IHN Cincinnati Volunteer Opportunities

Click here to download our volunteer application. Please fill out the application and and return it to our office:

Interfaith Hospitality Network of Greater Cincinnati
Attn: Betsy Wones
2110 St. Michael Street
Cincinnati, OH 45204

Volunteer opportunities:

• Family Mentors
• Receptionist and Administrative Assistant
• Educational Tutor or Infant-Toddler Childcare
• Information Updating and Gathering by Phone

Family Mentors

Purpose of Position:

To work either individually or as a team of mentors with a former IHN guest family toward developing a purposeful and committed relationship based on mutual caring, respect and trust that leads to increased self-reliance, independence and economic stability for that family.

Qualifications for Position:

• Good listening skills, nonjudgmental, reliable, accepting and empowering (as opposed to enabling) Familiar with or open to learning about issues of poverty and mental health as they may affect a family's life or the mentor-mentee relationship Willingness to visit guest family in their home neighborhood, which may be out of the mentor's comfort zone or where the mentor is of a racial minority.
• Willingness to complete an application and questionnaire, participate in a screening process, including a background checks and an interview. 

Time Requirement:

• Two training sessions of approximately three hours apiece, dates and times to be announced Minimum one-year commitment to a family by meeting 4 times per month for the first three months followed by communication in person or by phone at least 2 times per month as needed for the next nine months.
• Attending quarterly family mentor meetings for continuing education programs in the form of speakers, presentations and discussions.

Reporting Relationships:

IHN Housing Retention Case Manager and Volunteer Coordinator

Purpose of Position:

Answer phones, monitor front door buzzer and perform clerical tasks.

Qualifications for position:

Experience with or desire to answer phones, pleasant, organized, attention to detail

Time requirement:

One - two hour block(s) of time, mornings or afternoons weekdays. Regular weekly shift preferred.

Job Site:

IHN Day Center in Lower Price Hill

Responsibilities and Activities:

• Answer a three-line phone system with intercom and voicemail features and route calls to the appropriate staff
• Monitor front door buzzer
• Filing, making copies, preparing mailings, assembling materials, other office help as needed.

Reporting Relationship :

Volunteer Coordinator

For More Information, contact Betsy Wones at 513-471-1100 or betsy@ihncincinnati.org

Educational Tutor or Infant-Toddler Childcare

IHN Volunteer Opportunity to Work with Guests' Children

Are you looking for the opportunity to touch a young person's life, possibly make a difference? The Day Center is seeking volunteers who enjoy being with and helping children - playing with them, tutoring them or just cuddling babies!

 You'll be working with IHN guests' children here at the Day Center in Lower Price Hill during parents' class time from 9:30 - 10:30 a.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays, or during chore time any weekday from 3 to 4:45 p.m. Volunteers can play with the babies or toddlers, provide educational enrichment to preschoolers or tutoring and homework assistance to school-age children. With 8 - 12 children usually on-site, this is a good opportunity to volunteer with a friend or small group of friends. We prefer a minimum commitment of once a week for at least one hour so that families get to know volunteers and look forward to seeing them on a regular basis.

 If you're interested in what could be a rewarding experience for you as well as the children you work with, please contact Betsy Wones at betsy@ihncincinnati.org or call her at 471-1100.

Purpose of position: Provide tutoring or childcare while parents are in class or doing chores
Qualifications for position: Enjoy playing with or tutoring children

Time requirement: 9:30 - 10:30 Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Friday, or 3:00 - 4:45 p.m. any weekday. We prefer a minimum 1 hour weekly commitment. 

Job Site: IHN Day Center in Lower Price Hill

Responsibilities and Activities:

• Provide educational enrichment to preschoolers or tutor school-age children in homework or reading
• Hold and play with babies
• Play games
• Read to children
• General supervision

Reporting Relationship: Betsy Wones, Volunteer Coordinator

Information Updating and Gathering by Phone

Purpose of Position: Acquire different kinds of information by phone to keep a variety of IHN records' current.

Qualifications for position: Experience with or interest in gathering information by phone, ease in communicating with a variety of people by phone, pleasant phone manner, legible handwriting, organized, attention to detail, accuracy.

Time Requirement: 1-2 hours per week

Job Site: IHN Day Center in Lower Price Hill, or possibly off-site

Responsibilities and Activities:

•  Make calls to Case Manager's resources to update shelter, landlord, social service and other agencies' information

• Make calls to IHN congregations to update names and/or titles of contact persons, phone numbers and email addresses

Reporting Relationships: Betsy Wones, Volunteer Coordinator; Eve Beasley, Case Manager

If you would like to learn about any volunteer opportunities, please contact Betsy at 471-1100 x 6 or volunteer@ihncincinnati.org.