nonprofit’s scheduling needs. Volunteers communicate with the nonprofit to determine a mutually beneficial time for completing the needed task. To see a full list of To-Be-Scheduled opportunities, click here.
Here’s how to search for To-Be-Scheduled opportunities: 1. Click Find An Opportunity from the blue horizontal menu on HON’s home page.
2. In the green Basic Search box on the left, click the dropdown menu for Schedule Type.
3. Choose To Be Scheduled. Click Search.
4. Find an opportunity that fits your interest or skills. Click on the opportunity title.
5. You will be taken to the opportunity details of the project where you can read more about the project. If interested in volunteering, select the Express Interest button.
6. The nonprofit will contact you to establish a plan for volunteering.
Voilà! It’s no utopian society where rules don’t exist, but it sure opens up a world of possibility for those of us with scheduling challenges who still want to give back.
