The City of Fort Collins (FC)is a wonderful place to live, thanks in large part to the residents who live here and are active and involved in their community. Part of an engaged City is a community that selflessly gives back making the world a better place for those around them. Using their time, talents, treasures, hearts and hands to help others, these people are the backbone of a community. They are volunteers.
The City of Fort Collins Volunteer Program is designed to creatively engage people and their unique talents. When talent and passion are working together, the results are amazing. With that aim, the City promotes volunteer involvement to improve services and create community.
To view current goals and areas The City of Fort Collins Volunteer Program hopes to improve check out our strategic plan!
Volunteer Resources#
Volunteer Opportunities#
Volunteer Services manages over 30 departments. Each has its own unique purpose, goals, interest groups, time commitments, and skill sets. Here are some of our ongoing opportunities:
Pick it Up FOCO
Help do your part by picking up trash in your community. Join the community to stop single-use plastics in their tracks before they impact wildlife and our waterways. This volunteer opportunity can be accomplished independently, follow the steps linked below and start volunteering now!
Adopt A Neighbor
Volunteers will assist neighbors with tasks such as snow shoveling, leaf raking, grocery shopping, picking up medications, and pet care. Specific needs and schedules will vary, and there are opportunities for long-term pairings with one neighbor as well as one-time tasks.
Butterfly House
The Butterfly House is a year-round home to hundreds of North American butterflies and dozens of varieties of flowering plants, built and operated in partnership with the Butterfly Pavilion. Butterfly House volunteers are responsible for helping to ensure excellent guest experiences and enhance guest takeaways through interpretation and education.
NextGenServe
This summer service club for youth ages 11-18, focuses on growing leadership skills and service in the Fort Collins community. Teens will have the opportunity to explore and serve at various locations, meet peers, and engage with trained city staff.
Volunteer Impact#
FC Volunteers are huge contributors to the functions of the City. According to pre-pandemic statistics the City has seen volunteers donate nearly 150,000 hours of time, which is equivalent to an economic impact of $3.9 million! This is the direct result of the passion and hard work of nearly 11,000 volunteers across all our departments, however, departments with some of the largest contribution to our city wide volunteer statistics include Recreation, Parks, and Police Services. The volunteer effort from all departments and our amazing volunteers make our program what it is, the 6th best volunteer program nationwide for midsized cities with a volunteerism rate of 38%!
- See the results of the Engagement Survey
- Check out the 2020 Volunteer Stats
- Check out the 2019 Volunteer Stats
FC Volunteer Services Guiding Principles:
- Enhance services by supplementing the efforts of paid city staff with volunteer engagement
- Offer volunteers opportunities to learn and grow
- Collect data to show the program’s commitment to cost effectiveness
- Volunteers are able to see firsthand how the City government operates and function by being involved in world-class programs
- Volunteers share their unique areas of expertise
- Volunteers promote understanding and awareness of City government issues and programs
- Provide a positive experience and environment for both volunteers and paid staff
- Volunteers are recognized for the value they add to their community
If you have a group of interested or potential volunteers and would like to hear about the Volunteer Services Program request a presentation by our team and learn more about Fort Collins volunteerism:
