You know you want to volunteer. You know when someone asks you what you did this weekend, it would be cool to say, "I helped pack meals for the homebound for Project Open Hand" or "I helped with some cleanup at Literacy for Environmental Justice". But you don't feel like you have enough time. Hands On Bay Area is such a cool vehicle for volunteering without commitment. Sign up, show up, do your 2-3 hours and go home. And if you find a project you really love, you can volunteer every month (most are recurring) or contact the agency to become a regular volunteer. I do wish they had more things I could do with my very young girls. I want to raise them to enjoy volunteering, and most of these projects only welcome older children. But we did do a "With Seniors" visit and a good time was had by all. Our new elderly friend Dorothy really connected with my 5 year old daughter. Meet great people, give back to the community, have fun doing it. read more

**************** REVIEW 427 ****************** I've been with Hands on Bay Area when it was Community Impact in Mountain View in 1999. Hands on Bay Area offer volunteers many options of the volunteer opportunities that match their interests, such as: - Adult education and literacy, - Animal support, - Children & youth (- Enrichment and recreations, tutoring, etc) - Community enrichment, - Environment, - Heath & wellness, - Homelessness and Hungers, You can choose from location different counties such as: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marine, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, & Santa Clara Counties! HOBA has a great website, that user friendly, you can RSVP your project that fits you & they email you the info and also reminder for you! You don't need any skill to volunteer! Hands on Bay Area website makes it really easy to do it & if you are new, they will make you go to an orientation, but it's easy & you get to meet many wonderful hearts just like yourself! So lend a hand, make a different in your community! read more

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This is a great organization! I've always wanted to help out whenever I can but I am always fearing being over committed. In this case you never have to! You go to their website- register for free and look for a project in your area, sign up, and then show up! There are plenty of events but they do fill up quick. Check back often though because if people can't make it they will remove themselves from the event. Today I went to my first event and it was in the Santa Clara county. I volunteered at A Place At The Table with InnVision Peninsula Program at the Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Menlo Park. The shift was pretty short for 12:30 to 4:30pm but we actually ended at 3:30pm. The task at hand was to come help prepare and serve a hot meal to the East Palo Alto homeless community. The Project Leader Paul had e mailed me several times to make sure I was going to show up, give me directions, and what to prepare for which was great. There were about 9 people volunteering to serve a hot meal for up to 90 people. We made spaghetti and meatballs, corn, ceasar salad, pastries, and coffee. I really liked my first time experience because everyone was willing to get their hands dirty. Some were chopping onions, tossing the salad, scooping the spaghetti, serving to the clients, etc. I look forward to signing up for more events on the website! Its so easy! read more

Hands on Bay Area rocks my socks off! I have always wanted to volunteer, but have a hard time committing to 6-month or 1-year stints, which is what most organizations ask for. I love the concept of HOBA: volunteer where you want, when you want. No long term commitments of any kind. It's perfect for anyone with a busy schedule. No there can be no excuses for not volunteering! You don't even have to set aside the time when you choose when to volunteer. And, registering and signing up for a volunteer project is a piece of cake on their website. So what are you waiting for? Go sign up! :) read more

Went to the SPRUCE UP the San Francisco Zoo last SAT, 10-JAN-09. Aside, I have done volunteer work at Boys & Girls Club in Silicon Valley, CA and Project Open Hand in Atlanta, GA but wanted to try something different for the next project go around. It was my first event and really enjoyed helping out. BTW added bonus working with nice people (Zoo employees as well as HOBA volunteers). Signed up for the next one on 14-FEB-09. read more

I love the concept of Hands On Bay Area, it's very similar to OneBrick with whom I've also done volunteer events with. I love being able to pick a day that's convenient for me and sign up, I'm busy so although I can't commit to a regular schedule, I'm happy to give 4-8hrs here and there. I signed up for Be The Change Day and worked at Full Circle Farm in Sunnyvale and had a great time. I had so much fun I wanted to sign up for more events, so I went to HOBA's website only to find that if I want to sign up for other events (other than the first Saturday of the month), I have to pay $25. Sure it's a tax deductible donation and it goes to a non-profit but something doesn't sit well with me that they require you to pay in order to volunteer... I'm still on the fence about whether or not I'm going to pay the fee to get access to the Full Circle Farm events (held on the 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month). Bottom line, I love giving back to my community whenever I can but making volunteers pay money to sign up for events doesn't seem right. read more

I was really excited to find this organization. I volunteered with one just like it in Boston called Boston Cares. The whole setup was easy, there were tons of opportunities, and there were even social events (book clubs, outings, etc.) mixed in there so you could meet fellow volunteers. I was heavily involved with Boston Cares and enjoyed every minute of it. The disappointment with HandsOn Bay Area hit when I was stepping through the orientation and found out they require you to pay $25 to volunteer with them!! $25?!? To volunteer my time? If I want to volunteer with my husband, that's $50 for the two of us! We have many reasons to volunteer, one of them is because it gives us an activity to do that allows us to meet new people for free. It's disheartening because they have so many great opportunities at HandsOn, especially compared to other volunteer organizations, but I'm going to pass. Maybe if it were $5 I might overlook the fact I'm getting charged, but certainly not for $25. I'm really bummed. If they decide to change their policy in the future then I'll be happy to volunteer, but until that happens I'm going to go volunteer with another organization. read more

If you're looking for volunteer opportunities, HOBA is your best bet! I first found HOBA through a google search back in 2005. I was impressed to see so many volunteer project opportunities around the Bay Area. I had heard of the National Hands On Network before, so I was confident that HOBA was a legit organization. Signing up for a volunteer project is very simple and efficient. All you have to do is register on their website. As soon as you do that, you have access to the volunteer project calendar. All the projects have a description, so you know what you're getting into. Sign up for a project and you get a confirmation email with all the information you need for the project. If necessary, the project leader may email you with additional details. You are also connected to the project leader in case you have any questions or concerns. When the project date rolls around, just show up and volunteer! It' so simple! All the project leaders and HOBA staff are incredibly organized. Once at the project, they'll sign you in and usually start with a brief orientation with the agency you're volunteering at. After the project, they regroup as well. Many of the projects are on-going, so you can really get to know the agency and people that you're helping if you attend the same project over time. There are projects in all impact areas: Youth Outreach, Women's Needs, Special Needs, Homelessness, Education/Literacy, Families, Seniors, Animal/Pet Needs, Environmental, etc. Whatever you're interested in, there's a volunteer project just for you! They have projects in all over the Bay Area. There's a project every day of the year. If you want to volunteer at more than one project per day, you can be super volunteer since there are several projects in the same day. The HOBA staff is super welcoming to newbies. You feel right at home. It's a great opportunity to meet people in you community as well. Bring a friend or volunteer alone, you'll be sure to meet new friends either way. HOBA provides rewarding opportunities to make a difference in the community. They make volunteering fun but more importantly, meaningful! read more

Hands on Bay Area (HOBA) represents everything I love about San Francisco: a collective sense of social and civic responsibility paired with a strong dedication to improving our community. The best part? HOBA makes it EASY. You don't have to go out and search for volunteer opportunities. You just sign up on this site and they coordinate everything for you. They tell you: what the volunteer options are, where to go, how to get there, and what to do. They divide up volunteer opportunities by area of interest so everything is quickly accessible. Their website has a 5 minute online orientation (they say it's 15 but it's actually 5) and waiver of liability that you sign electronically, and you're covered from then on. Sign up now and start collecting those karma points. =) read more

I went to my 1st Hand On Bay Area volunteer project at Edgewood and I LOVED Edgewood and their Staff and kids but Hand On Bay Area, No bueno! It is easy to sign up online months in advance (I refuse to pay them so I'm doing the free days on the calendar). Then the leader would email a reminder a week before the event, which was nice. I had a smooth process with them until I showed up at the event. I followed the signs to a room where we all gathered, sat down and started talking to some volunteers. We all sat there waiting and waiting and waiting with NO direction. Half the volunteers we were waiting for never showed up and I was tired of waiting and wanted some direction. I then realized where is our Hands on Bay Area leader?? In the middle of other volunteers complaining on what's going on? 20minutes have passed from the time we were supposed to start, I said out loud where is our leader?? That's when this girl said to me with attitude, "That's ME!" Then went silent again for the rest of the time we were there. I don't know what kind of leader doesn't introduce herself or tell us what going on, maybe HOBA needs to train her again. Then to top it off, I saw her falling asleep at the table when the Edgewood staff was telling us about their foundation, so NOT professional. Unfortunately the only way to volunteer at Edgewood is to go through HOBA so I guess I'll have to stick with them. I just hope I get a better leader next time. I was hesitant on posting this if I get her again but hey who cares! People should know what happened. read more

Do you want to make a difference without making a huge commitment? It's possible here in SF becaue of Hands On. I found them a few months after moving here and I've had some amazing experiences because of them. Here's the deal. You go to one orientation session. After that, you can sign up for volunteer opportunities that appeal to you and your interests. Most of the opportunities last for just a few hours with no long term commitment. Others may lead you to a regular gig, which is what happened to me. Through Hands On, I found out about SF AIDS Foundation's Needle Exchange Program. For about 18 months, I was a volunteer at a needle exchange site near Civic Center. Without sounding too cliche, it changed my life, my perception of San Francisco, and my overall feelings/perceptions of homeless people and IV drug users. It also helped me decide to finally apply to nursing school. In addition to leading me to SF AIDS Foundation, I also volutnteered for Special Olympics in SF and San Mateo (made me cry tears of joy every single time), Ronald McDonald House, and Glide Memorial Church. Oh, and I also spent an evening passing out condoms and conducting surveys in the Castro. All through Hands On Bay Area. You can pick and choose your volunteer gigs without any minimum monthly commitment. You will forever be in the Hands On "system." If you don't volunteer for a year (or more), no big deal, just go back whenever you can swing it. read more

HoBA, I keep to my word and have yet another great experience with you guys! This past weekend I volunteered in Golden Gate Park to help maintain and landscape the AIDS Memorial Grove. I was welcomed by the Grove's staff and immediately by Seth, HoBA's Coordinator and one of many coordinators of several volunteer groups. I was surprised to find that the actual turnout for this event was far beyond what I expected. Although HoBA's website anticipated a turnout of 12-15 solely among us, there actually were about 100 volunteers, many of which travelled from places as far as Utah. I was truly inspired. Now to the actual work we did in which we pulled weeds, cleared pathways, and scrubbed clean the beautiful stoned sitting areas and stairs. It was a beautiful day in the park, spent with wonderful and giving people, and more importantly, for a great cause. The Grove staff treated us to both breakfast and a well catered lunch. Icing on the cake, they gave each of us Memorial Grove t-shirts, where on the back it's written, "It's where we heal." Every 3rd Thursday of the month, HoBA partners with The Grove Memorial Foundation for smiles, sweat, and great company! Once again, I highly recommend this group and especially this monthly event!! read more

Hands On is hands down, my favorite way to volunteer in the Bay Area. Why? Because it's so well organized. There's a huge variety of options, which can be searched on the easy to use website by your particular interests and locations. If I were new to the Bay Area, I would sign up for one of the Team Works teams-where you work on projects in a particular neighborhood (Sunset, for example) with the same group of volunteers over a set amount of time as a great way to meet new people and learn about the city while giving back. Every year I work on the Toy Sort for Glide, which is like the opportunity to work in Santa's workshop by sorting donations. I've also voluneteered at the Edgewood Center for Families, the Hamilton House, the Giving Tree in Sunnyvale, and gardened at the Legion of Honor. There is no minimum time requirements, so you can volunteer based on your own schedule. Hands On also has a Day of Service (October 14 in 2006) where they recruit just a ton of people to do work all over the Bay Area for one day. It's incredible when you read the results of what they've accomplished. There's also a corporate side that can put together team building activities for corporations. read more

Hands on Bay Area is the 1st volunteering company I've used in SF but, it's a great one! It's very user friendly, allowing you to do iniatiation, calendar, sign up etc all online. I've done a few different events and love the variety of options. It feels great to give back! www.handsonbayarea.org read more

Love Hands on Bay Area! The diversity of projects and ease of entry make it difficult to come up with excuses for NOT volunteering. I heard about Hands On from a friend who participated in Hands on Atlanta and Hands on Miami. I highly recommend with one caveat: sign up early cuz they fill up fast and make sure you show up to your scheduled event as I've been told they have a lot of no-shows. I'm considering taking the training to be a group leader..the ones I have worked with have been great. read more

After being the 20th person to review this place. Understand this is a great way to Volunteer. I got hooked on Volunteering because this site makes it so simple. You pick the day and sign up for projects you are interested in with no commitments. I have meet so many fun people who also enjoy volunteering. It also keeps track of your volunteers hours in case you need it for college or anything. So as the 20th person to review with 5 stars I think you should go on the website and check it out. You can make a difference in your community and you hard work will be highly appreciated. read more

Giving back , where it's at. All the 5 star worthy points are made in the reviews below, so in summary: Easy, Flexible (NO long term commitment), Many options, Cool people (guys - lots of ladies!), and fun Fundraising parties. Been a volunteer and project leader for many years. I tend to do my good at : Special Olympics (Softball, Volleyball, Golf, Bocce, Soccer, Track), Ronald McDonald House, Various Seasonal Volunteer Oppties, and of course Hands On Bay Area Day (Oct 14, 2006) http://www.handsonbayarea.org/AboutUs/index.php/hoba_day2006.htm Have a few spare hours a month ? Dew Gude read more

Very well run organization - lots of opportunities to volunteer through them each month - good variety in what they assist with. For a few years I helped out at a place which made and delivered meals as well as other projects including de-weeding and planting. read more

If you want to volunteer but don't know where to begin, HandsOn Bay Area is totally, absolutely perfect for you, and you should sign up right this second. You sign up for stuff online, you show up, you help for 2-4 hours, and you leave feeling awesome. It's as simple as that. But it's easy to get sucked in and end up doing way more and feeling even more awesome. Here's my story: I started with volunteering with HOBA at OBUGS (Oakland Based Urban Gardens), despite having whatever the opposite of a green thumb is. My HOBA project leader and the representative from OBUGS told us how important we were to their programs, which bring lessons about nutrition, science and gardening to kids in West Oakland. (One day, they scheduled a truck FULL of dirt on the same day HOBA volunteers were coming -- if we weren't there, those poor two guys would have spent at least 8 hours spreading dirt and mulch!!) Then we worked for 3 hours in the nice, warm sun, with butterflies flying and birds chirping, while neighbor kids stopped by to help out (and ask a million questions, like kids do). The best thing ever was sharing a carrot with a neighborhood kid who had pulled it out of the ground right there. It's easy to get disconnected from where food comes from -- especially for kids living in the food desert that is West Oakland -- and OBUGS totally helped me center. Now I lead the project once a month (please come! meet me! it's fun!) and volunteer with them even more often, when they need it. I also found a job in food access and I feel like this is where I want to be. All this might seem like it distracts from HOBA, but I really think it says great things about them. HOBA began a ripple effect that changed my life. If it weren't for HOBA, I likely wouldn't have done any volunteering at all -- and now it's one of the things I look forward to most. read more

If you have a strong desire to give back to the community but are cursed with commitment-phobia--or if your life just makes it tough to develop a regular volunteering schedule--then Hands on Bay Area is a perfect way to get involved. As a transplant, HOBA has really been the driving force behind discovering San Francisco and what its cultural identity is really all about (because let's face it, the shopping/restaurant/bar/club scene is just a teeny-tiny sliver of what SF is actually like!). Since March 2007, I've had the opportunity to work on service projects at Glide Memorial Church, the AIDS Memorial Grove and other parts of Golden Gate Park, and in a couple of family shelters downtown, and they've all been rewarding experiences. You really do meet some great people whose paths you probably wouldn't cross otherwise. The structure of the HOBA organization is great. The quick-and-easy online project selection process is SO organized, and the staff and project leaders are fantastic and represent HOBA well at each service project. They also do a really good job keeping in touch with their members (weekly newsletters, fundraising campaigns, and occasional get-togethers) and do their best to form this cohesive--yet commitment-phobic-friendly--family! read more

I've been volunteering with HOBA for over 3 years; they are amazing!! You are able to sign up for as many and as often events as you'd like. They don't ask for a commitment and you can go months without volunteering and never get harassed. The events are diverse, easy and fun. You meet great people from all walks of life and help the community. My only complain is not enough East Bay volunteering opportunities :( read more

I agree with Jason F. HOB is so easy and a great way to get involved. Their website with the calendar makes it so easy to sign up based on the time you have if you are not too particular. If you are, you can choose based on the cause or the type of volunteering you want to do. I worked with Fix our Ferals - a strange experience which was a lot like an alien abduction. The cats are put to sleep, shaved, tied to a board, operated on and awake again within 20 min. You haven't lived until you've seen 30 cats lined up on what looks like a cutting board with their eyes open, shaved, opened up and being carried from station to station. Seriously, everyone there has so much respect for these stray cats. We carefully monitored them, they were carefully carried from place to place, were cleaned and de-wormed. I don't mean to imply that anything was casual or unusual, it is just that 150 cats in 5 hours is a little mind blowing. I kept looking around for someone to make eye contact with like- "Are you seeing how weird this looks?" but no dice. I guess it is just me! Also I worked with Loaves and Fishes - a great service which provides a meal to the working poor of San Jose. There is definitely a loyal crowd of volunteers who help out. I think they are getting kicked out of their location in a few months so hopefully they can find a new spot. read more

I regularly volunteer through One Brick, but when their calendar doesn't have a project to my liking I've looked to Hands on Bay Area (HOBA) to volunteer my time. Sign up is easy, just sign into your account and click on a tab to sign yourself up for a project. What I like about the HOBA calendar is that projects are listed several months in advance and that makes it all the better in helping me plan ahead. While most of my HOBA experience has been spent volunteering at the SF Conservatory of Flowers, I did have a fascinating time volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House Denim to Diamonds party in 2006 where we got to set up the banquet room and serve dessert while enjoying the wonderful displays at the Tech Museum in San Jose. Volunteering through HOBA has been a limited experience for me, but every project I've participated in so far has been a great one. read more

HOBA keeps me from overcommiting. On the surface, that probably doesn't seem like a big deal. But I have this terrible habit of starting out with a teensy-tiny volunteer project, and the next thing I know, I'm serving on four different committees, planning events, fundraising, training and coordinating other volunteers, and generally burning myself out. So, I had been on a LONG hiatus from volunteering when I discovered HOBA. It was exactly what I needed -- small one-time projects with an extremely low level of commitment that would allow me to ease my way back into volunteering. My first project was with the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, where we put clean syringes into packs of ten for distribution. Jen, the Project Leader at the time, was SO welcoming and friendly, and the project was repetitive enough that we could have a lot of fun chatting with each other while we got the work done. After that first night, I tried out a huge variety of volunteer opportunities, from chopping vegetables at Project Open Hand, sorting cans of food at the SF Food Bank, tutoring students at Boys' Hope, playing with little kids at Hamilton Family Center, packaging supplies for homeless teens at At The Crossroads, all of which were fun and low-pressure. Cut to 3 1/2 years later, and now I've settled into a couple of projects. Jen had to step down as Project Leader for the SF AIDS Foundation project, and now I'm sharing that job with another long-time volunteer. It's incrementally more responsibility than before, but I have no fears that I'll go back to my bad habits of burning myself out because HOBA's structure won't let me! :-) read more

Let's face it - more people would volunteer if it were convenient and hassle free - and HoBA has a great system which makes volunteering both. Set up an account online and you can view the project calender and simply choose a project then sign-up! It's online, convenient, and simple to use. One of the things I appreciate is you don't have to commit yourself weeks in advance. My schedule can fluctuate a lot and I like the idea that if I notice I have free time coming up - I can just go online and sign up for a project up until the night before (I am pretty sure online sign-up lasts until the night before, it could be up to 24 hours before). Be the Change Day 2009 was my first event with HoBA and it was almost therapeutic to do something out of my normal routine (i.e. gardening and being up early). The staff was friendly, well organized and I'm looking forward to doing this more often! read more

Let me just say that I've only volunteered several times with them, and each time has been an invigorating experience. If you're anything like me and have a relatively busy work schedule, it's hard to make a six month commitment, go through a painful screening process, and yada yada yada. Solution: Hands On Bay Area makes giving such a simple and efficient process that you really have no excuse not to volunteer now! All you do is go to thier orientation and you're set to go: their website is easy to navigate by county and preference, they send you reminders and all the info you need to get you set up! So far I've cooked breakfast for seriously at-risk teens, where you sit down, eat and talk with them; I've prepared meals for Open Hand in East Oakland; and today I cooked and served meals to the homeless in East Palo Alto-- Nothing feels as good as giving back...really :) read more

I can't say enough great things about Hands On. In my 5 years with the organization, I've taken ivy off of buildings for SF Parks and Red, packaged unused, sterilized needles for the AIDS Foundation, made dinners for families at the Ronald McDonald House. I've done projects that I found I'm not a great fit for, and others that have made my heart and spirit soar. The holiday projects are especially terrific. Who doesn't love handing out presents to underprivileged and deserving kids?! It's truly the best volunteer organization out there. You have free time, you check the project calendar online, you sign up. To begin volunteering with HOBA, you attend a quicky orientation to get you up to speed and then boom, you're in the database and you start volunteering. Also, Hands On a terrific place to spread your "leadership" wings. They're constantly looking for committee members to help with recruitment, events, orientations. Need help on your public speaking? Lead an orientation for new volunteers. www.handsonbayarea.org read more

I found HOBA through a Google search while looking for NorCal alternatives for the Riordan program for non-profit leadership. I found the mission of HOBA to be pretty compelling since volunteering is a hassle and anything to reduce that burden or to feel that you made an impact is definitely worth helping out. The staff are very friendly and always want to help you out. But they have a work-pile a mile high and responses can be slow at times. But through all odds, they pull off an amazing job with so many projects on their plates. Their main job is to work with Corporations to do their Day(s) of Service which helps fund their primary implement: the main calendar program for the general public. Their website calendar is very easy to use and people sign up for one-and-done projects making a spare afternoon into a rewarding opportunity. Most people's gripe is the $25 sign up charge. But most people don't know is you can still sign up on major events like 9-11 weekend and first weekend of the month free to try it out. And each event has a project lead taking care of you versus other alternatives just drop you in there without much guidance. Though, I do suggest ponying up the spare change since I see how much blood and sweat goes into putting on these events and its not free. I applied and got into their LIFT leadership development program. Its a rigorous but self-driven approach to learning how a non-profit operates at every level. You work with the LIFT team to build your own mini-nonprofit and put on events and fundraisers. In the team, I got to meet such interesting people from all walks of life with the same passion in non-profits and giving back to the community. Its tough but its very rewarding. Up to now, almost all of their publicity has been mainly through word of mouth. They almost have no budget for any marketing whatsoever. So "random Google search" is actually not an uncommon reason for taking an interest. Definitely a hidden gem. read more

I just started volunteering with HandsOn Bay Area this year, but it has been a great experience. I sign up for everything online, which is super easy. I originally signed up with them because I never have a set schedule for more than a few months at a time and they did not require that I make a long term commitment. What they do is post a calendar online that lists several organizations and their volunteer events months ahead of time. This allows me to sign up way in advance or even at the last minute if the events are not filled. I can sign up as much, or as little as I need to and I get to checkout several charitable organizations. read more

Are you out of your mind!!! You want me to pay $25. to volunteer my time to help others? How outrageous! I don't care that it's tax-deductible and I'm certainly NOT going to make a plea to have the "donation" waived or if I can show PROOF of hardship. This is NOT a loan application. I'm sure there are plenty of organizations that are grateful for people dedicating their time and services. Do your research...go elsewhere. If you have an extra $25 to burn, donate it to your favorite charity and/or food bank. read more

This is a great program to contribute your time and really help out. If your time is limited, or if you have an extra few hours to contribute, give them a try. The staff are caring and the other volunteers I've met are super. They assign project leaders, and try to match up projects with skills so that you're able ot contribute meaningful work for a change rather than some of the alternatives. read more

Before HOBA, I was always like, "Yeah, I'd like to volunteer, but I just can't commit to X hours a week for six months." What initially drew me to Hands On was the utter ease with which you can sign up for such a wide variety of events, all at your convenience...whether you choose to do an event every few months or two or three every week, from cooking meals for families staying at the Ronald McDonald House and gardening in the Edible Schoolyard to wrapping sutras of the Dhammapada for Tibetan Buddhist monks at Dharma Publishing and conversing with advanced ESL students at Santa Clara Adult Education. Or ushering at the Fremont Symphony, photo editing at the Computer History Museum, or making star maps at a special event like the meteor shower party held in August 2006 at Don Edwards NWR. I also liked the quality of events and the generally small size (6-10 for many, 15-20 for a few) of the volunteer groups; One Brick, which operates on a similar basis, tends to staff a lot more glitzy events like fundraisers, and involves groups of about 20-25. I love how HOBA lets me see and experiences places I might not have otherwise, too, and enables me to meet some really cool people. Not to mention volunteering just feels good, of course, but it's fantastic to be able to find projects from 1.5 hours to all day long to fit into your sked whenever you've got the time. And you can volunteer on short notice or plan months in advance; HOBA's calendar of events makes it so easy to figure out. In addition I like the nature of HOBA projects; they tend to run smaller and have established relationships with associate nonprofits, so even though you might not be able to make it to every project occurrence, there's regularity built in that helps you connect with both the associate organization as well as other vols who gravitate toward that project on a regular basis. Really, I can't say enough good things about it...just do the online orientation and boom, you're ready to go. It's like, you first sign up with HOBA because you like being able to fit in projects here and there when you have time, but pretty soon you find yourself *making* the time for projects...and then, as everyone says, you just get hooked on volunteerism. It's fabulous. read more

I honestly don't know where mine and everyone's $25+ fees go towards. I had a question and emailed their official email and received no response at all. I had an upcoming event and noticed their Program Manager for Community Volunteering, Monica Floyd, was the event coordinator. So far event coordinators have always come to their events I've volunteered at so I decided to email her in case I forgot to ask her at the day of the event. What a joke. No response from her and she didn't even show up to the event. I asked other volunteers if they had any trouble contacting the organization and Monica Floyd and they ALL said they've had trouble getting in contact. FYI, it's been months since I've emailed them twice. HandsOn Bay Area, from what I've learned, is essentially just a middleman. They show you opportunities to volunteer at non-profits. I've asked the non-profits what HandsOn Bay Area does for them and guess what their answer is? "Not much." I was told that all HOBA does is email them how many volunteers signed up to volunteer a day or so in advance. Nothing else. No name, no contact information to the volunteers or anything. Don't bother with this organization. Put in a little extra effort to look for non-profits in your area to volunteer at (many of them have websites that make it easy to do so) and save your $25! read more

Makes volunteering an addicting habit! Can't be that bad!

My company had a great experience with with Hands on Bay Area. They are a nonprofit that works with other nonprofits to find corporations to volunteer with them. The day of our event was great; it ran smoothly and the team really enjoyed their volunteer day. I look forward to working with them again! read more

Great organization for connecting with locals who need help. Just check at the calendar, you'll always find a wide verity of events you can attend and help. It's easy to apply, very helpful to get a reminder in the email. All the events I have gone were well-organized and lots of fun. I've learned so much through my volunteer works, and happy to contribute to the community. Thanks! read more

Not even sure how you can give a non-profit who does so much for the community a rating since they would get nothing but a woo-hoo but might as well throw my two cents in. HOB is great. Sign up. Volunteer. Feel good. Do something good for the world. Sleep better at night. read more

Love the whole no commitment thing. Not in my personal life, just in my volunteering life. My b/f and I have been involved with HOBA for the past few years. We even remember back in the day when it was known as Community Impact. The super cool projects and great PM's keep me coming back for more. read more

Hands On is a fantastic volunteer program that is set up to allow people to make contributions to their community in a wide variety of ways. Whether you want to help preserve the looks and feel of the environment with beach cleanups or park preservation, support the elderly by volunteering to read or play board games, dish out food at a soup kitchen or help mentor children who need our help, Hands On makes it easy, flexible and fun to participate in. If you have always wanted to do more but just don't know how you want to carry it out, check out their website, peruse the options and sign on. See you out there! read more

Hands On Bay Area offers a great way to volunteer. If you live in SF, you are probably busy, working hard.... the economy is tough....and HOBA makes it easy for you by providing nearly 100 volunteer projects to fit your schedule, location and preference for activity. I've volunteered at a woman's shelter and I've also done a couple of Hands On Bay Area days. read more