Volunteer Roles

Volunteers are at the heart of everything we do at Solace Friends. New volunteer applications are closed until January 2026 to allow us to complete required training for our current amazing volunteers.

Please feel free to review the information on this page to learn more about how Solace Friends' volunteer contribute their time and talents to our non-profit organization and the residents of Solace Home.

If you have any questions about volunteering at Solace Friends, please email Solace Friends' Volunteer Coordinator at volunteer@solacefriends.org. Thank you for your interest in our special mission!

Solace Friends appreciates the time and talent that volunteers contribute to help in all facets of our operations. For most of Solace Friends’ volunteer assignments, no special skills are required—just an open mind and heart, and the desire to help others when it's needed most. All volunteers receive training and ongoing support. All volunteer assignments are based on individual interests and availability.

Examples of volunteer roles include:

• Administrative support and data entry
• Companionship: Providing emotional and spiritual support and hospitality to residents and visitors through reading, letter writing, playing cards, and just being a caring presence
• Direct caregiving (both licensed and unlicensed): Providing hands on care to our residents by assisting with eating, walking, transportation, and other basic activities.
• Education and community outreach
• Fundraising volunteer
• Home maintenance
• Housekeeping and laundry
• Kitchen volunteers: shopping, organizing, storing and preparing food
• Life review assistants: documenting residents' life stories
• Meal planning and preparation
• Errands for residents and staff
• Vigil volunteers: Staying with and supporting residents during active dying
• Yard maintenance and gardening

Onboarding Requirements

Solace Friends will begin onboarding new volunteers in January 2026. Please email Solace Friends' Volunteer Coordinator at volunteer@solacefriends.org if you would like to be added to the notification list when volunteer applications re-open and volunteer trainings resume in 2026.

There are several steps in the process of becoming a Solace Friends volunteer.

1. Complete the online application (instructions and link below)
2. Attend a 1-hour Zoom orientation to learn about Solace Friends
3. Attend a 1:1 Zoom interview with the Volunteer Coordinator to match your interests and experience with available volunteer opportunities
4. Attend a 2-hour in-person Volunteer Training session (2026 training session dates TBD)
5. Complete an online Sexual Harassment and Anti-Discrimination Training
6. Complete an online Reporting Suspected Abuse and Neglect

Volunteers who want to volunteer in Solace Home as hands-on caregivers for residents and help with tasks such as bathing, dressing, feeding, and medication administration are required to complete an additional 13 hours of training in topics related to resident care. This training is required by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) as a condition of Solace Home’s adult family home licensure. In some instances, several hours of this training can be waived based on a person’s previous training or experience in healthcare.