Giving Compass' Take:

• The Surfrider Foundation volunteer program offers exemplary lessons on how to get involved in your community and provide local support to organizations.

• How can place-based philanthropy encourage more volunteerism in communities? 

• Read more about how to volunteer and five steps to make a difference. 

During this challenging time of the COVID-19 pandemic, our Surfrider volunteers are committed to keeping their communities engaged with opportunities that help us to stay connected and resilient. Participating in a virtual chapter meeting, supporting a local Ocean Friendly Restaurant, attending a chapter virtual movie night, doing a home single-use plastic audit, planning an Ocean Friendly Garden, enjoying a chapter’s virtual Pau Hana (happy hour) or promoting content that helps to link people back to the coast and beaches, are all ways that we continue to keep our chapters and communities connected and supported while also keeping a focus on our important mission.

In conjunction with National Volunteer Week 2020, staying involved in your local chapter and club can play an important role as we all work through this difficult period. For some, it’s a connection to community and a way to maintain social interaction. For others, it helps to maintain normalcy to the best extent possible. For whatever reason you stay involved, the Surfrider Foundation will continue to support our chapter and club leaders with guidance that is based on science, compassion and a sound decision-making process.

We want to make sure that our volunteers have the resources that they need to stay active in a manner that works best for them. The Surfrider team is focused on supporting our network with tools and assets that immediately provide assistance, but also scale beyond the pandemic.

Read the full article about getting involved in your community by Ed Mazzarella at Surfrider Foundation.