Protect the Earth and help the Earth Institute as a volunteer!

NWEI’s work would not be possible without the generous help of volunteers.  From the beginning, volunteer citizens have led the way for others in Portland to learn more about the practice of simplicity and sustainable lifestyle.  In the Portland area we have about 60 active volunteers who help in varying capacities.  Take a look at the list below, and let us know by emailing contact@nwei.org if you would like to become part of this wonderful community.

Local volunteer opportunities:

Course Presenter
Discussion course volunteers are the backbone of NWEI.  Presenting the introduction to a course is both important and exciting. The presenter meets with a group of community members interested in taking an NWEI discussion course and gives a history of NWEI and an overview of the courses and the discussion process. The course presenter position is best for people who are comfortable speaking in front of groups and who can effectively communicate their passion for this work.  We have dozens of courses each month to choose from, so the number of presentations each presenter does depends on each individual's schedule and time availability.

Course Mentor
The role of the course mentor is a key role.  The mentor’s main objective is to demonstrate a successful group process.  Mentors facilitate the first session of a course and demonstrate what an 'opening' looks and feels like.  Mentors support the coordinator and attend the celebration where they collect names of participants interested in future courses and volunteer opportunities. 

Course Coordinator
Coordinators gather people who are interested in taking a course.  This can be done by advertising introductory presentations, or by simply gathering friends, family, co-workers or neighbors.  Coordinators also make reminder calls, schedule the course and celebration, distribute materials, collect money for books, encourage membership and communicate with attendees, presenters & mentors.

Curriculum Committee
Members of this committee work with our curriculum coordinator to put together new discussion course books and revise versions of our older courses.  This is role is one that will fluctuate with the schedule of course books.  Members assist in researching articles, attending weekly meetings, creating sessions and discussion questions throughout the process until the book is published. The average time commitment for this role is around four months.

Matchmaker
We are looking for a volunteer to track individuals who would like to join a course with other individuals in the community and then help the group coordinate the course start, location and time with the participants.  

Artwork
We are always in need of artwork for the website, annual reports, newsletters and others.  Please share your art with us and help make our materials stand out.

Tabling
Tablers attend events with our tabling display and materials and introduce NWEI, talk about the impact that NWEI courses have on people and invite them to sign up for more information on our courses. 

Office projects
We have a variety of on-going office projects available for different lengths of time.  They include: web research for contacts/organizations in specific communities, outreach projects, data base entry, editing, proofing materials (like our newsletter), phone banking and helping with mailings.