An investment of your
time is an investment in San Diego’s future.

Volunteers are the heart of San Diego Habitat.

Volunteers join us for lots of reasons — to give back to the community they love, to build a stronger team, to learn new skills, or just to spend a little more time outdoors! What they all end up finding is that every hand can make a difference.

Best of all, no experience is necessary. Just bring your enthusiasm and we’ll teach you everything you need to know.

More volunteer types

Court-ordered volunteers

Our court-ordered volunteer service program is closed indefinitely. 

Return-to-work volunteers

We are not accepting new return-to-work volunteers at this time. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Welcome back!

No matter your passion, skillset, or level of experience, Habitat has a place for you.

Construction work

Volunteering on the build site is a fun, hands-on opportunity to build homes alongside future Habitat homeowners. No experience is required!

No hard hat required

Offer behind-the-scenes assistance with everything from fundraising and event planning to volunteer coordination, advocacy, and office support.

Come one, come all.

We can host groups of varying sizes, interests, ages, and abilities. Which of the following best describes your group?

Corporate team building

Do something that’s personally rewarding and share a unique bonding experience with your co-workers.

Faith groups

Your congregation can help us provide strength and stability to Habitat homeowners. All faiths are welcome!

Community + military groups

Civic, military, or school groups looking to give back to the community can make a real difference.

We’re committed to providing a safe and rewarding volunteer experience.

What can volunteers expect from Habitat?

  • safe work environments

  • productive work days

  • a chance to learn new skills

  • patience, perspective, and a sense of humor

What can Habitat expect from volunteers?

  • prompt arrival
  • positive attitude and safety-focused outlook

  • willingness to learn and heed direction

  • attention to detail — what you do matters!

  • ability to collaborate and be respectful of others

“The crew was so friendly and patient. I learned so much and felt an amazing sense of accomplishment when we finished.”

Shari

“It was a fantastic day and really worthwhile. Our team appreciated the chance to work on such a meaningful project.”

Paul

“Everyone I worked with was awesome! I enjoyed being able to both contribute and learn. I’ll be back. Thank you for doing what you do!”

Jennifer
habitat for humanity volunteers at carter work project

Ready to get started? Here’s how:

Attend an orientation.

Register for a volunteer orientation to learn more about Habitat’s mission and volunteer opportunities. Orientation is offered 1-2 times a month.

register here

Sign up for your desired shifts.

Depending on your volunteer activity, we offer a variety of shifts you can choose from. Our online scheduling platform, VolunteerHub, will display available dates and times.

Snag your post-orientation shift now. SIGN UP HERE ➜

Repeat!

We hope you have a fun, meaningful volunteer experience that you’ll want to duplicate, and we welcome you back anytime!

Want to make it a regular thing? LEARN MORE ➜

Got questions about volunteering? We’ve got answers.

Need more help?

Please email us at volunteerservices@sandiegohabitat.org.

Yes, we ask that you attend an orientation prior to or within the first month of volunteering. This helps to introduce you to all of the opportunities available to volunteers at San Diego Habitat. If you are volunteering as part of a group, one member of the group should attend and pass along the information to the rest of the group.

Construction site volunteers must be at least 16 years old. ReStore volunteers must be at least 14 years old, and any volunteer at the ReStore under the age of 16 must be accompanied by a parent, guardian, or adult group chaperone.

All minors, regardless of volunteer activity, are restricted from high-risk tasks, such as working on ladders or using power tools. All minors will be prompted to have a parent or guardian sign a Minor Permission Form upon registering to volunteer. Please check opportunities carefully for specific age-related restrictions.

We offer opportunities for groups at our construction sites and ReStores. If you are part of a company that is interested in building with us, please visit our Corporate Team Building page. If you are part of a civic, faith, military, or school group, please find more information here.

There is no minimum commitment for volunteering, although if you sign up for a volunteer shift, we ask that you commit to completing that shift. San Diego Habitat has many opportunities for you to get involved, and we encourage you to get as involved as you would like.

Please fill out this survey to tell us about your interest in volunteering on a regular basis.

The stage of construction determines what you will be doing. Volunteers assist in all phases of construction, from framing to finishes. Do not worry if you have never participated in building a home before — our superintendents and volunteer crew leaders will teach you everything you need to know and make sure you feel comfortable in the task you are assigned.

Closed-toed shoes are required to volunteer and hard-toed boots are recommended. You will be turned away if you wear open-toed shoes, such as flip-flops. We recommend dressing in layers including long pants, such as jeans; a t-shirt that you would not mind getting dirty; and a hat and sunscreen.

Bring a reusable water bottle, hat, sunscreen, and lunch, unless your group is arranging for lunch to be delivered. Lunch break is only 30 minutes and having everyone stay on site makes it easier for us to get back to work in the afternoon. You can bring hand tools and gloves if you would like. We have all the personal protective equipment you will need onsite, as well as all tools needed for the work we have planned that day.

We ask that you do not bring power tools to site as our superintendents would need to inspect each tool for safe operation. We also encourage you to leave unessential valuables at home. Unfortunately, we can’t guarantee a safe place to store them.

When you sign up to volunteer, you will receive a confirmation email that includes details for the day, including where to park. For some sites, parking may be limited, so we recommend carpooling or taking public transportation.

At our construction sites, you must arrive prior to 8:00am in order to volunteer. Our morning welcome and safety briefing begins at 8:00am and our superintendent cannot be taken away from supervising the site to give safety briefings to late volunteers. Since volunteer slots are at a premium at our construction site, it is important that volunteers that sign up commit to attend the full day.

At our ReStores, the shifts are more flexible. Make sure the volunteer supervisor is aware if you need to leave early.

Our Construction and Volunteer Services staff monitor the weather prior to every build. If the tasks for the day can be done in the rain or are indoors, we will continue as scheduled. If the work is outside or unsafe because of rain conditions, we will inform all volunteers of any changes or cancellations to the event a day or two prior.

We love hearing from our volunteers about their experience with us. Please fill out our volunteer survey here.

Things change — no problem! Please navigate to your registered events and click “cancel registration” for the opportunity you can no longer attend.

Joining the waitlist for an opportunity will automatically add you to the event if a volunteer slot opens. Those who have been waitlisted in the past are usually the first to be notified for any new opportunities.

A shift that is “reserved” or “full” means that a group or individuals have reserved the volunteer slots. This is usually a sponsoring group that has reserved the day for members of their organization.

If you are not able to sign up online, please do not try to attend the shift, as we will not be able to accommodate you. Our supervisors plan work for those who have signed up online, and having additional volunteers onsite puts a strain on supervision, negatively affecting the volunteer experience. We never like to turn volunteers away, so please find another open opportunity that fits your schedule.

You can check your hours on VolunteerHub. You can narrow this down to certain dates, which is useful if you intend on itemizing your mileage on your tax return. If you need a certification letter, email volunteerservices@sandiegohabitat.org — please allow for a five business day turnaround.

Strengthen our community while working alongside like-minded volunteers.

Build homes with us or simply lend a helping hand at one of our annual events. From our signature Women Build event to our interfaith Unity Build, we’ve got something for everyone.