Help empower low-income communities!
Make a secure,
tax-deductible donation online.
Make a secure,
tax-deductible donation online.
How To Volunteer
Reserve your spot on the volunteer installation crew
Help make the benefits of solar power accessible to low-income families while learning new skills and having fun outside. Gain hands-on solar experience and network with others interested in renewable energy, the environment, and our communities. Best of all, there’s no experience, special skills, or tools needed.
- Sign up for our volunteer opportunities email list.
- Enter your contact information to the right under “Get Involved”. We send out monthly emails with information about upcoming volunteer opportunities and training session dates – reply to the email to sign up. You can also click here for our events calendar. The calendar is typically updated during the last week of the month with the following month’s events.
- Complete a volunteer application and bring it to one of our mandatory trainings or mail it to a regional office.
- Receive confirmation for your installation date after you sign up.
Frequently Asked Questions
| Time Commitment: | 1-2 days, 8:30AM-4:30PM with a break for lunch. Installations are typically 2-day installations on weekends. You do not need to volunteer for consecutive days. |
|---|---|
| # of Volunteers Needed: | For safety and workflow reasons, each site can accommodate 10-15 volunteers each day. Spots fill up quickly and are filled on a first-come basis with consideration for new and local volunteers and participants in job training programs. We have many installations planned for the year so please continue to check our calendar. |
| Qualifications: | No experience or tools necessary! Each team is led by an experienced volunteer Team Leader, and each installation is managed by an on-staff Construction Manager. Moderate lifting (20 lbs.) may be involved. As GRID Alternatives policy, all modules and inverters must be carried by at least 2 people at all times. If you are uncomfortable with heights or ladders, ground work is available. |
| Age Requirement: | 18+ (In some cases, we can accommodate 16-17 year-olds with written parental consent. Please contact us for more information.) |
| Training Provided: | All volunteers are required to attend one 3-hour training session which covers basic solar electric concepts and a review of the installation process with a focus on safety. The training is not intended to be a technical training on system design. Once you have attended a training, you may sign up for as many installations as you like. You must receive confirmation for all installation dates. Translation can be made available upon request. |
| Comments: | GRID Alternatives is both a nonprofit organization and a licensed California C-10 electrical contractor. All volunteers must sign a waiver onsite at the installation. |
Upcoming Events
Friday, September 5, 2008 8:30am
Wednesday, September 10, 2008 8:30am
Saturday, September 13, 2008 8:30am
Get Involved!
Want to get involved? Sign up for one or more of our email lists below.
Video Clip
Watch a short movie from GRID Alternatives' Solarthon 2006 event, courtesy of our friends at TreehuggerTV.