Volunteer With Us!

Volunteers drive our impact.

Everyday, dedicated volunteers help us make art sustainable and accessible to everyone! Sign-up to volunteer with us for just one day, or on the regular.

  • One Time Opportunities - Community Volunteering

    Easy sign-up

    Low commitment (2-3 hour sessions)

    Varied schedule including evenings & weekends

    Read more in the FAQ section.

    Sign-Up
  • Photo Credit: Jen M. Ramos

    Ongoing Volunteering - Core Volunteer Program

    Fast application & on-boarding process

    Super flexible schedule

    Build relationships with volunteers & staff

    Tailored experience

    Learn more on the Core Volunteer webpage.

    Apply Now

  • Team Building Sessions - Group Volunteering

    Easy to schedule

    Fun & social

    Immediate, tangible impact

    Find more info in the FAQ section‍ and the ‍Team Building Program.

    Request a Session

Got some extra time this summer? Volunteer with us!

Sign up for a Community Volunteering session for a quick 2-hour session or apply to become a Seasonal Core Volunteer for more flexibility, including being able to take volunteering projects home to work on at your own pace! The Seasonal Core Volunteer Program is easy to dive into, perfect for volunteers with limited availability, like students on summer break, or anyone looking to give back on a shorter timeline during the summer season.

Learn more
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More Information & FAQs

General Information

    • First dibs on purchasing any treasures you find while volunteering!

    • Social atmosphere and exclusive volunteer socials (for Core Volunteers only).

    • First to know about changes and news about ACR.

  • We love when families volunteer with us, and we are excited that you are interested in volunteering as a family!

    Each session has a different age requirement due to the skill level of each of the projects. Check out the individual session description on GivePulse for age requirement info.

    Generally, most sessions are open to ages 12+ (Sorting & Packaging, Fabric Rolling, Education Supplies). Some sessions are better suited for older volunteers (Quilting Fabric and Freestyle Fabric). Some sessions are labeled “Family Friendly” and these are typically open to all ages. For the safety of all volunteers, all minors under the age of 15 must be accompanied by an adult to volunteer regardless of session type.

    In addition, we regularly partner with local non-profit Generation SERVE to offer all-ages volunteering opportunities at Austin Creative Reuse. Sign-ups for those sessions are done on their website, not through GivePulse.

    If you are interested in volunteering as a family on a more regular basis, consider becoming a Core Volunteer. Core Volunteers must be at least 15 years old, however Core Volunteers are always welcome to bring family members with them when volunteering or bring projects home to work on with their whole family! Through this program, many of our volunteers have spent meaningful hours connecting with their kids or parents through service.

  • We love when scout troops volunteer with us! Depending on the age and size of your group, there are a couple of different ways to serve with us.

    We welcome groups of at least 8 scouts that are ages 12 or older to schedule a 1.5-2 hour volunteer session with us as a volunteer group. If your scouts are 12-14 years old, we require that at least 8 scouts volunteer with at least 4 parents, in order to schedule a dedicated volunteer session.

    We welcome groups of 5 or fewer scouts that are ages 12 and up to sign-up for a community volunteer session (check age requirements for different session types).

    And for younger scouts, we would love to have y’all come for a 1 hour service learning field trip!

  • We welcome everyone to volunteer with us! Let us know what accommodations help you succeed, and we will do our best to meet your needs.

    In many cases, such as for mobility impairments or low hearing, we are able to provide all needed accommodations. However, folks that need higher levels of one on one support will need to bring a friend to help them out, because we do not have the staff to continually assist volunteers.

    If you have a volunteer group in need of accommodations, reach out to volunteer@austincreativereuse.org and we’ll see if we can host you. We regularly host Life Skills classes and social groups for adults with disabilities, and we’d love to welcome your group if we can!

  • What ever your reason for seeking community service hours, we would love to have your help! We welcome individuals needing community service hours for:

    • Court ordered service

    • National Honors Society commitments

    • Sorority/ fraternity requirements

    • And more!

    The easiest way to get started is to sign-up for a community volunteer session on GivePulse or become a Core Volunteer if you’re interested in volunteering long term.

    Just let us know what documentation you need and we’ll be happy to provide it.

Community Volunteering Sessions

  • With so many different materials to process, there are many volunteer session types! Try them all out and find your favorite:

    • Sorting & Packaging: Sort materials into groups, bundle like items, price items, and/ or test items to ensure usability.

    • Fabric Rolling: Measure and roll fabric into neat bundles.

    • Education Supplies: Sort, bundle, and test classroom supplies of all kinds.

    • Quilting Fabric: Sort, measure, and carefully fold pieces of quilting cotton and flannel fabric.

    • Freestyle Fabric: Measure, bundle, and roll specialty fabrics like silk, needlework canvas, batting, minky, and more.

    • Dog Toys with APA!: Repair well loved toys and make some new ones from reuse materials - all for the shelter pups at Austin Pets Alive!

  • Generally we hold sessions according to the following schedule:

    • Mondays: Quilting Fabric 10AM-1PM

    • Tuesdays: Education Materials 5:30-7:30PM

    • Wednesdays: Fabric Rolling 5:30-7:30pm

    • Thursdays: Fabric Rolling 10AM-1PM, Sorting & Packaging 5:30-7:30PM

    • Fridays: Dog Toys with APA! 1:30-3:30PM (alternating weeks)

    • Sundays: Freestyle Fabrics 2-4PM (alternating weeks)

    Be sure to check our calendar on GivePulse to ensure a session will go on as scheduled.

  • Yes, through GivePulse, you can sign-up others in your group. All you need is their name and email.

    However, if your group has 6 or more people, we ask that you please schedule a session just for your group through our group inquiry form. We make this request so that the community volunteering session spots are left open to community members that want to volunteer with us, and do not have a group to schedule a private session with.

  • Yes, all volunteers must sign-up to volunteer on GivePulse. Some sessions fill up quickly, so signing-up in advance is recommended. However, there are often last minute spots available, so you can sign-up until the minute the session starts!

Group Volunteering

  • Groups wishing to schedule a session with us must fit the following requirements:

    • Have at least 6 people.

    • Be available to volunteer for at least 1.5 hours.

    • All participants be 12 years & up (check out our field trip options for younger groups).

  • We love companies that choose to give back to their community by volunteering! We have many options for corporate volunteer groups and can host you at our center, or even come to you!

    Check out our Team Building Program for more information, or email us at volunteer@austincreativereuse.org.

  • Yes, through GivePulse, you can sign-up others in your group. All you need is their name and email.

    However, if your group has 6 or more people, we ask that you please schedule a session just for your group through our group inquiry form. We make this request so that the community volunteering session spots are left open to community members that want to volunteer with us, and do not have a group to schedule a private session with.

  • Yes, we do! Every year we welcome students from various high school Life Skills programs, the Texas School for the Deaf, and local rec-center programs for adults with disabilities.

    If you are interested in bringing your group to volunteer with us, send us an email volunteer@austincreativereuse.org. However, our capacity is limited, so unfortunately we can’t host every group that reaches out.

    If you are interested in volunteering to support this program - check out the Core Volunteer page to learn more about how you can help every volunteer feel included, valued, and empowered!

What volunteers are saying…

  • "I absolutely loved it! Everyone was very sweet and welcoming. I'd come back without a second thought!"

    Danica Esquejo

  • "Awesome! We loved sorting and examining paint donations for the resale shop!"

    Claudia Acevedo

  • “Very fun and relaxing. Possibly have picked up a new skill.”

    Luke Pardo

  • “The work of preparing Quilting Fabrics for sale is simple and relatively easy. Everyone seems happy to be there.”

    April Alexander

  • “The people there were so sweet and helpful!”

    Amy Luu

  • “Friendly staff. Good direction and lots of patience!!"

    Todd Bowen

Meet some of our incredible Core Volunteers!

Blog posts about volunteering!

We are so grateful for all the incredible support from the JLA!