Position overview
Volunteer front desk attendants or “greeters” not only welcome visitors to the SJC and manage the front desk, but they are vital to the operations of our shared community space. Greeters help promote the inclusive and open atmosphere we seek to cultivate and enable our organizations to collaborate more effectively. *See "Schedule" section for info on days and times!
Tasks
- Greet people entering the building, answering any questions, providing directions and alerting staff when someone is there to meet or visit them
- Answer phone calls when staff is not available
- Maintain front desk and reception area - ensure it is clean and free of clutter, with all necessary materials/supplies (e.g. forms and brochures)
- Provide basic and accurate information in-person and via phone/email
- Assist with building-wide coordination and communication
- Help new volunteers learn the basics (after you’re trained, of course!)
Skills
- Friendly and welcoming disposition
- Must be patient, nonjudgmental, and treat visitors of all walks of life with respect
- Punctuality and reliability
- Basic computer literacy, including typing, email, searching the internet and using a few user-friendly programs on the front desk computer
- Willingness to learn new information and systems
- Emotion regulation and stress management skills (ability to stay calm when things are stressful!)
- Communicate in the case of crises or emergencies in a timely and effective manner
Setting
This role will primarily take place at the front desk to the SJC, with occasional trips to other parts of the building (if mobility is an issue, accommodations can be made). The work environment is pretty lively, with other people working nearby. Volunteers are welcome to bring food/snacks to eat and other activities to work on when there is downtime.
Schedule
The front desk is staffed in 2-hour shifts Monday through Friday (9pm-11pm, 11pm-1pm, 1pm-3pm, 3pm-5pm). There is no minimum number of shifts required. Once the new volunteer goes through orientation, SJC staff and volunteers will agree to a scheduling process that works for them; set a recurring weekly schedule of shifts that fit your schedule or sign up for your shifts a month at a time.
Training and supervision
We provide informational materials about our organization and its members, building operations and community resources visitors may ask about. New volunteers will attend a 1-2 hour orientation and shadow staff or another volunteer a few shifts, depending on the new volunteer’s comfort level. You will also be trained on how to use Discord (a chat application), Google Drive, and TeamUp (our calendar application).
Screening
We will do an informal interview to make sure all parties think it’s a good fit. If you are interested in volunteering as part of an outside/third-party program, such as earning hours for credit or fulfilling a community service requirement, prospective volunteers should bring this up during the informal interview or before beginning volunteer hours. We’re more than happy to have volunteers join our team who are participating in these kinds of programs as long as we have the following:
- Name of program (deferred prosecution, RSVP, National Honor Society etc.)
- Program contact person
- Any relevant informational materials from the program (forms, program requirements, agreements etc.)
- Clear understanding of what you and the program need from SJC, such as documentation procedures and any other requirements
