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Volunteer Initiatives Program
Volunteer Opportunities
The spirit of volunteerism and civic duty is deeply rooted in Houston's culture, with about one million volunteers every year from the Greater Houston Area.
The City of Houston Volunteer Initiatives Program (VIP) is in the Mayor's Office and is responsible for engaging Houstonians in city government through volunteer service activities and community projects.
"Whether it is helping our neighbors next door or those far away, Houstonians never hesitate to step up and lend a hand. Too often we fail to recognize and appreciate those who give of their time to others. This is our chance to say thank you." ~ Mayor Annise D. Parker
The City of Houston encourages individuals to explore a variety of programs that allow them to experience the many facets of civic engagement. In doing so, each volunteer helps to make their community a better place to live. The VIP is a division of the Department of Neighborhoods.
If you are interested in volunteering with the City of Houston you can sign up through the VIP website by clicking on the link below.
Volunteering in Houston
Houston is home to almost a million volunteers every year with a combined total of service hours of nearly 140,000 million hours.
Help us keep track of the amazing work you are doing around the City and take a few moments to fill out our survey. This helps us to measure the success of all the volunteer efforts in Houston.
- Go to Survey (opens in new window)
Starbucks Global Leadership Conference
In October 2012, as part of the Starbucks Global Leadership Conference, nearly 10,000 Starbucks partners from across 34 countries volunteered more than 42,000 hours of service in just three days to positively impact more than 200,000 people’s lives in the Houston community.
Starbucks community service represents nearly $1 million of financial value invested into the Houston community, with a total contribution during the Global Leadership Conference valued at nearly $22 million in economic and community impact.
HoustonSERVICE.org
With the launch of the Houston Service Plan, the Mayor’s Office received a Cities of Service Leadership Grant sponsored website that allows for non-profits, faith based organizations, and universities in the Houston area to post volunteer opportunities free of charge.
If you are a non profit, faith-based organization or university interested in signing up for this free service please click on the link below.
*HoustonSERVICE is also a valuable tool for Houstonians looking to see what other organizations are providing services in the city, as well as volunteer opportunities within those organizations.
With the launch of this new website, we hope to make Houston one of the most volunteer friendly cities in the country!
Call to Service
Mayor Annise Parker joined the Cities of Service Coalition on February 3, 2010. Cities of Service is a bipartisan coalition of mayors who have committed to work together to lead a multi-year effort to expand impact volunteerism. Founded by New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and 16 other member cities in September 2009, the coalition has rapidly grown and now includes 110 mayors, representing more than 47 million Americans across the nation.
Houston SERVICE is the local movement of the national Cities of Service coalition to utilize volunteers to address the city’s greatest needs and the priorities of our mayor.
Houston SERVICE is a comprehensive, high-impact service plan that leverages service and volunteerism to address three areas of need in the City of Houston: youth development, veterans affairs, and CPR readiness.
Cities in the United States face serious challenges and many mayors want to take advantage of every resource available to them, including the time and energy of public spirited residents. However, citizen service is often an inefficiently utilized strategy by municipal governments. Cities of Service supports mayors to leverage citizen service strategies, addressing local needs and making government more effective.
To join Cities of Service, please visit: www.citiesofservice.org.
About Cities of Service
Founded in New York on September 10, 2009 by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and the mayors of 16 other cities, Cities of Service is a bipartisan coalition of mayors who have answered the historic Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act’s call to action. Representing more than 46 million Americans in 100 cities, all coalition members have signed a “Declaration of Service,” committing to work together to lead a multi-year effort to expand community service and volunteerism by:
Contact Us
Katherine Price
Interim Chief Service Officer
Volunteer Initiatives Program
900 Bagby, Public Level
Houston, TX 77002
Phone: 832.393.0971
Email: volunteer@houstontx.gov
City of Houston Volunteer Engagement Survey
The purpose of this survey is to perform an assessment on whether or not the needs of the Volunteers and the Community in the greater Houston area are met. In addition, the information you provide will assist in identifying areas where services may be limited or lacking.
City of Houston Service Plan
There are many diverse populations doing good work in the City.
Our focus with Houston SERVICE is to engage more volunteers and to use them more effectively to achieve impact for at-risk youth, veterans affairs, and to educate citizens on life-saving CPR techniques.